2019-2020 TRAC Information

Jun. 13, 2019

Three Rivers Athletic Club Information Letter

Date Issued - June/13/2019

Hello TRAC Wolverines Players and Families,

My name is Trevor Carter. I am honored to deliver this letter to all as we begin planning for the next amazing season for the TRAC AA program. As the season drew to a close for 2018-2019, I have led the charge in creating some positive change in our hockey community.

Many of you in the Whitecourt Area will know who I am, and where to find me; at the rink. I was able to put a lot of time in on the ice helping anywhere and wherever I could. I am coming off a season with the TRAC PeeWee AA team, coaching goaltenders throughout the entire organization, coaching with the Atom A / C clubs, Bantam A, and lending an ear or support to many. Many of you had a lot of great ideas on how to improve the programs we currently have in the WHMA. Through the many discussions I had with parents and players in the rink, it is evident that we need to address the concerns and challenges of the seasons to come. There were many individuals that were willing to volunteer their time to join us and change the face of the Three Rivers Athletic Club moving forward. I would like to think that there are some very exciting times ahead for our club. In our discussions, here are some of the things the families of TRAC and WMHA would like to see:

More Outside Development coming in on a regular basis, and available to all
More Consistent player development within the Program
Support from our Draw area for TRAC, and support for these Hockey Associations coming to Whitecourt to play
Earlier Tryout’s, Preparation Camps, High Performance Camps, and Conditioning Camps
More Community Involvement
More Support to our Volunteers in many different areas
More Support for our Coaches with an emphasis on Mentorship and Available materials
Better Communication from our Association (ice times, events, player development)
Coaches picked earlier
Coaching Courses provided in the Whitecourt Area - Allowing a coach development and standards
Dryland, Power Skating, Skills, and Team Building
More Focus on Player Development and a focus on the Athlete.

There are more ideas that came up in our talks at the rink. While we are not able to implement them all right away, we are going to move forward with putting many of them into place for the 2019-2020 season. As the TRAC program will be putting a large effort into growing for long term success, it is imperative that we also recognize the need to provide this opportunity to all developing kids in WMHA and surrounding area that makes up the TRAC Teams each season.

OUR TIME IS NOW.

Three Rivers Athletic Club will be moving forward into the 2019-2020 season. The game is changing and so are we. It is time for us to be better for your player. Today’s game has great options out there for families to choose from. We are going to work hard so that your choice is this community. Families have become paying customers in the game of hockey, and as a non-profit organization, we will work hard to create a program that focus’s on development on and off the ice. TRAC Wolverines will be home to (1) PeeWee AA team, (1) Bantam AA Team, (1) Midget AA team, and potentially (1) Midget 15AA Team (This all depends on registration numbers). There will be fall evaluations where kids within our draw area have the opportunity to earn a spot within our club. Our Club teams will work together to become a family. We will strive to become a club that players are Proud to play for and parents are proud to cheer for.

We will become more involved in our community. We will promote our players through social media outlets and newspapers. We will provide the opportunity for our players to work with our younger generation of players in a mentor program. We will focus more on development of the athlete. We will welcome all players and families from all the communities in our draw area (Jasper, Hinton, Edson, Fox Creek, Mayerthorpe, Slave Lake, Swan Hills, Sangudo, and Whitecourt) and provide them all with an equal opportunity to play.

To accomplish all these things, we have created the first TRAC Committee. The TRAC committee is comprised of several individuals that are all focused on growing this program to provide an opportunity for all aspiring athletes in these communities. These individuals recognize the importance and value of this program. We recognize and have aligned ourselves with the Hockey Alberta AA hockey model.

At this time, we are planning our program which will focus on player development for our players on and off the ice, which will include:

Minimum 2 Practices per week (This would be for all TRAC AA Teams)
30-32 League Games (Midget 15AA), 32 League Games (PeeWee/Bantam/Midget AA) Based on last year league Schedules.
(1) Ice Breaker tournament before the league Starts
(1) Tournament at some point in the season
Potential for Outside Skill Development (Power Skating / Skills) Vendor Practices per month
Potential for Outside Goalie Training per Month
* Team Apparel? (Practice Jersey, Pant Shell, Home & Away Socks, Dryland Shirt & Shorts, Team Coat and team bag) More to come once a budget is drawn up
(1) High Performance Fall camp to help prep these players for Tryouts and the Season ahead
Complete Outline for Fall Camps, Tryout schedules, Procedures, and Process
Tryout and evaluation procedure available in advance to all Parents and Players in the TRAC Community

If your player is looking to tryout for the TRAC AA teams this year, August and September will be busy for them. We will be holding fall High performance Camps between Aug 26 - 30 (Tentatively). Pricing and Times will be advertised on the website once the final details are complete.

We will be holding a Bantam Checking Clinic available for first year players (dates to be confirmed). Pricing, Times and details will be advertised on the website once the final details are complete.

Tryouts will begin early this year for all divisions. TRAC PeeWee AA will begin between Sept 6 - 7, Bantam and Midget Tryouts will Sept 13 - 15 to allow time for AAA tryouts. Evaluation information and schedules will be advertised and posted on the website once finalized. Please refer to these pages to ensure you have the most up to date information regarding camps, tryouts, coach and TRAC notices.

Thank you all for the 2018-2019 Season! We look forward to seeing you at our camps and tryouts for the 2019-2020 Season.

Kindest Regards,

Trevor Carter and the TRAC AA Committee (Trevor.Carter@Weatherford.com)

Have a Great Off Season!