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Northern Edge & Summit Center Belarus 2006
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Monday, September 4, 2006
Saturday/Sunday , September 2 & 3, 2006 Friday is always a big day at any Northern Edge Hockey School, but this week held special significance as the first Northern Edge Cup game played in Europe. About 30 ed minutes prior to the game, local TV and news crew showed up. This kind of media attention was turning into the norm during our first week, as we have been in the papers or on TV every day, including the front page of the newspaper on Friday. For those history buffs out there, the headline read “What Has Canada Done”, a nod to the quote made famous by a Russian announcer during the 1972 Summit Series. After a stirring welcome by announcer Arthur Rekshta telling the crowd to “get up and make some noise”, the kids took the ice to a deafening cheer from the fans in attendance. The pre-game festivities featured the singing of the Belarus National Anthem and a ceremonial puck drop by Ronald McDonald. After a fast game with passionate parents cheering their kids on, the Northern Edge Cup was awarded and group photos were taken with both teams. As most Northern Edge campers know, the last event of the week is the closing ceremony. In Minsk, parents heard about what there kids did during the week and how proud all of us were to have been part of this trip. After the ceremony, we signed autographs, took photos, and said goodbyes, as we had a busy schedule for the evening. After we departed for the rink, we enjoyed what would turn out to be a lifelong memory of hospitality and friendship. We attended a formal meeting with Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Vladimir Noumov at his office in Downtown Minsk. To equate this to the American experience, this would be like attending a meeting with the Vice President of the country. During the meeting, Mr. Noumov thanked us for our efforts and helping to grow the game in Belarus. After some tea, he presented us all with gifts from the country as a token of his appreciation. This was a neat experience, even though most guys were uneasy being in such an important environment. It really clarified for us how important our trip is to the people in this country. Craig Woodcroft hit the nail on the head about the importance of the program when he talked with me about the impact of our efforts outside of hockey skill development. “Our experience with the people in Belarus transcends the on ice curriculum. When we can make children and families smile, and know that our efforts have formed a relationship in such a short time, that is a powerful feeling. These are memories of a lifetime for the children, their families, and our staff. After our meeting with Mr. Noumov we boarded a van for our evening activity, which has come to be known as the Northern Edge “Day of Beauty”. We drove up to another ski lodge where we were treated to a Russian Sauna and massage treatment. Russian Sauna treats the body by sitting in the sauna relaxing or receiving a massage, then jumping into a cold water pool to “shock” the system. We all spent about 90 minutes together in the room, laughing, relaxing, and of course, taking advantage of the treatments. The sauna massage is unique, with the masseuse rubbing and beating your body with eucalyptus leaves, which get very hot when they absorb moisture. Some of the guys couldn’t stand the heat and had to quit. After the sauna treatment, we were treated to a gourmet feast of fruits, appetizers, main courses, and beverages. The guys laughed and all involved talked about how they were going to “build one of these at home”. To cap the evening off, we held a press conference for one of the most well known sports writers in Eastern Europe, Sergei Opimakh. The spectacle of 12 guys sitting around in toga blankets, sipping coffee and answering questions was funny and heart-warming, as Jeff Triano delivered an emotional and touching statement about what the week meant to him and how this experience was one to remember for the rest of our lives. The friendship in that room was evident, and I think all of us felt the same way. Saturday was a day of sightseeing for the crew as we headed to Mir castle in the village of Mir. It was built in the early 1600’s by the Radzovil Family and was actually part of Poland earlier in the 20th century. The castle suffered heavily during World War II and is undergoing renovations to repair some of the damage. It is listed on the UNESCO register of Historic Places. For me, the visit was special because I can trace one of my ancestors as having been at Mir Castle over 200 years ago. There was also a small market that some of the guys shopped at for a little while before we departed for the church in the city of . The church was built by the Radzovil family in the 1600’s and serves as the burial place for members of the family in the catacombs beneath the church. We got a special tour of the church (it is usually not open for full public tours), and even went into the catacombs and learned more about the history of the Radzovil family. After a quick lunch, we headed back to Minsk for another great event. Soccer is religion in a lot of nations, and the people of Belarus are very passionate about their National team. We were lucky enough to be invited to attend the Euro 2008 qualifying match between Belarus and Albania. I can honestly say that there are few things in sport that can rival the passion these fans bring to the stadium. Cheers, air horns, and The Wave were seen and heard throughout the game, which ended in a 2-2 tie. When Belarus scored, it was deafening. When they were scored against, it was as completely silent. After the game, we enjoyed dinner at Francisco’s, a restaurant named after the first printer in Belarus. He is significant because he printed The Bible in the traditional Belarusian language in the early 1500’s, which was only printed in Latin and in German prior. