The Most Important Value Learned in Hockey

As the Minor Hockey season winds down we are reminded that minor hockey instills an important life skill in our youth. Sportsmanship is important in any sport but in minor hockey, it is especially significant. Youth hockey players need to develop a strong appreciation of the game. Practicing sportsmanship will help players have fun, stay active and sharpen skating skills.

Who Should Practice Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship in minor hockey isn't limited just to players. Coaches, parents, officials, and spectators must set an example for young players.  Fairness in game play time, despite size or skill level is an important aspect of establishing an example that all players will follow. Spectators need to remember that these are children playing and that no one's NHL career is made or broken during a single game or even a single season.

It's about Core Values
Sportsmanship develops a strong character. Hockey players learn respect. Showing respect to other players, teammates, and coaches establishes a strong sense of character. Respect spills into other attributes. Responsibility, determination and integrity each weigh into the value of sportsmanship.

It's about Fun
Youth athletics are rewarding but they also instill a sense of fun. Good sportsmanship ensures that the game provides a safe experience for participants and families. Winning isn't everything. Coaches and parents need to stress to young players that building skills and having fun should be a top priority.

Establish a Code
Adults and minor hockey participants should understand the elements of fair play. Many leagues require parents, coaches, and players to sign a conduct agreement before play begins. Most agreements include these standards:

• Respect rules
• Respect opponents
• Respect officials and decisions made
• Keep self-control
• Support teammates and allow everyone time on the ice

Sportsmanship is key to all athletic endeavors. Learning how to be respectful and how to have fun will be lessons minor hockey players can use on and off the ice for the rest of their lives.

Aran Awards Hockey Sale is on now!

How Sports can Help your Child

The way to build a child’s self-esteem is by teaching them how to set goals, work hard, accomplish tasks, understand the body, and learn from failure. Introducing your child to sports is just one of the ways they can build these skills.

Goal Setting: Playing sports gives the child an enormous pool of goals to choose from like mastering the basic skill set, becoming more fit, getting stronger, or winning the league championship.

Individual sports like running, swimming, or golf are great for children of all levels because not only can they compete with a team, but they can also compete against their own scores or times.

Hard Work: Through sports, a child will learn that practicing diligently with the team may not be enough; to improve they will need to spend extra time practicing certain skills on their own.
Doing so will not only build confidence, but it will also garner praise from the coach and teammates, while putting the child in a leadership position giving incentive to his teammates to improve themselves as well.


Accomplishing Tasks: After losing a game the child can learn that there is no shame in working hard and coming up short. The key is effort, personal development and having fun.

Understanding the Body: In sports children learn to value their body for “what it can do” not simply for “how it looks”. Children who play sports have a more positive body image and experience higher states of psychological well-being than those who do not play sports.

Learning from Failure: Children gain self-esteem by playing a game hard, losing, picking themselves up, congratulating the other team, and then going home and working hard with hopes of defeating that team the next time. Working hard to improve is something that can help children gain confidence thus bolstering their self-esteem.

The Pressures of Being a Minor Hockey Goaltender

IN THIS DAY AND AGE, you might think of minor hockey as one of the safest sports around. After all, the equipment of today is lighter and more protective than ever.

The irony is that while the padding players wear is more advanced than it has ever been, the pressure that players find themselves under has only escalated. The player under the greatest stress on a daily basis is the goalie, the last line of defence. Once the puck gets past the grasp of the goaltender, a goal is scored, and the pace of the game changes immediately.
While some goalies handle stress better than others, the bottom line is that the tension always exists, and, unlike the rest of the team the person in net has no one to fall back on.


Goalies are often referred to as a “different breed” for good reason; not every kid is up to the awesome task. Behind the pipes, the goalie is often the last hope that a team has and can make, or break, the outcome of a game, and sometimes the greatest game-to-game competition they face is to a chance to play in the crease.
Goaltending is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Motivating Employees: 3 Unusual Things GREAT Bosses Do

Where employees are concerned, great leaders don't take. Great leaders give--especially these three things:

They give unexpected attention.
Everyone loves attention. Unfortunately you don't have unlimited time to devote to each employee.
So make the most of the time you do have. Don't just comment on the big stuff, the stuff you're supposed to focus on.
Notice a small detail. Praise a particular phrase she used to smooth the transition from customer conflict to problem resolution. Praise how he swung by another employee's desk to grab paperwork he could deliver on his way to another office. Pick something small, something positive, something helpful--something unexpected--to show you really pay attention.
Pick out details and employees know you're watching--in a good way--and not only will they work harder, more importantly they will feel better about themselves.
They give employees a break.
He messed up. Badly. Not only are you a little pissed, this is a teachable moment. You feel compelled to talk about it, possibly at length.
Don't. For a good employee, the lesson is already learned. Catch his eye, nod, let it go, and help him fix the problem.
Once in a while employees can all use a break. When they get one they never forget it. And they try really hard to show they deserved that break--and to make sure they never need another one.

They give an undeserved compliment.
Compliments don't always have to be earned. Sometimes a compliment can be like a self-fulfilling prophecy
.
When you see something in employees that they don't see--at least not yet--they often try hard to fulfill the belief you have in them.
That happened to me. I went out for debating in ninth grade and was nervous, scared, intimidated--pick any fearful adjective. It fit. A week or so into practices I heard the teacher talking to one of the seniors. "That kid there," he said, referring to me, "will be a champion by the time she's a senior."
He was wrong. It turned out I wasn't. But I immediately felt more confident, more self-assured, and incredibly motivated. Those feelings lasted for a long time.
He believed in me.
And I started to believe in myself.

