Wheatland AA program as strong as ever
Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter
The Wheatland AA teams had a good season last year, and this year looks to be going just as well. The peewee team is in first place in the North Division and second in the league overall. Wheatland AA President Sandy Henry said they have a really good peewee team this year. Bantam is second in the North Division and the Midget team is kind of in the middle of the pack.
“I’m not surprised by it, I think the peewees are a bit of a surprise, the peewee group is usually a lot of fresh faces from other programs so you never quite know what has happened out there, or where they’re going to come from or what your players look like because they’re still in their own communities at that point and we bring them together,” said Henry.
“I would say our communities have done a really good job of developing some real quality players and our peewee coach has been able to put them together into a pretty entertaining, viable group.”
As with other hockey groups, raising fees was a concern for the AA. No association ever wants to hear kids can’t play because of the cost. An extensive analysis was done over the past year to determine what the fees should be that would represent the actual cost.
The Wheatland AA do host casinos to help keep organizational costs down. The casinos have gone from being held every two years to every three which leaves the association looking for ways to make the money stretch out.
After the analysis was complete the fees went up, but there were also components added to the program. Teams have looked for a little sponsorship with their game day programs, which gives them a little bit of extra money to work with. Fees are $2,500 per player; silent auction and casino moneys go back to the teams.
“For our fees, the fees our parents paid this year they’re going to get about between 5 and 60 hockey games and two practices a week. The per ice time value of what our teams pay is pretty good value, even compared to minor hockey. It’s very comparable when you put it down to a per game basis, or a per ice time basis,” said Henry.
One of the joys Henry gets out of being the AA President is he gets to watch the kids grow, both as people and as players as they progress through the hockey levels.
“I think the satisfaction certainly is the players, it’s the kids you’re doing it for, that’s the satisfaction. Watching them grow up and find what they’re going to like in life, even if it isn’t hockey,” said Henry.
“It’s just the opportunity to give kids something that they’ll remember for the rest of their years, give them a peer group and opportunity that’s the satisfaction in the whole thing and that’s why we’re all in doing it.”
Even in the short term, seeing kids improve and grow throughout even just one season is something he enjoys about his role with hockey.