Hockey Staff Hosts Mini-Cards Event

On Saturday, August 18th, the CRHS Girls Hockey Staff hosted the First Annual Mini-Cards Camp at the Coon Rapids Ice Center.  The event, which was completely free to participants, was open to girls ages 7-10.  The focus was for the kids to get a feel for "a day as a high school player" and was part of a strong push to build community strength in the Coon Rapids Hockey Program. 

Twenty five players took part in the event that featured a little bit of everything.  The kids arrived in the high school locker rooms, which had been personalized with name plates, player passes and t-shirts hanging in the stalls.  The day began with a "pre-game" skate for about 45 minutes, followed by a dryland workout of plyometrics and sprints. 

Following the morning workout, the girls changed and headed upstairs for lunch, provided by the Coon Rapids Potbelly Sandwich Shop.  They were joined by Rachael Bona, former Coon Rapids High School Hockey star.  Bona led the Cardinals to a third place finish at the 2011 State Tournament and, most recently, helped the University of Minnesota win an NCAA Division 1 Championship in her freshman year.  After lunch, Bona spoke to the girls about hard work on and off the ice, as well as in the classroom.  The girls also had an opportunity to ask their own questions and take pictures with Bona and the National Championship Trophy.

The girls kicked off the afternoon with some off-ice stickhandling and shooting drills before heading back to the locker room to get ready for their big game.  They hung out in the locker room, listening to music and playing air hockey before getting dressed. 

Joe Yund, from CTN Studios who had covered the entire event thus far, served as the play-by-play announcer and introduced each player in front of a very impressive crowd. The National Anthem was played and the game was underway.  The girls battled and played to an awesome 9-7 victory by the white team.  It was a great day!

The Mini-Cards Event would not have been possible without the very generous support of many different groups.  A big thank you goes out to the following contributors:

Champlin Athletic
Coon Rapids Ice Center
Coon Rapids Youth Hockey Association
CRHS Cardinal Mascot
CRHS Girls Hockey Boosters
CTN Studios
Potbelly Sandwich Shop
Rachael Bona