It seems winter is well on its way out, and spring is greeting us all with these double digit temperatures. Who could believe that it was only last weekend when we had a light blanket of snow? And it was only a matter of weeks ago that tons of people were strapping on their skates to glide across frozen lakes, canals, ponds…whatever frozen waterways they could find.
If your kids are not quite ready to let those kinds of days go, then you there is always the option to get them into Ice Hockey! I was in touch with Tom van Doorne from Kemphanen Ice Hockey Club who kindly wrote the following about their Ice Hockey School for kids.
Ice Hockey School is cool!
As soon as it’s freezing and natural ice is thick enough to skate on, you’ll find lots of boys and girls on the ice. Leaning on their sticks, playing with a ball or a puck. Bags and coats are used as goals. On the ‘field’ next to it you’ll see some proper skating and a real game. In the evening there’s boasting about their great actions, smiling faces and laughter about hilarious accidents on the ice. And when the ice has thawed, the gear goes back into the cupboard. What a waste…
Learning by playing
At the Kemphanen Ice Hockey School children don’t have to wait for natural ice. Every Saturday between 15.30 and 16.30, girls and boys from 4 to 10 years old are trained on the outdoor ice rink at the IJssportcentrum Eindhoven.
Professional trainers teach the children to skate as well as stick and puck handling. All children are taught individually at their own level, and having fun is the number 1 priority. The children need to bring their own gloves and skates (these can also be rented at the ice rink). The other protective clothing and helmets are provided by the ice hockey school. So keep your camera ready for funny and cool pictures of your children!
Try Out Lessons
Kids can come for 2 try out lessons, for free, and if they think ice hockey is “sick cool” then we would welcome them into the ice hockey school program.
Once the kids progress through the ice hockey school they are usually very proud to join one of the junior teams of the Kemphanen Ice Hockey Club.
Thanks for all the information, Tom!
If your kids are interested in giving ice hockey a go, there’s some further information in English on the Kemphanen website, or you can also email penningmeester@eindhoven-kemphanen.nl.
Writer: Lenise Collimore