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and packed for the city of Gomel, our next stop on the tour. On Sunday morning, a few of us took the opportunity to wake up early and walk to the city center for some coffee, internet surfing, and “chill time” before we left for Gomel. For anyone on our staff who didn’t know how important this trip is to the players and people of Belarus, an encounter we had with a player put it into very clear perspective. While we were walking back towards the hotel, one of the campers spotted us across the street and began shouting for us. After crossing a very busy street, he thanked us for coming and introduced us to four friends of his that could not attend the camp. After a group picture, he asked us if we were coming back next year because he loved the program. Knowing that we had an impact on this boy’s passion for hockey makes it easy to put the kind of effort in day after day that these type of programs require. Gomel is a city of about 400,000 located 170 miles from Minsk. We left in the late morning via police escort. The escort was with us to make the trip faster, as there are a lot of two lane roads between Minsk and Gomel. It was a pretty cool experience, as a lot of us got to ride in the lead car, with the officers flashing their lights and passing all the traffic we wanted. This must be what it’s like to drive in LA……. They wanted to keep Todd Woodcroft locked in the back of the car when we arrived, but we convinced them that he was too valuable in his role as Lead Shoe Check guy and the self described best player on our pick up team. We checked in to our hotel and prepared for Gomel Camp- Day 1. Friday, September 1, 2006 To know a culture is to know its people, history, triumphs, and tragedies. These are the things that form the fabric of a nation and provide the perspective for us to learn from them. “Good Folk, remember: we have loved life, our homeland, and you. We have burned alive in flames. We plead to you: Let our cries and grief turn into courage and strength, so that you can establish Peace and Rest on this Earth. So that nowhere and never life had disappeared again in a tornado of fire” These are the words, actually written by villagers, inscribed on one of the walls at the Memorial of Khatyn. Khatyn was a village of 26 houses and 149 people that was burned to the ground on March 22nd, 1943 by German troops during World War II. Belarus was devastated by World War II, losing a full one quarter of its population, over 2.2 million people. The Khatyn Memorial was opened in 1969 and commemorates the burning of 618 Belarusian villages and their inhabitants. Of those 618 villages, 186 were never rebuilt, removed from the face of the earth. At the memorial, our group walked among what used to be a village. The only thing remaining is the chimneys of the 26 houses, which have since been fitted with bells that ring every 30 seconds to remind visitors of the massacres that took place in Khatyn and all over Belarus. At the middle of the memorial stands a statue of Josef Kaminski, the only survivor of the massacre at Khatyn. He returned to find the village destroyed, and pulled his son out of the massacre. Mr. Kaminski lived the rest of his days in Khatyn. There are also individual memorials to the 186 villages that were never rebuilt. In those monuments are descriptions of the city in what can be described as a large garden planter, and a mixture of dirt and ashes from the actual village filling each. It was emotional trip for us, and we feel honored that Slava Kiselev and the Executive Director of the Belarus Ice Hockey Federation Sergei Opimakh took the time to drive us to the Memorial and share the evening with us. For them to take us to a place so special to their country was humbling, and will be remembered by us all. This afternoon, the weekly Northern Edge Cup game will played, with a lot of media attention expected. Yesterday’s draft brought out the news, and several writers. I was told by one camera man that I “had a face made for radio”. I’m not sure what he meant, but I said thank you and moved on. Thursday, August 31, 2006 Even though we didn’t know what to expect when we arrived in terms of culture, customs, and history, we fully understood that this trip was very important to the Belarusian players, coaches, and administrators. The country of Belarus is placing increased emphasis on exercise as part of the national consciousness. They have recently completed construction on a new office complex for the Ministry of Sport with offices, meeting space, and functional areas. It’s located in a part of Minsk dominated by recreational facilities with arenas for cycling, soccer, and baseball within walking distance. In addition, they have begun construction on a new national stadium that seats more than 18,000 for hockey. We all feel that we are here for the start of something truly special in Belarus. The trip has received a great deal of media attention since we arrived. TV crews and writers have been a fixture at the arena since we arrived on Sunday. Steve Yurichuk had the opportunity to do an interview with the local sports TV show, and we have been in the papers almost every day. Hopefully, we can get some copies of the articles to bring home for everyone to see (better brush up on your Russian). These trips take a tremendous amount of energy to properly prepare for and execute. Our program would not have the impact it is having on these children without the tremendous effort and passion of Slava Kiselev, the Manager of the Belarus Ice hockey Federation. Slava has worked very hard for the last 6 months to make certain that the experience of the campers and the Northern Edge staff would be perfect. In addition to his job at the Federation office, Slava is also the Manager