As we enter into our last couple of months of the long fall hockey season, it is paramount to the success of our teams that both the players and their parents stay focused on COMMITMENT.

The commitment from ALL players to attend ALL the resources made available to them. Power Skates, Systems, Treadmill, Off Ice Sessions, and Goalie Clinics are all part of the programs we have in place for the player’s conditioning and ongoing skill development. You as parents are paying for these and the players ABSOLUTELY reap huge benefits when they consistently attend. Ask any coach, it is very apparent late in games and especially as the season progresses which players are diligent about attending these clinics. They are clearly in better shape, skate with greater confidence and are more effective while on the ice then those who only attend these on part-time basis. Don’t short change yourself, your player’s development, or the team by not taking full advantage of all we have to offer.

The commitment from ALL players to attend ALL their team practices. An individual may win a game…but it takes teamwork to win consistently and ultimately win Championships. For a coach to successfully teach and hone “team” play and systems – all members of that “team” must be participating in all of the practices. It is in the team practices where line-mates learn (practice) to read and react to each other and effectively execute teamwork. In this fast moving game of hockey, where small fractions of time and distance makes big differences, players must consistently practice together to sharpen their team play which will enhance their opportunity for greater success. Players play in games - like they practice. If players are not at practice, working hard together with their teammates to perfect teamwork, it will strongly compromise that team’s success in game conditions.

The commitment from ALL players to attend ALL their team games. Hockey is a team sport. Every player has a role and contributes to a team’s success. The only way to insure that a team’s hard work in practices successfully comes together in games - is for all players to be in attendance. The teamwork that it takes to win games is harder to achieve when team players are missing.

As your youth hockey association, we have tried our best to put all our teams in a position to be competitive. Some teams have enjoyed more success than others. However, it is very important to remember that success is not measured by how you start - it is measure by how you finish. In our hard skate for the finish line – please provide an enhanced level of commitment. Without question, your team’s success depends on it.

See you at the rink,
Doug Becht
CAHA President

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Please welcome your new Directors to the Cyclones Board.

On October 9th, 2006 the following Associate Board Members (ABM’s) names were placed in nomination to serve as full Directors and the elections were held.

We are very please to announce that Bob Behneke, Dan Dhooghe and Tom McGee were all unanimously elected to the Board of Directors for the Cyclones Amateur Hockey Association.     

Congratulations to all these high quality individuals and many thanks to them for their willingness to serve!

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Dear Cyclones members,

This may be somewhat premature as we are 6 months away from anything happening, but I have heard some rumors going on and I want to make sure everyone is properly informed. 

I have had the privilege to be a part of this program and live in this great community for 6 years now.  Unfortunately, for a number of personal and family related reasons, I will be stepping down in at the end of the 07 spring season. This is not an easy decision on any level, but deep down, I know it is the right one for our family’s future.

Moving forward with the Cyclones, we will be transitioning in 5 new Hockey Directors, one dedicated to each playing level. You will be hearing a lot more about them in the coming weeks, but it is safe to say that collectively they possess more coaching and playing experience (Junior, college and NHL combined) than any other single director in the State; myself included. 

This new leadership structure will prove to be one of the most important steps forward in the evolution of our program.  It has grown as far as it could under the direction of 1 person. Having 5 dedicated professionals involved is ideal; it will significantly enhance the quality and quantity of player development, communication, education, and coaching development programs.

I am truly honored that these guys are stepping up and have every confidence that they will not only see this through, but grow this program bigger and stronger than I could have ever done alone.

In the spring, we will be moving to Calgary where I will be joining a Private Wealth Management firm within the Royal Bank. It’ll be a lot different not working with a helmet, but I should be able to have a positive impact in people lives and spend a lot more time with my family and my father.

I honestly don’t know if it’ll ever match up to what we have here, out of all the cities and places I’ve been in the world, this community is the best place I’ve ever been. Living here has truly been an incredible experience both personally and professionally. I am very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with so many great kids and combine my passion and my profession for this long.

I want to thank the players, coaches, parents, board, and everyone at the rink for all their support throughout the past 6 years. We will always cherish the times and dear friendships we have made here; this is a very special program, in a very special community. Even after we leave, I will continue to offer my input and support to the club in anyway possible and always be an email or call away.

Have a safe and happy holiday.

Sincerely,
Coach Brad
Cyclones Director of Hockey

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Billed as a “once in a lifetime experience” the Cyclones Gold and Bronze teams will play an exhibition game at the United Center. This game will be just before the Chicago Blackhawks play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, December 22, 2006. As part of the Junior Hawk program, Cyclones participants will play on the same ice as the NHL players and be able to go behind the scenes of the UC. These Cyclones teams have been asked to do a shootout between the second and third periods. Five players and one goaltender from each team will be randomly drawn. This shootout will give over 15,000 fans a look at highly skilled Cyclones players. Cyclones Hockey….Fun, Friendships and Lifetime Memories.

