Plymouth Whalers camps are popular attractions for young skaters

BY ED WRIGHT
Aug. 5, 2010, 10:45 p.m.

   Toward the latter part of Wednesday morning's Plymouth Whalers' youth camp for youngsters between the ages of 6 and 10, campers learned some vital tips on how to win all-important face-offs before chasing their Whaler mentors around the ice in a spirited game of tag.

  Learning and laughter - two of the most abundant traits of the camp - were on full display.

  "We want the kids to have fun, that's No. 1," said Whalers assistant coach Joe Stefan, who coordinated the camp along with George Daniels, a coach for the Compuware Midget Major program. "We want them to show up every morning and enjoy themselves. If they just take away one little thing from this camp - like how to skate a little better or how to handle the puck a little better - it's been a success.

  "We usually see most of the kids from Monday through Friday make some good improvement in at least one area of their game. It's enjoyable to see."

  South Lyon resident Mike Arthur will make the early-morning, half-hour-plus trek to Compuware Arena five times this week along with his 10-year-old son Ethan.

  The trips have been well worth the time and gas money, Arthur emphasized.

  "My son absolutely loves the camp," he said. "We just moved up here from Louisville, where there aren't a lot of opportunities to play hockey, so he's having a blast. He's a Junior Whaler, so to be able to skate around and learn from the actual players has been an unbelievable experience for him."

  Close to 60 young skaters participated in this week's camp, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon each day. Among the skills taught are forward and backward skating; stopping; basic stick-handling; and proper shooting and passing techniques.

  Time is also reserved for scrimmaging.

  "This is my fourth season with the camp and each of the four years it's gotten bigger and stronger," said Stefan. "For example, we have 60 this week for this age group where last year we had 45.

  "The kids love to interact with the Whalers players, who serve as group leaders. The kids follow the Whalers around and really look up to them. They watch them play during the season, so to have a chance to skate with them and talk to them for an entire week is pretty special. The players love it, too."

  Next week's five-day camp is an all-day offering for more advanced players from 6 to 13 years old. A three-day, three-hour-a-day camp for kids getting ready for tryouts will be held Aug. 16-18, while a camp for high school players will be offered Aug. 16-20.

  More more information on the camps, visit www.PlymouthWhalers.com.