Future Stars Girls Ice Hockey Camps will be hosting a Smithers training camp in late August to help young girls interested in being competitive. The camp will feature one of Canada’s top international players as part of its staff.
Olympic gold medalist Brianne Jenner will be on hand to help players with developing higher level skills and learning what it takes to become a high level athlete.
Jenner had an illustrious career including starring with the Cornell University squad.
She was named Ivy League Player of the Year and Cornell MVP, along with being named a First Team All-American. She returned to Cornell after Sochi 2014 and was named Ivy League Player of the Year for the second time. After graduation, Jenner joined the Calgary Inferno of the CWHL, winning the Clarkson Cup as captain in 2015-16.
Jenner has participated in many training camps over the last several years.
Smithers Minor Hockey Association president Suzanne Rourke is happy to have such an individual help in a local camp.
Rourke will be leaving the program after a long term of service in a variety of positions. She feels that the SMHA is a model to other hockey associations around the province and feels that it will be able to continue to improve its operations and development.
She said that she was pleased that the program has been able to be at the forefront of how smaller minor hockey associations can be operated in a positive manner.
During her duration, for example, the program has added the cross-ice program to encourage better skill development among younger players.
Rourke also has spearheaded the use of the new ice surface which opened recently in Smithers. Instead of one or two tournaments per year, the organization has gone to hosting as many as nine.
Fundraising has also been an area which has undergone significant development. With the Steelheads out of operation the last season and again for the upcoming season, using the snack bar as a fundraiser is no longer what it had been in the past and other options need to be explored.
She said the directors of the program have been a good group to work with and have worked hard to make the program one of the best around.
The girls hockey camps will be held in Smithers Aug. 21 and 22.
Information about registration for the girls hockey camp can be found at northernfemalehockeyinfo@gmail.com or futurestarscamps.ca.