For years, the number of goaltenders have been on the decline and the picture is clear to many of us that unless we show our support as an Association to promote the position of goaltender and that we do it by investing financially in equipment and clinics, then families will continue to keep their kids away from this unique and most important position.
WMHA has thus adopted a Goaltender Promotion Intiative in order to support the young players and their families who want to develop as a goaltender. Below you will find our first four strategies with our reasoning and commentary.
1. WMHA will provide goaltending equipment to all our HL teams requiring it, in any and all divisions from Tyke to Midget.
(Reasoning: We need goalies to play the game.)
Approved at the September 14th Exec meeting. Executives in attendance were given the task to look into fitting goalies for HL teams without one.
2. WMHA will provide a goaltender skills development program
(Reasoning: Goaltending can be the most physically and mentally demanding position on a team yet often lacks specific coaching support needed for improvement. Some attributes of goaltending may come naturally; however, the development of outstanding goaltenders comes through expert instruction and the practice of specific skills. The demands placed on today’s goaltenders are greater than ever. Goaltending today is all about the acquisition of new skills as well as the refinement of those skills day after day). Technical director’s plan was approved at the September 28th Exec meeting. It will consist of 10 sessions, averaging 2 per month, on Wednesday night from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, including a 30 min session upstairs for the HL coaches accompanying their goalie. It will be run on a cost recovery basis, with a subsidy for WMHA goalies. If there is a small deficit (for the first year) WMHA will absorb it.
3. WMHA will support our home grown goaltenders and their families by buying back their gently used equipment in order to recycle it into our HL program.
(Reasoning: Due to the prohibitive cost of purchasing goaltender equipment and the fact that kids grow like weeds, the Goaltender position is one that parents discourage, even refuse their kids to consider playing. This has led to the shortage of goaltenders in all age groups, in HL and REP, that we have been experiencing for the past many years.) This strategy was approved at the September 28th Exec meeting.
4. REP teams will provide $500.00 in their budget in order to cover some of the cost of their goaltender(s) training (clinics, school, or other) provided they submit a receipt to the team. If a team has one goalie, s/he gets access to the whole $500.00, if there are two goaltenders they share it equally, $250.00 each.
(Reasoning: Goaltenders are individuals playing within a team sport and therefore they need individual coaching and attention. Competitive goaltending requires instructing experience that will improve and refine the necessary skills of today’s elite goaltenders. Without proper instruction a goaltender’s technique will become flawed and the frequency of goals given up will increase. Through personal instruction, goaltenders may not only improve performance on the ice but it may also help them train more efficiently off the ice, gain a better understanding of the mental side of playing goal as well as introduce goal setting to them. In other words, it can allow the goaltender to take charge of their own development path and push beyond limits again and again!
This strategy was adopted by most REP teams last season and is now mandatory for all teams. It will be part of REP Team Budget approval process, which states that teams must submit their budget to the REP convenor by Oct.31st for executive approval.
The bottom line is that if we keep doing what we have always done, we will keep getting what we have always gotten. We hope to see the numbers as well as the quality improve over the next 5 to 10 years. If we don't act, then what?
The new Goaltender Promotion Initiative is a first step. The Executive is open to additional ideas. Anything else that might help foster the development of a greater number of good goalies will be taken into consideration.
WMHA Executive
