Friday, February 27, 2009

AT OKANAGAN HOCKEY ACADEMY IT FLOWS DOWNHILL



The email from our readers has not stopped since we posted our email address.

Okanagan.hockey@gmail.com

Did Okanagan Hockey Academy shit-can your hockey career aspirations? Did they make big promises and not deliver? How much money did they steal from you in the process of stealing your dreams?

We want to hear from the players, past and present. This is your chance to be heard.

All posts will remain anonymous.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Here's the OKANAGAN HOCKEY ACADEMY Kool-Aid

At OHA they tell you that your son really has what it takes and its usually a lie. They show you their program including Junior B Summerland Sting and Junior A Port Alberni Bulldogs. They tell you they will handle your son's career and advance him through these steps, dangling Jr. B and Jr. A in your face. They announce at the yearly banquet that their goal is to advance your sons to Jr B and Jr A levels. They talk about college scholarships and they bring in a few chosen boys to rave about the OHA program.


Now that you are drowning in OHA Kool-Aid........


A) They take your $$$


B) They use your $$$ to develop the owner's sons, coaches sons, nephews and friends.


C) They don't develop your son


By the way, Summerland Sting is at the bottom of the league and the Port Alberni Bulldogs will be lucky to remain in the BCHL after OHA gets finished lining their own pockets and advancing their own interests at the cost of countless young men.

Monday, February 23, 2009

OKANAGAN HOCKEY ACADEMY PRIORITIES

A Parent's comments RE: Their OHA Experience:

OHA Priorities:

1. MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS

2. DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR OWN SONS, NEPHEWS,etc.

3. Development of players who have very wealthy parents who not only pay the exorbitant tuition, room and board, but also kick in extra.

Most players get little development, many are billeted with people who are extremely well paid but do not feed the kids properly (I'm talking about leftovers from the school cafeteria and stealing food that the kids' families purchased because they were complaining they didn't get enought to eat.

If you raise a ruckus about such things, lo and behold, reasons are "created" for dismissing your son from the program!!


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Buyer beware! This is not exactly high praise from parents of OHA players.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

OKANAGAN HOCKEY ACADEMY: How Big is Too Big?

We hear over and over from parents about team overcrowding at OHA. From the OHA website, it seems the target number for each team is 24 players, three of whom are goaltenders. Is it acceptable to have 6 boys sitting each game due to overcrowding? With school tuition approaching 40,000 a year, is it okay for your son to sit on the sidelines?

How does OHA compare with similar programs in Western Canada in terms of roster size? Well, they are over full, or at least that is our assessment. The Edge School has three team and carries 19, 19 and 16, respectively. Banff Academy, also considered to be over full, carries 21 players and a whopping 5 goalies! POE, carries a more reasonable 19 boys, but they are over full with goalies at 4.

Our question is this........... Are OHA and Banff Academy really focused on development or are money grabbers? It is possible, if not probable, that OHA has a sliding scale for tuition as it has been reported by bloggers. Is it true that families of lessor players pay full tilt while the top team enjoys all the travel, hockey development and exposure all at a discounted cost? How does a perspective player score a deal like that at OHA?

We would like to learn more about the other competing programs? Are the top teams lined with coaches kids getting all the benefits? Are these programs filled with father coaches, as is the case with OHA? We've heard good things about POE, for example, but what is the downside of this program? Is it true that POE has been beating OHA's top midget team? The Edge School has enjoyed recent success against OHA's top team, trouncing them by double digits. What if anything ails the Edge? Banff Academy cannot compete with the top OHA midget team, but they easily handle OHA Midget AAA. What are the negative aspects of Banff Academy?

We welcome your opinions.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

At OKANAGAN HOCKEY ACADEMY: Big Resumes Equal Big Disappointment

A parent recently shared his son's AA experience playing for Dixon Ward at OHA.  Tuition at OHA is higher than any competitive hockey school is Western Canada.  OHA boasts the reputation of their coaching staff resumes as the rationale for charging nearly twice to going tuition rates for comparable schools.  Parents agree to pay top dollar to have the best and most experienced coaches; however, the coaches need to show up to practice on a regular basis, and preferably not hungover, to justify the nosebleed charges for tuition.  When the "no-show" coach is an owner, the rules apparently do not apply.

A parent's perspective:

"My son was on the AA last year (2007/2008) with Dixon Ward. We were excited for our son to play for a man with a big NHL background.  We were sorely disappointed. He rarely showed for practice and the school did nothing about it.  Ward is an owner so anything goes.  Also, drinking was an issue on travel trips. Needless to say, we did not send our son back to OHA.

The idea that our boys will be coached by NHL coaches sounds really great, but if they never come to practice, it won't do your son much good."

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Is this the reason Dixon Ward was not given a coaching assignment this year?  Did parents complain about him missing practices?  What did OHA do, if anything, to address this issue?