Back in November, my daughter didn't know how to skate let alone play hockey. When she hit the ice, she'd attempt to stay on her feet by taking little steps. That's not skating, that's walking on ice.
We enrolled in the Swansea Hockey Association's Learn To Play Hockey program. I say "we" because a parent can accompany the child on the ice in this program. This was my third year in a row skating at Rennie Park each Saturday morning, having participated in the program the last two years with my son who has since graduated to House League.
For one hour every Saturday, my daughter not only worked on her skating, but learnt the fundamentals of hockey; everything from receiving a pass and skating backwards, to stick handling and crossovers. Three months in and the improvement is extraordinary. Here's video of her skating this morning in warmups.
I absolutely love this rink at Rennie Park, home to the largest outdoor hockey league in the world. The only downside to playing outdoors is that the seasons are a little shorter, so my son's team played their final regular season game today and my daughter and I only have one more week of Learn To Play Hockey.
I hate to see these Learn To Play Hockey seasons end because nothing's better than skating alongside your child while he or she learns this fabulous sport. Luckily, I get one more year of this before being permanently relegated to the sidelines.
