Here's some advice that won't cost you a penny........"Okanagan Hockey Academy is another example of irresponsible hockey authorities making money on the false hopes and dreams of parents and average players alike. Look at the statistics--good players will be good players and will advance without having to pay excessive amounts of money. Talent does need to be developed but is mostly innate my friends. Save your money. Buy your kid a membership at the local gym, a bucket of pucks for the basement, build a $600 back yard rink, Make sure he gets to school on time and finishes his homework. If it is suppose to happen it will happen. Too many parents think they can make it happen. I truly feel sorry for the boys who fall short of their parents' hopes, dreams and unrealistic goals. These players, sold a bill of goods from these hockey leaders, will most likely fall short of anything beyond playing past a low level junior hockey and have nothing to show for it--they will feel like a failure. Good players are asked to play at the high levels or pay minimal amounts for a legit Jr. program--40 grand a year is simply larceny."
20 comments:
I don't believe in taking kids dreams away. It's true that very few will accomplish much in hockey. OHA tends to get kids who had problems elsewhere. These kids have tried to make it in their home towns and for whatever reason they had issues. I heard that right from Dixon Ward's mouth.
Don't ever look for big team accomplishments at OHA. Once in a blue moon they get a cream of the crop kid but that is rare. When they do get top kids they use OHA as a puddle jump to the next level which never gives OHA a chance to gain traction in producing a quality program.
Two years ago my son was part of that great group of kids. The prices were more reasonable at that time but we were lucky because the school did have a bumper crop of quality kids come through and we did quite well. The records of all the teams have slipped significantly and with a 40,000 tuition you are going to see less and less talent since they are targeting strictly rich people. Once in a while you have talented rich kids come along but very rarely.
Thats a good assessment of OHA post number 1 and you can tell you have experience with them in recent years as we do. They had a group of quality players a couple of years ago. That is when we were in the mix also. Since that time the program has gone down significantly. They had a good chance to make it a quality organization a couple of years ago but decided to go with the volume route. Too many back door deals. That wrecked the whole program. There are much better programs for a lot less all over Canada and the USA.
You can be sure each year OHA will tout their program as being stronger than the year before. They were beating their chests about the quality of the program in the fall saying it was the best ever and how strong their teams are going to be blah, blah, blah. It's all a load of crap.
One thing to consider is that the americans are paying 40,000 while local boys are getting a big break. This year they have a boy whose mom is a single mom from Penticton in the program. There is a sliding scale for tuition at OHA and commanding 40,000 from the non-canadian kids gives them flexibility to get good canadian kids and give them scholarships. This way they may still be able to bring in some quality.
very true about oha picking up a surplus of kids who had problems at home. i think this is why they sell the "morally upright" angle so strong. i know a lot of posters seem to think the top heads of oha are of inferior intelligence, but even a fool can pick out the "high-maintenance" kids after a week with them.
if they wanted to make good on their "morally upright" promise, they would pay extra attention to these kids and try to keep them on the straight and narrow. instead, these kids get thrown under the bus and ignored, the logic being that they're "lost causes".
unfortunately, these are the kids that end up as team cancers, and their attitudes end up spreading to kids who would be bettering themselves otherwise.
oha is hurting their team performance, the kids who go there, and their own reputation by their own policies.
OHA's primary selling point to people is their superior coaching with all of the former NHL instuctors and their superior academic offerings with 82% of their players being on the honor roll. Just look at the front page of their website. They don't deliver on either one in that the teams from the Bulldogs to the bottom Midget team are last in the standings. They aren't even competitive in the leagues they play in. As to academics they again don't deliver a top quality education. They certainly don't deliver on the training or academics that would even come close to justifying 40K. There are much better places for far less.
I am confused did someone say this is a public school? That can't be with 40,000 tuition. That's nuts.
Its a private hockey program that sends the kids to a semi-private school system. They have their own counsellor in the school and two team tutors, plus a class block that they get credit for that is hockey academy.
Someone please get their facts in order. In British Columbia, if you are an out of country student either here for hockey or one of the many Korean students that come to learn English, you are going to pay fees to BC Ministry of Education THAT MONEY DOES NOT GO TO OHA. It goes to the local school board and is used to improve programing for all students. It buys things like librarians and learning assistance.
So, lets at least be fair in this regard. OHA has no control over the school fees but there are a huge number of foreign students in BC schools from many countries around the world. Someone must think BC has something to offer. Yup, even school boards are a business. Believe it or not we had BC schools in foreign countries educating kids who have never stepped into canada but graduate with a BC Ministry of Education Dogwood - then they compete with Canadian kids for university entrance. Sometimes things are a little more complex than they appear on the surface. In the end the Penticton School District gains much with all these foreign student fees.
it's easier to immigrate to Canada than it is to get into the US. I have Russian friends that wanted to settle in the US but they went to Canada because the process was easier. Not sure they are rushing to Penticton for a superior educational experience in the public school system.
