Okanagan Hockey Academy: It's definitely not a pretty picture......"OHA's primary selling point to people is their superior coaching with all of the former NHL instructors 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."
27 comments:
We sent our son to OHA for a year. What a disaster! I wish I had found this website before I sent my son there. It was a waste of time and total waste of money but it was less then. I can't believe they think they can get away with 40 grand what a joke.
Can you do a story on the summer camps? We paid full cost of camps 800-1000 a week and while we were there my son found out many of the kids were going for free or at cost of food. It was a total screw job. Why did we have to pay full price when they were giving it away to other kids?
My son did like the camp but hated the school. It sure gets old playing with inferior players and getting creamed all year long.
To be fair OHA does have some highly qualified coaches. The question is whether or not development is affected when your son is grouped with lower level players who can neither pass the puck or receive it. OHA has VERY low level teams. The good coaches at OHA are incredibly frustrated at the poor quality. Now with the nosebleed tuition gauging you are going to see even less talent.
There are Ex-NHL guys coaching in the regular Canadian hockey system. The issue there is lack of ice, but in Edmonton where we live, the kids play outdoors for a good bit of the year. My son's friend has a rink in his backyard we use.
Hockey is a blue collar sport and its sad how the OHA program and others are using it strictly for financial gain and to develop their own sons on the dollars of others.
I hope people are getting wise to these guys. This is not what hockey is supposed to be.
They keep pumping the guys full of crap as to what a great program they are. How can you be a great or even good program when you are in last place in every league the last 2 years? I would tell anyone to stay away from these guys. We have seen it all at OHA and wouldn't spend a nickel with those guys ever again. This includes both the summer camp programs and especially the academy. They are a complete rip off.
After reading this whole blog, OHA's business plan has become clear. First, charge a small fortune. Then make parents sign a contract which stipulates no refunds after Sept. 1. Then, create various reasons for expelling several students.
They get your money to do whatever they want with. This wealth is shared with the school district, as you have paid school fees also, and OHA will not allow you to continue at Pen High after they expell you from their program. And you? Well, you get nothing!
By George you've got it man!!!!!!!
Actually you get to keep that stylish yellow helmet. lol
oh bonus!
Anyone think its strange that OHA coach is top evaluator for BC Amateur? How can he remain impartial if he coaches some of the kids and is paied by OHA?
who is the coach?
Rob McLaughlin. It's a tough situation because if he wasn't it, some other teams coach would be. So how do you really hold him all that responsible for it?
Who mentioned anything about holding him responsible? I think the question of the prior post is how can he remain impartial, especially when he's receiving a paycheck from OHA. At least a minor hockey coach wouldn't have a boss to answer to.
There are at least 15 other evaluators making the decisions....it's not all up to McLaughlin
I think you all have to realise, the main reasons these players get kicked out is because they are all messes. They are going no where in life and you have to stop blaming some organization who failed to do anything with your kids because you are all failing right now at that exact same thing. You should all stop spending your time hiding behind some internet blog and attacking an organization and spend that time sorting out your kids so maybe just maybe they might grow up, have decent jobs and be able to give great oppurtunities to your grand kids. At the end of the day OHA gives you the oppurtunity to succeed and it's your job to grab that oppurtunity as a young man. If your son got removed from this program, he failed to grab that oppurtunity. At the same time I'm not sure whether I'm talking to the sons or the parents of the kids who got removed from the program, the maturity level which it takes to be that naive is incredible. If you can afford to send your kid to a program like that of OHA you must be pretty well educated indivduals for the most part. You should really start applying some of that education and smarten up.
What are you teaching you sons in the creation of this blog? You're teaching them that when you have a problem with somebody you should talk about them behind their back and take cheap shots. You should be teaching them to face their problems like men, because god knows (not their parents) that they are drowning in their own problems. I dare the moderator of this blog to enable this comment and allow both sides of the argument for a change. If not? you basically just confirmed my opinion of you as sackless
I don't think there are favouritism issues with Rob McLaughlin. Yes, he is paid by OHA etc. but I feel he is an exception to the rule of favouritism that runs rampant in this sport at all levels and especially at OHA.
