Students from ages four to 14 learn basic hockey skills at King's Hockey School Girls-Only Hockey Camp. (Nikita Ganovicheff/meadowlakeNOW staff)

By Nikita Ganovicheff

Hockey School

King family back for third year of girls hockey school

Aug 14, 2019 | 12:00 PM

More than 50 young athletes had a chance to learn from female hockey players at the Girls-Only Hockey Camp in Flying Dust this week.

King’s Hockey School instructors and sisters Danene Kopperud and Dayna King taught 54 girls basic hockey skills at the camp from Aug. 12 to 15. Both coaches are former players for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Girls from the ages of four to 14 learned both on and off-ice skills such as stickhandling, passing, shooting, edge work and nutrition.

“It’s important to eat healthy as an athlete and at our school we promote healthy snacks as well,” Kopperud said.

Kopperud added she enjoys seeing the kids work together and pick up the teamwork aspect of the camp.

POLICING

Search underway after reported assault, vehicle with stolen plates flees North Battleford mall

10h ago

Women for Wishes Campaign

Cando's Hirschfeld family raising money in honour of deceased Steven

11h ago

Whiterock Basketball Academy

Local basketball players take talent to the big stage at NABI tournament in Arizona

11h ago

“[The students] build a relationship with the group that they’re in throughout [the camp] and it’s nice that they have good friendships by the end of the camp,” Kopperud said.

The sisters and their brothers, D.J. and Dwight King, have held an open hockey camp at the PineRidge Ford Place arena for the past eight years.

“It was the first year this rink was built and it was just finished in the nick of time when we had our first hockey school. We thought it would be nice to give back to the community and give them the opportunity to have a hockey school,” Kopperud said.

The female-only program started three years ago as there was a demand for it from the community. Kopperud mentioned the girls seemed less shy and more confident in the girls-only camp.

“One thing that I’ve noticed that’s changed, in our first year a lot of the girls were coming out and still needing the basic skating stride, whereas this year and last year they came into the pre-novice and novice groups a lot stronger,” King said.

Kopperud noted she appreciates the help from all the hockey school instructors, some of which are extended family and others former students.

–

nikita.ganovicheff@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @Nikitaganov