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Please join the Cyclones for some great Holiday Hockey.
Come support your club by stopping by for a game or two.
Visit the www.cycloneshockey.net for more information and game times.

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The following article is one in a series of three that we will be featuring in BreakOut! over the next few issues. These articles have helped shape me as an athlete and a person and I hope that in some way they can provide some direction and inspiration into your lives as they have for me.

-Coach Brad

Desire - Determination - Dedication

To become a winning athlete, you must be hungry: hungry for success; hungry for victory; and hungry simply to become the best you can be. It always starts with a dream. Then, somehow, some way, you must be inspired to reach your goal or you'll never make it.

The many stories you read about athletes overcoming serious physical disabilities shouldn't surprise you. It was because of their disabilities that these athletes developed such a fierce, burning desire to succeed. They had to prove to themselves they could do it - in spite of the odds.

The messages in this article show that desire is often more important than talent, or even a healthy body. Desire is what motivated the boy with burned legs to set the world record in the mile run, and the young girl with polio to become an Olympic champion swimmer.

A parent or a coach can guide you by telling you what need to be done and how often to do it. But you have to do the rest. Only your burning desire to succeed will enable you to push yourself when you're too tired to work out, and help you avoid the many outside distractions that frequently come your way. Every young wrestler I meet is asked the same question, "How good do you want to be?"

I'll never forget one of our wrestlers who came up to me at a wrestling banquet. He said, "Ferg, I just want to thank you for never yelling, 'You've got to want it,' while I was wrestling." In wrestling circles, this is the most frequently used expression by coaches.

It's true that athletes must "want it" to win, but this desire must come from within, not from a coach. You either "want it", or you don't. There's no other choice. This wanting, this desire, must come to you long before you step out on the wrestling mat. That's why practice is so important. It builds the desire long before the match starts.

I knew one of my wrestlers wanted it "really bad," because I had seen him "pay the price" for four years. He never had to tell me - he showed me.

Once you have the desire, determination and dedication will help you reach your goals. It's very easy to get sidelined or distracted, so it's important to keep your mind focused on your goals and nothing else. The relentless quest, the thing that keeps you going day after day, is your determination. There are no shortcuts in the world of athletics. There are only goals to be set - and goals to be reached - competition to be faced and adversity to overcome. Only the truly dedicated athletes ever come close to attaining their goals. This is the true test of all great individuals who have the edge - they won't let anything interfere with their goals. That's why so few become champions.

Setting your goals lets you know where you're going and allows you to determine how far you've already come. The difference between where you are now and where your goal is, tells you how much further you have yet to go. A lack of opportunity is often nothing more than a lack of purpose or direction. That's why goals are so valuable. If you don't know where you're going, how are you going to know when you get there?

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Dear Parents,

It has been brought to my attention from parents, coaches and managers from a number of different Cyclones teams, from all different divisions that some parents are choosing to be very critically of their children while on the ice and then taking that same negative attitude back home with them.  To be honest, most of these vocal parents are on teams that do not have a winning record. This concerns me on a number of different levels and is very disappointing....much to time consuming for me to address here and now.  Therefore, I would like to recommend the following to help keep things in perspective for every parent, especially those who are so frustrated:

Please visit (or revisit) the Parent Orientation Program (POP) that our organization has produced and is featured on our website @ http://www.cycloneshockey.net/parentorientation.html Please download the whole PowerPoint program to get the full positive effects of this presentation. It has been recognized by AHAI as one of the best parent programs in IL Hockey. Are you a Psycho parent or not? Are you creating a positive and healthy environment for your player or not?  Find out by checking this out.   

To paraphrase an excerpt from Dan Saferstien's book "Win or Lose: A Guide To Sports Parenting"

As a parent, you should never forget that you are at your children's sporting events to support them; they are not there to perform for you. The last thing kids need to hear from parents (on and off the ice) is all your frustrations both with them and yourself.  If you are ever in doubt about what to say from the stands, you can always follow the simple adage: If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all.

PLEASE...lets let the coaches coach, the players play and all of us as parents support our children's efforts in a positive and loving manner.  They truly will be better, more confident athletes knowing that we are always in their court, win or lose - good games or bad.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Fellow Cyclones Parent,
Doug

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Be a part of Breakout!

Breakout! is always looking for ideas, contributors, and assistant editors.

Email your comments, suggestions, and questions to: bryan@ims-chi.com. Thanks.

Thank you to all that have contributed to this issue of BreakOUT!

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