Calling all chicks with sticks!
Now a little over a decade old in Squamish, women's hockey is once more hitting the ice this fall. Organizers want more players to join them to make the sport stronger than ever.
"We are inviting new as well as existing players to come out," said one the organization's executives, Marne Bourbonnais. "We are trying to promote and grow in the community."
Bourbonnais said women's hockey is popular in town because it provides an additional source of exercise that would compliment any workout regime.
"Everybody likes a bit of competition, besides just going to the gym," she said. 'Everyone who comes out has a blast."
Bourbonnais describes the women who currently play as a welcoming group and said she hoped more women would take the opportunity to learn a new skill like she did, four years ago.
"I played for the first time in 2002 and from the first time I was hooked," she said. "We have equipment to lend people when they first start and it is easy to learn with all of the equipment on."
The hockey season begins on September 13 and runs through to April with ice times every other Sunday and Wednesday. Bourbonnais said the Sunday sessions were particularly geared towards beginners.
"On Sunday we have earlier ice times [anywhere between 7:45 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.] and we get a wider range of skills out so it is more conducive to beginner players," she said. "On Wednesday we play later [10:15 p.m.] and it tends to be a bit faster."
The women generally scrimmage for one hour and 15 minutes, but during the first few sessions of the year, there will also be practices at the beginning of the ice times so people can refresh their skills after a summer off.
Some of the members pay for the entire season up front, while buying punch cards is also an option, however Bourbonnais said the group is in need of committed ongoing participants.
"We like to have the same teams for three games in a row so we can play best of three," she said. "So we like it when people can commit to Sundays or Wednesdays or both. Commitment is how you make an organization strong."
Paying up front or through a punch card works out to be $10 an ice time and players are also required to buy $30 in insurance, which will last them the season.
Another feature of women's hockey Bourbonnais would like to see grow is the group of women traveling to tournaments.
"Tournaments are when players really sink their teeth into hockey," she said. "Sechelt and the Kamloops masters tournaments are two events players like to go to."
Sometimes the women play in co-ed tournaments, an experience that proved monumental to Bourbonnais."I met my husband at a co-ed tournament in 2005," she said.
Women's hockey is now taking new registrations for September. The first Wednesday session is September 13 (an earlier ice time for the first week only) at 8:45 p.m. and the first Sunday ice time will be on September 17 at 9 p.m.
The organization prefers if you email your interest to [email protected] or by phoning 604-815-4553.
