|
|
|
 Welcome |
|
Girls Ice Hockey, Stamford, CT
Do you know a girl in the Stamford area who would like to try hockey? We've designed the Spinnakers Summer Clinic series just for her. (Actually, it's also a good time for more experienced players, too.) One evening per week, 100% practice and instruction. Plenty of ice for those who want more. Individualized attention by trained, experienced and certified USA Hockey coaches. And inexpensive, too, because summertime is busy and you may miss a session or two. See link below.
Girls Spring Hockey 2006 was fun for all who participated. For the first time in nine years, we were NOT sold out. This was due to our lax publicity, a mistake we will not repeat in 2007. A major purpose of Girls Spring Hockey is to bring more girls into their favorite sport, so please help us and talk it up for 2007. On-Registration forms and information can be found here after January 1. For more information, contact our manager, Sherry Hynes, at manager@spinnakers.org.
Tryouts for our U19 high school team's 2007-08 season will be held in early April. Watch our schedule.
Also watch for the formation of a new U12 girls travel team!
***
STAMFORD SPINNAKERS, the organization, supports girls ice hockey in several ways, detailed below. First, however, here are some program links for visitors to this page.
http://spinnakers.org/schedule.htm for our U19 team's Schedule and Scores.
http://spinnakers.org/roster.htm for our U19 Roster.
http://spinnakers.org/profiles.htm for Profiles of our upperclassmen.
http://spinnakers.org/alumnae.htm for Profiles of our recent graduates.
http://spinnakers.org/gsh1.htm for our 8-19 Girls Spring Hockey program.
http://spinnakers.org/summer.htm for information about our Summer Skills Clinic program.
http://spinnakers.org/rinks.htm for Rink Directions.
http://spinnakers.org/pictures.htm for Team Pictures.
http://spinnakers.org/scoreboard.htm for Scoreboard Operating Instructions.
Manager/Scheduler's e-mail address: manager@spinnakers.org.
SPINNAKERS U19 HIGH SCHOOL TEAM. Founded in 1998, this team practices through September and October, then plays about 45 games over the next four months. We are members of the Girls American League, which consists of strong teams from CT, NY and NJ, and we play in non-league games and tournaments throughout the northeast. We're proud to be part of USA Hockey.
Before describing some characteristics that make the Spinnakers special, we should emphasize that the best things about the Spinnakers are those we have in common with other girls hockey organizations. With much of the available ice time reserved for and consumed by established boys programs (including "youth" programs with a 97% male clientele), we are engaged in a struggle to provide more equitable opportunity for the girls who love this sport, as well as for those who will love it if we give them a chance to try it. We are joined in that effort by the elite regional teams, the prep schools, the CIAC teams, and a very few youth hockey organizations who seem to understand that "youth" means something more than "my son and his buddies."
How are we different? We're a "high school" team by age, and our players are required to maintain good grades, but we are not affiliated with any school. Being independent means we are not funded by taxes or tuitions, so we depend on players fees, volunteers and financial sponsors. Independence allows us to play more often and much more competitively, rather than being subject to a severe schedule limit and racking up wins against weak league members. A "perfect season" for us is one in which we have to dramatically improve to finish with more wins than losses. If we do much better than that, our scheduler should be fired.
Another difference shows when we participate in major tournaments. Very few teams in those tournaments are "community-based" like the Spinnakers. They tend to represent entire states or regions. Those are great opportunities for the girls involved, but every regional and statewide team exists at the expense of a greater number of local teams that could exist if the strongest skaters from those communities had not been aggregated in an elite team. We hope USA Hockey shows some leadership in this area someday, the way Little League Baseball and other organizations have. Meanwhile, the Spinnakers and a few other programs demonstrate how well community-based girls hockey can work.
The Spinnakers' helmets bear the name of this team, because this is their only team. We happened on the one-team rule in our third year, when key members were unable to play for us in major tournaments, because their other teams needed them. We've since discovered that the rule does a lot more than facilitate our scheduling. Each member looks at the Spinnakers as her one and only hockey team, and knows her teammates look at it the same way. The resulting spirit and dedication is nothing short of a Miracle.
***
After the regular season, the Spinnakers host Girls Spring Hockey, a series of about 50 games involving 150 girls, some of them brand new to the game. There's nothing "local" about GSH. We invite girls from far and wide, because, in addition to developing future prospects for our team, we want to have strong opponents. GSH is a lot of fun, but we don't want it to be anyone's only hockey, so we encourage our younger participants to play mixed youth hockey during the winter.
In July and August we hold a series of Summer Clinics. Just one evening a week, allowing ourselves a break from the intensity of the main season, while keeping our edges. Then it starts all over again with a team camp to open our training season in early September.