of the Belarusian Men’s National Team. He has become a friend of our program and we owe him a heartfelt debt of gratitude for everything he has done. Spacibo, mui drug! (Thank you, my friend). Last night, Todd Woodcroft made a presentation on the use of video in coaching. He used NHL clips and lectured on how coaches use the video and how the teams could breakdown their film at the end game. The session was well attended by professional coaches, hockey instructors, and local media. Tomorrow is a busy day, with trips planned to a Belarus memorial and a dinner reception at a ski lodge with the Executive Director of the Belarus Ice hockey Federation. Wednesday, August 30, 2006 Another day at camp is ready to begin. Surprisingly, no one on the staff is showing any signs of jet lag. After the first day of camp, the kids are excited, but probably a little sore from the previous day’s work out. Typical training sessions for Belarusian athletes are 50-60 minutes in length. To train for 3 hours a day is certainly a drastic routine change. To their credit, the kids work extremely hard. In Belarus, it is the ultimate goal to play for the national team. This year’s good showing by the national team in the IIHF World Championships was a source of national pride, and ignited a passion for improving the hockey culture. There are certainly some players in the older group that have that kind of potential, and understand the sacrifice and discipline it takes to achieve. Our off-ice instructors for the early part of the week have been John Hardy and Josh Latzman. “Hardo” and “Latz” have taken the responsibility of preparing demanding conditioning programs for the players and figuring out a way to break the language barrier in its instruction and delivery. True to form, the boys came through in great fashion, even learning how to count to 20 in Russian. This is the first off-ice training experience for some of the children in the camp, so there was plenty to learn and a few sore muscles to boot. It just wouldn’t be my style if I didn’t write a little bit about the facility we are playing in. The arena complex is actually two separate buildings, with a primary complex with seating for 3500 and our facility that seats 500. While we have experienced a lot of things that differ from our culture, some things don’t change across nations. I walked into the rink and there were employees sweeping the floors and a person at the front desk, helping a coach sign out a locker room log. When I walked through the rink, I saw a Zamboni driver working, and more people cleaning. The condition of the rinks is amazing, given the age of the facilities. It can only be attributed to a knowledgeable staff, and I’m happy to say being at the rink is a place that feels like home. Our evening activity was one of the highlights of the week. Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Vladimir Noumov asked us to play his team in a friendly exhibition match. We accepted the challenge and began working on a game plan. As the GM of the team, I was charged with creating a game plan that could give us a chance to win while satisfying the huge egos of John “I’m not a 2nd Line Player” Rogger and Tim “The Fan Favorite” Velemirovich. After a slow start that saw Mr. Noumov’s team jump out to an early lead, an inspirational speech by Head Coach Arturis gave the team the fuel they needed to finish a close game in respectable fashion. While no one knows the final score, Todd Woodcroft could be heard quoting his personal statistics from the game to local media that showed up to cover the game. In all seriousness, we were honored to play the game and enjoyed our time on the ice and at the post-game reception hosted by Mr. Noumov. He has been a huge supporter of the Northern Edge program and has made our stay here very enjoyable. Tomorrow will see us give presentations to local coaches on North American coaching and playing styles. More to come………… Spa Siba (Thank You) to all of the people that have read the journal and love to our families. Monday, August 28, 2006 The first day of camp at the Minsk Arena turned out to be a day of learning, as check-in was started with a group of anxious campers, instructors, and parents. After a few handshakes and a couple of “Do Bre Ootra”s, check in progressed exactly like a regular Northern Edge week, with parents giving their children hugs and telling them to give Hor Di Sha O Ceel Ia”(Good Effort). Our special jerseys for this week feature the Northern Edge logo as part a Belarusian themed jersey that includes national symbols such as the bison. When we took the ice for the first training session, we were very excited for an opportunity to make a great first impression. With Belarusian National Team coaches, Jr. coaches, and interested people looking on, the expectations were very high. Our staff rose to the challenge and delivered a practice that saw all of the coaches in the stands busily writing notes and asking questions. Professor Yuri Nikonov, Professor of Hockey at Minsk University, is one of the most respected hockey authorities in Belarus. Yuri spent a great deal of the day at the rink, and we were certainly honored to have him and hear his thoughts on our program. At the end of the day, Yuri presented us with signed copies of both books he has written on goaltending theory and hockey performance. Yuri wasn’t the only guest of the day. Immediately after lunch, a skating version of Ronald McDonald took the ice with our younger group. The kids were very excited and cheered when he stepped on the ice. After a few stretches, Ronald left the kids with some toys and received a Northern Edge Hockey jersey as a gift. The Belarusian people place a high value of giving gifts as a way to show appreciation. After the camp was done on Monday, a camper’s (Ilya) father gave us a watermelon as a gift. Check out the team with the melon in today’s pictures. Slava