It's never too late to start. That's what Trina Radcliffe discovered as the founder of an adult female hockey program in Calgary. She recalls seeing drastic changes in the women who took part.
It's never too late to start.
That's what Trina Radcliffe discovered as the founder of an adult female hockey program in Calgary. She recalls seeing drastic changes in the women who took part.
"We had participants that on the very first week, were holding onto the boards and after five or six weeks, were participating in full-ice scrimmages," Radcliffe said.
Radcliffe is the former manager of female hockey development with Hockey Canada. She has since moved to Olds and is coaching the ESSO Fun Day hockey program every Sunday night at the Didsbury Memorial Complex from Nov. 2 to Dec. 14.
The adult female hockey program is hosted by the Olds College Broncos and also features members of the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women's Hockey League as guest coaches and speakers.
Radcliffe started her program with Hockey Canada in 2010 after meeting various women who never got the chance to play the game.
She started teaching them the very basics, from putting on equipment to beginner skating.
"As they get more comfortable on skates, then they get more comfortable in trying new things," she said. "So it's just building their confidence and trying something new and providing that fun environment, because all the women are in the same spot."
Brittany Ehmann, fitness programmer at the Community Learning Campus, participated in Calgary last year, lacing her skates up for the first time at age 27.
"I came on the ice being very scared and very cautious. We had people and coaches who made it fun. They made it a safe environment to learn. There was no pressure or intimidation," Ehmann said.
Ehmann is an organizer for the clinics in Didsbury and said the goal is also to introduce women to new people through hockey, as was the case in her own experience.
"I fell in love with the program. I had so much fun, I made so many friends and I really enjoyed it and I thought, why couldn't we bring something like this to our community and let the people in the surrounding areas enjoy it as well," she said.
Many graduates, including Ehmann, have gone on to join women's hockey leagues.
Seeing women — including some who've never skated before — continue with the game is one of the most rewarding parts of coaching, Radcliffe said.
"Being able to see them try something new and then actually registering for a league and doing it as something that becomes part of their daily life is probably my proudest accomplishment," she said.
"Especially with hockey moms, giving them that opportunity, they then get to share that with their daughters or their sons, that passion for hockey."
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