Our recent team camps have been conducted by the Kennedy School of Hockey from Woburn, MA. (Olympian Courtney Kennedy is a member of the faculty.) For the players, camp is an intense learning and strengthening program, providing a quick transition from swimming, sailing and sunbathing to playing ice hockey. For our coaches, camp is a good opportunity to pick up some new training ideas and see which ones make the biggest difference for our players.
For a glimpse of our main season, see the schedule page, linked above.
GIRLS SPRING HOCKEY registration opens on January 1. For girls, ages 8-19. Skating ability required, but brand new hockey players are welcome. Follow GSH link above. Space is limited, so we recommend registering ASAP.
SUMMER SKILLS CLINICS. Join us for a series of Thursday evening sessions in July and August, aimed at getting you ready for the coming season. Follow the link above.
***
BACKGROUND
The Spinnakers' creation was inspired by the performance of the U.S. Women's Hockey Team in the 1998 Olympics, as well as by the fact that--until that year--Stamford girls had no local opportunity to play ice hockey during their high school years.
Our "19 and Under" high school roster's present season responds to the proven commitment of our players and their families with an increasingly challenging schedule. In tournaments, we play the best A-level teams in North America. We also participate in the continued growth of girls hockey in the Northeast by playing a variety of prep school, college, elite, high school and USA Hockey teams from all over the region.
Our records indicate that we win some and lose some, which means our scheduler can keep her job for awhile. More importantly, our coaches require us to "win" every game by giving all we have, playing with and for our teammates, earning the respect of our opponents and never giving up. By that definition, the Stamford Spinnakers are, and intend to stay, undefeated. Therein lies the Miracle, accomplished here every season.
We appreciate the opportunity that was passed down to us by the 19 girls who founded the Spinnakers in 1998, and we want to perpetuate, strengthen and expand this program for the younger girls who come after us. We hope to serve as a model for the creation of similar teams in other communities, and we welcome related inquiries.
During the "off" season (Ha!), the Spinnakers host a developmental spring league involving 150 girls, ages 7-18. We also conduct a summer-long series of skills clinics and a team camp for veteran members, prospective members and some of our favorite opponents.
As a community-based, developmental hockey program, we should also be helping girls learn to skate. With players as teachers, using the public skating sessions at our rink and satisfying the community service requirements of our high schools, our U19 players are available to help young girls who cannot afford regular skating lessons.
In every phase of the program, we emphasize discipline, team spirit, sportsmanship and excellence. For girls who enjoy being part of a proud team, built on personal sacrifice and mutual commitment, it's both fun and rewarding.
Additional information is available on the web pages linked above.
PAST EVENTS
NORTHERN EXPOSURE. In March 2005, the LaBelle tournament had to cancel our level at the last minute, so we scrambled to plan a season-ending weekend with the Northern Lights and the North Shore Vipers. It turned into a great hockey weekend with programs very much like our own.
CITY OF SISTERLY LOVE. We participated in the Philadelphia Little Flyers Tournament in February 2004, placing first in pool play and then losing a great 2-1 game to the Pennsylvania Quakers, a team we respect and look forward to meeting again. We had a great time and wish our division was still included in this tournament. Going back again in 2006.
POLAR BEARS TOURNAMENT. Although we stand for community-based hockey, rather than state-wide cherry-picking, we have to admit the Polar Bears throw THE girls hockey tournament of North America. It's so spread out that you miss 90% of it, but you meet a lot of great teams and know you've been part of the big event.
HOCKEY IN TORONTO. The Rolling Stones made a supportive appearance in Toronto in late July 2003, but the Spinnakers were there on the last weekend of April, when it took guts, playing hockey and dodging SARS in the largest all-girls hockey tournament in the world. It was a long way to go for a few games, but the competition was great, and we also had the opportunity to see Niagara Falls, visit colleges, etc.
THE REGATTA. One of the ways we supported the development of girls hockey in surrounding towns was by hosting an annual jamboree-style round robin. Guests usually included Greenwich High School and New Canaan High School. The tradition faded when the school teams became subject to scheduling constraints.
If you need information that cannot be found on our web pages, feel free to contact us.
Wednesday, January 9
Stamford Spinnakers at Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Beautiful rink. GREAT hockey. Why are they not sold out?
Well, the only reason we haven't been filling seats at new Bridgeport Arena is that we never knew how much fun it would be to watch the Sound Tigers. NOW WE KNOW!
On January 9, 2002, the Stamford Spinnakers were the first high school ice hockey team to be invited to a game as the Sound Tigers' guests. The girls wore their jerseys, enjoyed seeing their team name flashed overhead a few times, posed for pictures with the Tigers' mascot, caught a couple of t-shirts, tested all the food concessions, and watched the Tigers hold the Worcester Ice Cats to a 4-4 tie through a 5-minute overtime. The Ice Cats never seemed to serve much time in the penalty box; the Tigers' power play is awesome!
The Spinnakers greatly appreciate the consideration extended by Todd Boe and Scott Brzoska of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, "the team that proves boys can play hockey, too."
|
|