Kiselev, the Manager of the Belarus Ice Hockey Federation and friend of the program, took us out for what turned out to be an eventful dinner. We ate at a Belarusian microbrew and enjoyed a dish called “Malchanka”. Malchanka is potato pancakes with homemade veal sausage and sauce. Every meal in Belarus involves several courses. Most start with a salad and include a soup and a main course. The most popular dishes to date has been Solyanka, a soup made with meat, mushrooms, and other vegetables, and veal meatballs that were served at lunch. Dinner brought with it a rite of initiation for new Northern Edge traveling instructors. The Shoe Check, or “The Woodcroft Shoe Shine” is a time honored tradition where one member of the team tries to place something on a new member’s shoes during the meal without being caught. I was the lucky recipient of this year’s Shoe Check. After placing the object (usually butter or in our case, a crawfish) on the victim’s shoe, all the team members start tapping their water glasses with a knife until the victim notices the item. After some good laughs and a few “root” beers, we left the restaurant for another quick stop at a pub and a good night’s rest for all but one member of the team……….. An old saying states that revenge is best served cold, or at least in the middle of the night. As of the time of this journal entry, Lloyd got the last laugh with a number of well placed wake-up calls from the hotel staff to Todd’s room. 3AM is a great time for the phone to ring, isn’t it??? Tomorrow brings more training and a special event for staff members, as our team will play an exhibition game against the Ice Hockey Federation’s office team, led by Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Vladimir Naumov. More to come soon. To our family and friends, we miss you, and will see you all soon. Saturday, August 26, 2006 – Sunday August 27, 2006 I woke from a restless night of sleep with optimism about our trip. Last minute preparations and wondering about our trip was enough to keep most of us awake for what would ultimately be one of the longest and most exciting days we’ve had in a long time. Most of us met in Newark, New Jersey around noon. With a 6 hour layover and not a lot to do between, a new tradition was started with the 1st Annual Northern Edge Shnarpels Cup. Shnarpels is a card game that combines elements of spades and euchre. Two hours later and $50.00 poorer, we crowned Todd Woodcroft champion in front of a capacity crowd of 8 people. When asked about his victory, Woodcroft stated that winning the Shnarpels Cup was “like taking candy from a baby”. With another tournament planned in Minsk, the competition is ready to make Woodcroft eat those words. As the time approached for us to come to our gate (about 30 minutes prior to take-off), we learned our first lesson in traveling on an international airline, as absolutely zero of us checked in with Polish Airlines. Thankfully, we all got through the line, airport screening, and on the plane with about 90 seconds to spare. Our plane for the trip was a Boeing 767 jumbo jet with a capacity for 300 passengers, of which nearly all were Poles returning to Warsaw. We had a great experience and learned about Poland and the Polish language. I constantly asked when we would be eating kielbasa and packis, a nod to my roots growing up in a Polish neighborhood in Grand Rapids, MI. The flight attendants treated us very well, and even managed to sneak us a couple of extra cookies and beers if we asked nicely. Most of the team tried to grab a little shut-eye and use the time to try and acclimate ourselves to the 8 hours in time changes we would lose when we arrived in Minsk. We arrived in Warsaw and met with Rob Deciantis, the final member of our team. After a brief meeting to discuss expectations for the trip, we boarded a 747 for the final leg of our trip into Minsk. We arrived in Minsk at 2:00pm after flying over beautiful forest land and agricultural areas. The landscape of Belarus is impressive, with sweeping vistas of forests that are thousands of years old bordering lakes and recreational areas. Believe it or not, some of the trees in Belarus rival that of the Great Sequoia trees in California! After filling out our visas and getting our luggage, we traveled as a team to the arena complex in Minsk. The main arena seats almost 3,500 fans with a practice rink with seating for 500. After setting up our room we ate dinner and checked in to the hotel at a little after 6:00pm, or 10am Sunday morning!! Most of the guys were ready for some well needed rest. For some of us, the most exciting part of the evening was still to come. We were humbled and fortunate to share the evening with Mr. Vladimir Naumov, the Minister of Internal Affairs for Belarus. We spent time in a local pub enjoying discussions on Belarusian history and culture. An avid fisherman and outdoorsmen, Mr. Naumov told us about some of the best fishing locations in the country, known not only for the quality of fishing, but also the serenity of the surrounding nature. The highlight of our evening came in the form of a walking tour of the central area of Minsk. The city of Minsk is 939 years old and has a very rich history. Many years ago, the location that is now known as downtown Minsk was an area where markets and vendors sold goods through bartering. The city came to be known as Mensk- “To Exchange”. In its current form Minsk means “Change”. We were fortunate to have Mr. Naumov himself as our tour guide, as his appreciation for the history of Belarus and his detailed knowledge of historical sites was impressive. We called it a night around 11:00pm and headed for our hotel. With 75 kids showing up at the rink tomorrow, we are prepared to give them and ourselves the experience of a lifetime. Be sure to check out this website every day for more updates, experiences, and Belarusian camaraderie. Do svidaniya! |