There are a lot of people on this blog that their player DIDN'T removed from OHA by the staff, but removed from the program because of its overprice, poor program, and because they deserved to play on a much better team. The only excuse for such a poor program is to try and blame it on the parents and players. Very few players at OHA have been sent home. Many, many more have left because of the poor quality of the program. Stop blaming OHA's lousy performance on the parents. That is the most rediculous thing of all. The blame for the lousy performance and majority of problems is with the ownership of OHA, Alan Kerr, Dixon Ward, and Andy Oakes. Part of being a man is being accountable for your own program. These guys have done a lousy job. They would be fired from any quality organization.
I have been involved with hockey all of my life and here are always parents that cry about the un-fairness of the way their son and now daughter has been treated in evaluations etc. This is great! Very entertaining actually! My son didn't make his high school basketball team let's start a blog about that. Every sport has its political side but at the end of the day hard work and talent will rule. All the best to all of you bloggers hopefully your bitterness doesn't come back to bite you.
What a poor loser trying to defend OHA. Typical idiot who just keeps drinking the koolaid thinking everything will be ok there if he says it enough and blames everything on those problems kids and their stupid parents. The truth is OHA has lied, cheated, stolen from people who placed their trust in them. They deserve all the bad press they are getting and are suffering for their greed. What a bunch of low lifes. But, of course its always the parents fault for trusting OHA to keep their promises and deliver a good product. How dare they! lol
I'm thinking its Andy who wrote the April 1, 2009 12:39 PM post. Whoever, 1. let me give you a spelling lesson: its "opportunities".
2. we're letting people know the truth about your academy. You think we are powerless but you are wrong - there is power in numbers, and boy does this blog have numbers!
What I find unfortunate about comments like this last one, is that how legitimate do you think this is? It has numbers? How do you know that? The counter at the bottom doesn't show a thing, first it's from a site that lets you pick what number you want it to start on, and second it doesn't show unique visits, it shows visits. Test it out, hit refresh a few times and watch it climb. That's the problem with sites like this, it takes legitimacy away from something that might be trying to make a point.
What a joke, OHA taking the high ground scolding parents about their nonvirtuous behavior and setting a bad example. Total hipocrites. The only defense they have is trying to be self righteous, blame someone else for their sh..ty performance, and try to trivialize this blog. The word is getting out on these crooks. No one in their right mind would send their kid to these losers. These guys are finally getting what they have coming to them. Their worst enemy - the truth.
The truth? Why are their more then a few comments from people saying that there posts were blocked from by the moderator? Someone explain that? There is no truth to this site, there is a bunch of people using cowardice ways to talk about a company. You start rumors you can't substantiate, every person on here says they have "intimate knowledge" of this company and how it works. This whole site is a joke. If someone wants to make a decision about where to send someone based on a sight like this, then they should take them elsewhere. If anyone wants to take advice from a site that is clearly run by a bitter individual, and completely controlled, then so be it.
Question to Alan & Andy.
If you think this blog is a bunch of lies, why do bother to come on the site to defend yourself.
It all comes back to performance. Why pay 40K to send your player to last place team in every league they play in? Enough said.
Great point about Alan and Andy defending themselves on the site. If it's so meaningless why are you spending your time coming on the blog. No doubt this blog has touched a nerve. The whole purpose of this blog is to get out the word and the truth about the way OHA has run roughshod over people thinking they could get away with it. What has happened in the past can't be changed, yet getting the word out on you guys will help others and hit you guys in the pocketbook where it hurts you the most.
Is that your only defense Alan and Andy to try and discredit this site? That is a poor defense. Why not speak to the real issues such as your lying, cheating, and stealing from people who trusted you guys to keep to your word. All this to the tune of some 40K a year. You guys are dispicable people in your behavior and I am glad the word is getting out on your business dealing so people will steer clear of you.
Challenge to the BLOG person.
Lets hear what happened. Where did you end up playing after you left with your colective tails between your legs? Does you son still play? Perhaps your buying the Coyotes so your son has a place to play? Did you find nirvana back in the states.
Trying to learn to play like a Canadian is impossiable anyway.
Heart is something you have or not.
No Academy can teach your son that!!
I think we should take a collection up for the Blog owner.
Once we reach the 40K mark maybe they will shut up. How much is shock therapy anyways?
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