The BC Hockey High Performance Program is now over nineteen years old. The program has developed from a single summer camp to a complete system of identifying players and staff in every corner of the province for their possible inclusion in a progressive series of training components.
Over the years the BC Hockey High Performance identification system has been used as a model for other provinces and Hockey Canada. The Program of excellence is in use across our country for systematically identifying, training and tracking players at the Under 17, Under 18 and Under 20 levels and has many components first designed in BC. Few realize how instrumental our network of volunteers has been in taking the national program down to the local level. And in conjunction, this local involvement has greatly influenced the direction which provincial and national programs have taken.
In developing our provincial athletes, BC Hockey High Performance has taken initiative in adopting the Canadian Sport For Life Long-Term Athlete Development Model. There are currently seven stages within Canada’s model for Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD). The LTAD is a training, competition, and recovery program based on developmental age and the maturation level of an individual rather than chronological age. It is athlete centered, coach driven and administration, sport science and sponsor supported. Athletes who progress through the LTAD experience training and competition in programs that consider their biological and training ages in creating periodized plans specific to their development needs.
