Thunder Struck
Issue 1
President's Corner
Welcome to our inaugural edition of “Thunder Struck”! The objective of the newsletter is simple - improve communication and create a greater sense of togetherness. I’m certain these pages will help us celebrate player achievements, highlight upcoming events, and even impart some knowledge from our off-ice partners. For my part, I hope to use the President’s Corner to highlight an over-arching theme of the Org. In doing so, maybe (re)direct your attention to an idea that could be the talk around the dinner table with your family, a conversation on the way home from practice, or on the next road trip.
Certainly one life lesson we hope to instill/reinforce/encourage at every age level is the value of hard work and commitment. If you’re a reader, I highly recommend Angela Duckworth’s “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”. If finding time to settle in with a good book is a challenge, then I would encourage you to visit Angela’s website: https://angeladuckworth.com. There, you’ll find her TED Talk as well as some other interesting resources for parents and young adults. Angela makes an incredibly strong case that “one characteristic emerges as a significant predictor of success … grit”. Her case for achievement distills down to two equations where effort counts twice:
Talent x Effort = Skill
Skill x Effort = Achievement
Reminds me of the now famous quote that “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. Just imagine the culture we create together when our focus shifts from outcome and settles squarely on effort!
Cheers,
Ryan
Interim Coaching Director, Joe McKay
Hello fellow Bloomington Thunder Families. I am very pleased to accept the position of coaching director for Bloomington Youth Hockey. While many of you have seen me around the rink, I would love to tell you a little bit more about me. I grew up playing travel hockey in Peoria, IL. By 14, I was training with a newly formed Midget team, Team Peoria, coached by former Riverman players that competed against some of the best teams at the Tier 1 level. After playing several years with this team, I joined the United States Army. I served for four years and then attended Western Illinois University. During my time in college, I rejoined my hockey family, playing in Peoria. Once the Bloomington Ice Center was built, I continued to play here in Bloomington. After a game in 2006, Mr. Olson asked if I would be interested in coaching the Bantam youth advanced team, and that is when my passion for coaching began. My first-year coaching was a tremendous learning experience. While we enjoyed success on the scoreboard, it was the relationships and continued player development that motivated me to earn my USA Hockey Coaching Level 4 certificate. I coached the Bantams until 2013, and as hockey in Bloomington continued to mature and the players entering the Bantam division arrived with more experience and a deeper understanding of the game, I found that the focus of my teaching could shift. Rather than education on positional basics only, trainings could be rooted in situational game play.
I am very excited about the future of hockey here in Bloomington! There are many very committed and very talented individuals dedicated to making the players and organization better as a whole. We are planning on increasing training time and focusing our efforts where we believe the players will be best served. There are many positive changes on the horizon and I am thrilled to be a cog in the machine that will be here to serve the hockey community. I truly hope that when you see me around the rink, or around town, you stop me and let me know you are part of the family that is Bloomington Youth Hockey!!
Coaching Director,
Joe McKay
BYH Spring Hockey Madison, Wisconsin Recap
10U
-Coach Joe Fuchs
12U
-Coach Kaleb Peterson
14U
-Coach Mike Maines
16U
-Coach Kyle Clark
18U
-Coach Chris Prewett
Let's Go Thunder!
Save the Dates...Summer Training! Registration links will be sent soon!
10 U Skills and Development Sessions
Note, these dates have been updated as of May 11.
June 20 9:50-10:50 AM
June 27 9:50-10:50 AM
July 8 7:20-8:20 PM
July 11 9:50-10:50 AM
July 18 9:50-10:50 AM
July 25 9:50-10:50 AM
August 1 9:50-10:50 AM
12U Skills and Development Sessions
All sessions are from 7:25-8:25 PM
June 21June 28
July 5
July 12
July 19
July 26
August 2
10U & 12U Playmakers Camp
These skill sessions will be led by Springfield Jr Blues Head Coach Tyler Rennette and are "drop-in" only.
July 1 7:30-8:30 PMJuly 15 7:20-8:20 PM
July 22 7:20-8:20 PM
July 29 7:20-8:20 PM
August 5 7:20-8:20 PM
14U Skills and Development Sessions
June 29 6:25-7:55 PM
July 6 6:45-8:15 PM
July 13 645-8:15 PM
July 20 6:45-8:15 PM
July 27 6:45-8:15 PM
August 3 6:45-8:15 PM
16U Skills and Development Sessions
June 29 8:05-9:35 PM
July 6 8:25-9:55 PM
July 13 8:25-9:55 PM
July 20 8:25-9:55 PM
July 27 8:25-9:55 PM
July 31 5:10-6:40 PM
18U Skills and Development Sessions
June 28 8:35-10:05 PM
July 5 8:35-10:05 PM
July 12 8:35-10:05 PM
July 19 8:35-10:05 PM
July 26 8:35-10:05 PM
July 31 6:50-8:20 PM
14U, 16U, 18U Playmakers Camp
These skill sessions will be led by Springfield Jr Blues Head Coach Tyler Rennette and are "drop-in" only.
July 15 8:30-10:00 PM
July 22 8:30-10:00 PM
Looking for a summer opportunity? Think you have what it takes to compete in a AAA tournament?
BYH Coach Mike Maines and Joliet Jaguars Coach Greg Stornello have been working on putting together multiple select teams to take to Minnesota June 11-13. This will be a AAA tournament. This will be offered from 12u-18u. At the midget level if there are the numbers, there could be an 18U AAA, 18U AA, 16U AAA and 15U AAA. There will be a head coach for each level and assistant coaches will float where possible due to the amount of teams and schedule. Some of the top coaches in youth hockey will be working with the teams and focus on the development and assist bridging the gap between AA and AAA. Tryouts will be at the Inwood Ice Arena in Joliet, IL; the tryout fee is $25. If your player is picked more details on pricing for the tournament will be released. Jersey cost will be covered. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to Mike Maines by email or cell.
Tropic Selects Tryouts:
12U: May 28th 7:00-8:00 PM
14U: May 28th 8:15-9:15 PM
16U: May 29th 10:30-11:30 AM
18U: May 29th 11:45-12:45 AM
Mike Maines
815-585-3895