OHA was never clear with us and others as to whether the approximately $10,000 that was to paid for public school was actually required. I know for fact there were people who didn't pay it and made a case for being residents in that the maintained a residence there. You would think OHA would have enought knowledge to provide parents with the accurate rule of law rather than telling you "they are fuzzy" on the correct rule of law. Oh what the heck it's just $10,000 dollars! Guess it doesn't matter that much if you aren't the one who writes the check. I guarantee the school is going to push you to pay it in order to stay in good with the school system. I know there were people who didn't pay it. OHA is out to help the school, not the parents in providing no educated guidance on the matter.
Rules on payment of fees for public school are the domain of the school board. If you have questions contact them. Each family is different. If a parent is entitled to work in canada because of the nature of their business then their child is probably entitled to an education, if a parent is a canadian living in the US by way of marriage their child is also entitled. I for one agree that OHA should NOT GIVE ADVICE in this regard. They should simply give the fees for foreign students and let them know there are some circumstances where they can be waived and direct them to the school board.
As for the post that said the Russian family came to Canada because of the less stringent immigration laws, I say great. And, if they are in the public education system anywhere in Canada it will be very similar to Penticton High. If they are paying for Private eduaction I am glad that they brought their Russian money here and are feeding into the Canadian economy.
OHA should provide a lot better guidance than they do on a number of matters including the immigration requirements and helping to facilitate the process. They should also do a lot better job in providing guidance on whether people are required to pay the $10K or not. What the hell, they are charging you $40K to send your player there. Their administrative support sucks.
I really like Dave Nackoney and all the office staff at OHA. They have a few good coaches, the teams totally sucks. To anyone who thinks improvement is optimized by playing with high level players and lots of them, OHA is definitely not the place. There is a small silver lining if you get one of the two good coaches on their staff but that is where the rubber meets the road.
the reason the local boys get a break is becasue they don't have to pay 13,000.00 for the school fees. All BC residents don't have to pay that. Kids from other parts of canada have to pay that that is why many people move to Penticton to save that money.
That's not the only reason that parents move to Penticton. They move there to protect their kids, make sure they get enough to eat, and try to keep the academy from screwing them over.
That last post doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If that's the actual menatlity of a parent, they wouldn't bother with the program. So explain how that makes any sense at all.
I think its fair to say many families send a parent or parents with their kid to make sure they have support. As for getting screwed by OHA, that will happen whether the parent is there or not. It is helpful to have a parent there to keep their kids out of trouble. There is a crack house right next to the school and drugs are cheap and available everywhere in Penticton and also underage drinking is a huge problem.
As much as we don't like OHA and their program, I believe it is the parent's responsibility to watch over their kids. OHA coaches cannot possibly watch these boys 24/7 and quite frankly many of the billet parents let the kids run everywhere all night long with no accountability.
To all the parents thinking about sending your child to OHA, first ask yourself these questions;
1. Does your son love playing the game of hockey?
2. What does your son, not you the parents want to get out of hockey?
3. Is your son very good at hockey or does he need to improve on all aspects of his game?
4. Does your son have the disipline and the maturity to live basically on his own?
5. Can you afford it? $40.000 is just for the academy's part, billets, food on road trips,hotels,salaries and some
travel, that $40.000 is pretty much ate up and not to mention the couple hundred dollors you put into your sons account for anything extra.
Now parents if your child is extreamly talented and hockey is his passion there are other programs to choose from far less expensive. But what you must deside is where will your son recieve the most exposure while still playing a high level of hockey. Now for the parents that have a child that truely loves the game of hockey and wants to improve his skills,than OHA should be considered, they will provide a solid foundation in the development of your child. Your child should display new levels of confidence and with the amount of on and off ice training your child
recieves he will improve. As far as coaches are concerned OHA has had some great coaches but they move on because they too are looking to improve their lives.
Has you may have sensed my son played two years for OHA and both he and the team was very successful. We met some great people at OHA and in Penticton, my son was a good hockey player prior to attending OHA but because of OHA he is a better hockey player. So parents remember this, hockey is for everyone but most importanly ask your child if hockey is for him.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
If your sons passion is hockey and he wants to improve OHA is the place.
Finally a voice of reason. Refreshing.
My son went there for two years.I'm his dad.I came across this thread by accident.OHA was the best thing that ever happened to my son,living in Canada with a billet family that truly became his.
As for hockey, I never really cared for any of that.Seems like buying lottery tickets for a living.Now my son is a sophomore at one of the premier northwestern US universities,and in line to be president of his fraternity---very rare for a sophomore.
So do I feel ripped off?Hardly.
Hockey was a useful substrate for what these kids really need,which is a disciplined course.
My son incurred an injury shortly into his second year there---which got him off the 'hockey track'.He was crushed about it,of course--but it was probably the best thing
that could have happened for his future.
Summary:best $32K(ish) (x2) this family has ever spent.Thanks,OHA!Thanks,Penticton,BC.
Jim
Calif/USA
737 Captain
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