Two of a Kind


Arvada, Colorado Springs are embracing USA Hockey’s ADM to its fullest By Paul Willis


A


second-grade student shouldn’t be forced to learn fifth-grade curriculum. And what good would a field trip to a museum be with no background on what you’re about to see? USA Hockey extrapolated those concepts to the rink and understood the


problem: A Squirt practice shouldn’t look like a smaller version of a Midget practice, and how can a player develop properly if they’re always at tourna- ments or playing games rather than practicing their rudimentary skills? Enter the American Development Model (ADM). It’s USA Hockey’s pro-


gram to encourage age-appropriate training, consistent coaching tactics, an abundance of practice time and a way to prevent burnout. Colorado is listening. Two of the three programs recently named Model Association Programs


by the country’s governing body are from the state - the Arvada Hockey Association (AHA) and the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association (CSAHA). The New Jersey Bandits are the third organization. “Both of these associations had previously done quite a bit of work in modi- fying their programming, so there wasn’t as much last-minute


required between June and the start


adaptation of the


season,” ADM director Ken Martel said. “We’re


excited to work closely with Arvada and Colorado Springs, as well as the other programs in Colorado, to make the home state of USA Hockey the best in the country.”


Martel said USA Hockey, based


in Colorado Springs, had about 15 inquiries nationwide for the pro- gram and just Arvada and Colorado Springs from Colorado. He indicated that rule modifications by the Colo- rado Amateur Hockey Association and the Colorado Competitive Youth Hockey League had associations from the state primed “to be a real leader, nationally, in player development.” “It’s an honor for us,” CSAHA


hockey director Brian Copeland said. “We’ve been doing a lot of things already that are within the American Development Model. I think our 8U program was pretty much operating exactly under the guidelines. We were probably 90 percent of the way there on Squirts, and maybe 80, 85 percent of the way there on Pee Wees.” Like many programs, one of the changes the CSAHA is implementing to


become more congruent with the model is slightly reducing game counts. The model has a strict practice-to-game ratio, which encourages further practice time. In addition, coach education is a key facet. Different age levels should


have different types of practices, and one common complaint is that organiza- tions sometimes don’t tailor their practices accordingly. The CSAHA is making changes to ensure that each age group is receiving the type of training that caters to their development. “We firmly believe in long-term athlete development,” Copeland said.


“Sports science is behind it, and we don’t see any reason to do anything other than age-appropriate training.” The AHA, which operates out of the Apex Center, was also very close to


the original ADM guidelines but is being given a grace period to become 100 percent compliant. For instance, the AHA annually schedules a Thanksgiving Weekend tour-


6


nament, and the ADM is aiming to black out that weekend to give kids a true holiday break. With a tournament already scheduled, the AHA will be allowed to play it this season. In addition, the AHA will be permitted to play in an annual tournament in


Fargo, N.D., which has been a staple for more than 40 years. Afterwards, the organization will adhere to the in-state-only guidelines. “Being in Colorado with


USA Hockey down in Colorado Springs, we’re fairly tied in with USA Hockey anyways,” AHA president Sean Clark said. “So I think there’s some synergy there, but being one of the model associations re- quired some changes. It was more or less taking the things we’ve done for ADM at the 8U (level) and extending them up through Pee Wee.” The designation means the associations agree to operate fully within the model at the 12U level and agree to the con- cept of age-appropriate train- ing at all levels. As an added perk, the asso-


ciations will receive additional help from USA Hockey in im- plementing the ADM. In lieu of staff support and in-depth coaches training, USA Hockey


will offer assistance with equipment, signage and educational materi- als.


The ADM, which has the support of the NHL, originally was


launched in January of 2009 as a way to help athletes of all skill levels reach their full potential via long-term development. “For us, it’s good to have the relationship with USA Hockey where


we can have some feedback,” Clark said. “They can sit in Colorado Springs and come up with the model, but we’re the ones who have to implement it on the ground. Some of the things might seem very good on a conference call or on a whiteboard, but it just doesn’t work when you’re trying to run the association. “We gave them feedback, too, last year as far as practices, shared ice and things like that.” Clark alluded to the notion that some old-school hockey coaches or


Players like Taber Gutchshik, a member of CSAHA’s Pee Wee A team, and Joey Borer, an Arvada Squirt, are sure to benefit from their respective associations’ top-to- bottom following of USA Hockey’s American Develop- ment Model. Photos/YSPN.com


former players are bound to the notion that things have to be done the old way. He fully supports ADM’s goal to shatter that paradigm and implement a model that can be successful anywhere. The only lukewarm feedback, Clark said, has come from those “who think any change is bad” or coaches who are stubborn to adapt. “Just because someone was a player at a high level, even in the


NHL, it may not make them a great coach,” Clark said. “It made them a great player and they’d been through a ton of practices and a ton of drills, but that doesn’t always equate to being a great coach.” USA Hockey understands issues might sprout up, and, within reason, is keeping an open ear. Any feedback is good feedback. “There are certain core principles that we know are based upon facts and


not opinions, so we need to hold firm in those areas,” Martel said. “However, implementation strategies and some on- or off-ice training pedagogy may change based upon new information gained over time. By partnering with these model associations, we expect to learn just as much from them as they do from us.” While there might be a kink or two to work out, Clark said his association is fully on board.


“For me, what the ADM represents is a way to baseline that all our kids


at all levels are getting the best possible coaching and the best possible drills because they’re taught the same way.”


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