ESTEVAN — The demand for the second annual All-Girls Hockey Camp in Estevan was so strong that an additional week had to be added.
The camp ran from July 29-Aug. 1 and Aug. 5-8, with on-ice sessions happening at Affinity Place, dryland hockey at Athlete World and other activities in the Estevan Leisure Centre.
Melissa Deitz with Lemon Wedge Marketing, which partnered with Athlete World on the camp, said the camp attracted approximately 180 girls, with 50 for the first week and 130 for the second.
"The original week [Aug. 5-8] sold out in about 48 hours, which was a real highlight for us," she told SaskToday. "Because of the overwhelming demand, we added a second week."
The first week had mostly out-of-town campers, while the second had more local participants. Young people came from as far away as Smithers, B.C., and Wyoming to build their talents.
Colleen Sostorics, a defenceman from Kennedy who won an Olympic gold medal for Team Canada in 2002, 2006 and 2010, was part of the camp for the second straight year, offering on-ice instruction during both weeks. She also had her Gold Medal Talk on July 30 that all camp participants from either week could attend with their families.
Robin Ulrich, a Lampman product who went on to become the captain of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team, was among the instructors for the first time.
"We're thrilled to have her because she's from southeast Saskatchewan. She's local to us and has a tremendous background," said Deitz.
Megan LeBlanc from Athlete World and Sydney Wanner led the dryland training sessions. The camp also had instructors who guided campers through such topics as nutrition, and mental health and wellness.
"It's a very all-encompassing, holistic hockey camp that we put on," said Deitz.
The sessions at Athlete World were new for this year. Athletes worked on stick-handling and shooting skills using what Deitz called "state-of-the-art" hockey lanes. Also new for this year was a daily lunch menu to make it easier for families.
Ulrich said she had a lot of fun at the camp. She could tell the organizers put in a lot of work, and it was nice to see the people were involved.
"I think it's really exciting just to see how much they've been able to grow it just in a really short time," said Ulrich. "I know female hockey is one of the fastest-growing sports; again Hockey Canada had its largest year of female participants registered. It's a growing sport with a lot of interest, and I'm really excited to see how the game has continued to grow in the southeast."
Ulrich saw a variety of skill levels among participants. Some were just getting into the sport and have only played for a few years. Others were hoping to play U18 AAA hockey or even higher.
"It's something that I really enjoy because it's fun for me to work with kids of all different skill levels, help them learn the game and find something fun within it," she said.
The kids were coachable, and were willing to learn and try something that she suggested.
She has seen the progress that has occurred in the sport in the past few years. When she was young, there might have been enough players to have one team in the U15 and U18 age groups. Now there's enough to ice several teams.
"The skill level has definitely come a long ways from the general level when I was growing up, but I will say we were still a pretty good team growing up," said Ulrich.
Deitz said the camp builds confidence for the participants, creates unforgettable memories and gives the girls opportunities to learn from strong female role models on and off the ice.
"We're really looking forward to next year, because we're excited to kick things off with two full weeks of camp right from the start. We're always working to improve and make sure the All-Girls Hockey Camp continues to be an elite experience for everyone."
It's also an opportunity to showcase the different facilities in Estevan, and she's looking forward to the camp's return next year.
She also thanked everyone who participated and supported this year's camp.