Aran Awards is Proud to Support Novice Hockey

In every arena where there’s a rink, you will hear the swishing sounds of skates tearing up and down the ice. You can hear the sound of a whistle echoing throughout the rink. You will see parents sitting on the edge of cold, unforgiving seats as they watch their child performs drills for their coach. The child has worked hard for months, on and off the ice. They have expended all their energy in hopes of making to the next level of competition.

Aran Awards & Engraving is proud to support Minor Hockey here in Hamilton.

Excellence

What is it that truly separates the average athlete from the good or the good athlete from the great? If you answered that question with the word “talent,” That is only a small part of the equation.

Muhammad Ali once said, “Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” Yes, skill (or development thereof) does have some basis in talent; however, the real message in that quote goes way beyond sheer talent, and even the skills of a sport (which can be learned and improved on). The key is in that last sentence, “the will must be stronger than the skill.” The power in that quote is exemplified in those last eight words.

Self-reflection like this is a key to discovering enjoyment and happiness through your sports experiences, as well as in life.

It is where your heart and passion lie. It is what drives you, makes you stronger, especially when things become most difficult (and/or you are at your weakest). Once you have decided on your path, it is this factor, above all others, that ultimately determines your level of success.

Aran Awards and Engraving specialize in sports awards!

The Gold Star

Sometimes people are screaming for recognition without anyone noticing. You’d be surprised what kind of difference recognition will make, if only you could recognize the signs that people crave it.
There is always room for employee reward and recognition activities that generally build positive morale in the work environment. The Pall Corporation, in Ann Arbor, MI, has had a "smile team" that meets to schedule random, fun employee recognition events. They have decorated shop windows, with a prize to the best, for a holiday.

They sponsor ice cream socials, picnics, the "boss" cooks day, and so on, to create a rewarding environment at work. Another company holds an annual costume wearing and judging along with a lunch potluck every Halloween.
Special occasions, National Holidays and birthdays aren’t the only times people deserve a pick-me-up. Anniversaries are a great time to give someone the recognition they’ve always deserved. Try to remember to give employees the recognition they deserve every time the anniversary of their start with the company rolls around.

If you attach recognition to "real" accomplishments and goal achievement as negotiated in a performance development planning meeting, you need to make sure the recognition meets the above stated requirements. Supervisors must also apply the criteria consistently, so some organizational oversight may be necessary.
The challenge of individually negotiated goals is to make certain their accomplishment is viewed as similarly difficult by the organization for the process to be a success.

It’s usually not hard to tell when someone is having a rough week. I call it the slump because usually said individual slumps down into their chair and wears the same stone cold, glossed over look on their face. If you ever spot the slump, it’s time give that person some positive energy!
People also like recognition that is random and that provides an element of surprise. Monday is always a hard day. No one likes coming down from the dream land that is the weekend. It’s the perfect day to praise someone and give them that extra pep in their Monday step.

Find out more tips, rewards and awards at aranawards.com & on our facebook page.

Olympic Fever

The 2012 summer Olympics begin in less than 1 day. The race for the gold, silver and bronze began months and even years ago for many of these athletes. Olympians throughout the years have inspired patriotism and achievement in more than just sports. Whether they compete in Judo, swimming or gymnastics, these top performers from around the world deserve to be rewarded. The olive wreath was the prize for the winner at the Ancient Olympic Games. It was an olive branch, of the wild-olive tree that grew at Olympia, intertwined to form a circle or a horse-shoe. From 241 participants representing 14 nations in 1896, the Games have grown to about 10,500 competitors from 204 countries at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

How can you translate these inspirational achievements into a reward system for your business?

Games and Rewards are an amazing way to creatively team build and network for both adults and children.

Indoor Games:

• Paper plane folding and throwing
• Hoopla
• Obstacle course
• Discus (using paper plates)
• Beanbag Toss
• Hallway Dash

Of course no Olympic Games can be complete without awarding medals and a closing ceremony. If possible, find some boxes so that medal winners can stand high to get their applause! Plan to give everyone a medal for something.

Building Confidence in Girls

Building self-confidence in girls can be a challenging but rewarding task. In today's society, there is so much in the media that takes away from a girl's self-esteem. Perfect looking models on every magazine cover and almost every Internet pop-up can cause a young girl to compare herself to them unfavorably. Building self-confidence will help girls do better in school and will also prepare them for success as an adult. It can also lessen the chance of eating disorders and help girls develop healthy relationships with others.

Why are sports for girls so important?

Though exercise and good health are often sited as the main goal for involving girls in sports the most important effect of girls in sports is CONFIDENCE.

Girl athletes have one of the lowest rates of tobacco use among any sector of the high-school population; they are less likely to abuse drugs; they are less likely to get pregnant, more likely to delay their first sexual experience, and have, on average, fewer sexual partners than girls who do not participate in sports. In addition, girls derive benefits from athletics that are difficult to measure objectively, such as confidence and self-esteem; they score higher on tests designed to gauge positive body image.

It largely doesn't matter what sport girls become involved in, from karate to football, hockey or cycling, as long as we recognize the value of building confidence in girls and reward them. Self-confidence and recognition of participation and achievements goes a long way to achieving a positive self image.

As Agnus Berenato, head women’s basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh says, “The most important lesson playing sports can teach a young girl is this: Whatever happens to you on the court, or on the field, or in the pool; the same thing will happen to you in real life. You think the coach is not fair; you’re going to think your parents are not fair. You think the ref made a bad call; you’ll think your teacher made a mistake. But, through sports, you can learn life-long coping skills. You persevere – you get knocked down – but you get back on your feet and strive to achieve.”
Aran Awards & Engraving is happy to support girls sports in Hamilton, Burlington and Stoney Creek. Check out all the amazing ways you can reward and inspire your athletes at aranawards.com