Program Profile: RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna

Located in Kelowna, BC, RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna competes in all six Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) Western Divisions, having won the Female U18 Prep division the last three seasons.

PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY AND MISSION STATEMENT

RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna’s team of professionals are committed to setting the standard of excellence and innovation in hockey in an environment where exceptional performance has no limit. RINK Hockey Academy’s vision it to be the complete hockey resource for personal and professional development.

LIST OF TEAMS

• U15 AAA
• U15 Prep
• U17 AAA Red
• U17 Prep Black
• U18 Prep
• Female U18 Prep

LOCATION AND YEAR THE PROGRAM ENTERED THE CSSHL

Located in the beautiful Okanagan in Kelowna, BC, the RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna offers six teams. In 2020, RINK Hockey Academy purchased Pursuit of Excellence (POE) who were a founding CSSHL member in 2009-10.

EDUCATION

• Partner Schools
  • George Elliott Secondary School (Grades 9-12) (GESS)
  • HS Grenda Middle School (Grades 5-8) (GMS)
• What are some of the things your program does to provide educational support?
  • The RINK School Liaison is the first point of contact for school education and behaviour concerns for RINK students, for George Elliot Secondary School (GESS) & Grenda Middle School (GMS) teachers, and RINK Parents. The GESS/GMS Counsellor is first point of contact for RINK. The counsellor will guide course selections and school credits for student-athletes and will assist students/parents to source tutors as needed.
• How are grades monitored and how often?
  • Parent/Teacher interviews are conducted through by the current teacher four times a year. RINK School Liaison is in touch with all teachers at the start of each term (8 terms) every five weeks. If a student falls behind or is struggling, the teacher will contact the RINK School Liaison. Schools issue Report Cards four times in the school year. The RINK School Liaison receives a record of all students’ marks. Grades at RHA Kelowna are monitored by teachers and information is relayed to our School Liaison. Any concerns with grade percentage, missed assignments or testing are reviewed with our coaches and in turn players are communicated with and appropriate direction is decided upon. All players must retain a 70% grade average/developing to maintain participation in all hockey activities. Parents can also check at any time with their son or daughter’s teachers on grades or progress.
• How are courses and the graduation path for student athletes chosen?
  • Courses are chosen by the students at the end of each school year for the upcoming academic year. School counsellors assist and guide all our student athletes in choosing the necessary courses for their future academic and career paths.
• Do you have an academic probation policy?
  • Student athletes are to maintain a 70% average/Developing in school. Should students fall below, the teacher will contact the RINK School Liaison. The RINK School Liaison will work with the students/parents to arrange a tutor. The Coach will be advised should additional academic time be needed to maintain that average and retain the program’s academic standards.

RESIDENTIAL LIFE

• Do you offer a billeting program or a dormitory for non-local student athletes?
  • The RHA Kelowna billet coordinator works very closely with our out-of-town players, families, billet families and RINK Kelowna staff to foster a good understanding and transition into the billet home. This transition involves a criminal record check, reference checks, home visit and inspection, player information profile and communication between the incoming family and billet family before the beginning of the year. Throughout the year our billet coordinator will do regular monthly checks with the billeted players and the billet family to insure smooth transition and ongoing success of the billeting program. Semi-annual interviews are conducted to gather information and review the effectiveness of the billet family and the billeting program. Exit interviews are done for retention of effective billet families and gathering information for effective placements and improvements for the following year.

STUDENT ATHLETE HEALTH

• How are injuries and sick student athletes monitored?
  • If an athlete becomes sick or encounters an injury the staff and billet families work together to nurse the player back to health. In the event of illness, the billet family will look after the player until they are ready to return to regular activities. This will include doctor’s appointments, getting prescriptions and any other needs to reach recovery. The billet family keeps our billet coordinator and coaches informed of the athlete’s progress to recovery. If the illness is considered severe a doctor’s note maybe required before the athlete can return to regular training and game play.
  • When a player receives an injury, it is assessed by our athletic therapist. They will determine a back to play regimen. This may require referral to our Academy doctor who would refer a back to play timeline and protocol. Our team of doctors, athletic therapists, coaching staff and families will work together to help support the students’ training plan to get back to regular activity.

SCHEDULE

• What days the daily schedule look like for a student athlete in your program?
  • Students at RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna work on a morning school or afternoon school schedule.
    • Morning School schedule:
      • 7:30AM – Off-Ice Activity
      • 9:00AM School
      • 1:00PM Ice
      • 3:30PM Workout
      • 5:30 End of Day Shuttle.
    • Afternoon School schedule:
      • 8:00AM On-Ice Practice
      • 10:30AM Dryland
      • 12:30PM School
      • 3:30PM Skills
      • 5:30PM End of day shuttle
    • Skills activity is comprised of team building and video sessions during the week.
• How many games can your teams expect to play?
  • At RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna we play between 40-55 games a year. Each of our teams will compete in the CSSHL playing 36-40 league and playoff games as well as exhibition and tournament play to get to a minimum of 40 games. All our teams will play exhibition and tournament play against elite competition across western Canada and the US.
• What does the on and off ice training look like?
  • The RHA Kelowna yearly training plan will offer to each of our student athletes
  • Minimum 40 games
  • Over 320 hours of on ice training.
  • Over 160 hours of off-ice training.
  • Over 200 study hall hours.
  • Weekly Skill Development Session with RINK Player Development professional
  • Weekly Goalie Development Session with RINK Goalie Development professional
  • RINK Testify Performance overseeing all our off-ice training.
  • State of the art equipment
  • State of the art training centre.
• How long does your program run?
  • The RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna program is 10 months long and runs the full length of the school year, not just the hockey season.

KEY STAFF AND CONTACT INFO

• For full staff breakdown, visit our website HERE.
  • Ryan Cyr & Brad Rice, Governor
  • Maco Balkovec, Executive Director
  • Glenn Naka, Hockey Operations Manager
  • Kris Hogg, Female U18 Prep Head Coach
  • Josh Bonar, U18 Prep Head Coach
  • Jackson Playfair, U17 Prep Head Coach
  • Jason Richter, U17 AAA Head Coach
  • Locke Muller, U15 Prep Head Coach
  • James Eccles, U15 AAA Head Coach
  • Zach McPhee, Player Development Coordinator
  • Andrew LoCurto, Strength & Conditioning
  • Anthony Malbrecht, Head Physiotherapist
  • Wendy Rausch, School & Billet Coordinator

CONTACT

• What is the best way to contact the program?
  • Website: www.rinkhockeyacademy.ca
  • Email: info@therink.ca
  • Social media: @rha_kelowna on all social