Volunteer instructors Mike Weger and Quinn Mantei were out on the ice with eight young hockey players over the weekend as part of Weyburn Minor Hockey Association’s “Make Hockey More” March skills sessions.
Throughout the month of March, 118 participants are registered, with each participant receiving six one-hour ice sessions. The 90 separate ice sessions will be instructed with a mix of paid and volunteer instructors that will touch on all aspects of the game.
When asked if this was a new idea, organizer and instructor Weger stated that “in previous years, we would have teams in playoffs and provincials, but this year, due to the regulations against competition, we realized that the ice would not be used much in March if we didn’t come up with some extra programming. We polled our members and it was clear that the kids weren’t all done training and so we found a way to fill the available ice slots on the evenings and weekends for three weeks.”
He noted that these sessions wouldn’t have been possible without the volunteer parents and AAA midget hockey players that have come out to help run ice sessions.
One of the best parts of the program has been watching the older high calibre hockey players come out and interact with the young boys and girls.”
Asked if this will be an annual event, Weger laughed, “I hope not. Next year I want to be watching some Weyburn hockey teams going deep into playoffs and Provincials at this time of year. We are training hard this year for success next year.”
Meantime, coming up on Saturday, March 27 is the Esso Fun Day for Weyburn Minor Hockey, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Weger explained, “We will be hosting an Esso Fun Day at Crescent Point Place, which provides an opportunity for young females to try hockey if they have never played hockey before. It is free and we still have a few spots available.”
