May 2003

The days are getting warmer and longer.  Tournaments are over.  This can only mean one thing…hockey camps are about to begin.

One camp should be of special interest to Native youth looking for a unique experience.  The Turtle Island Hockey Camp is now in its second year of existence, and is highly recommend by Nativehockey.com. 

Located in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Turtle Island Hockey Camp provides the opportunity for both Native and non-Native youth to participate in a holistic approach to hockey.  Camp participants learn not only the basics one expects from a top-notch hockey camp, such as skating, stick-handling, passing, and shooting, but they also learn about and participate in cultural activities.  Additionally, guest speakers hold workshops for the participants, most notable of these being Fred Sasakamoose, the first status Indian to play in the NHL!  This year’s camp will be held July 28-August 2, 2003.

This holistic approach sacrifices none of the qualities in of the traditional, professionally run hockey camp.  Participants get many hours of quality on-ice instruction from experienced instructors, including Program Director Marcel Aubin.  Aubin, Hockey Coordinator for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, is Metis-Ojibwa from Pic River First Nation.

Despite his extensive hockey experience, having himself gone through the ranks of Junior hockey, NCAA University, and professional hockey Aubin maintains the tradition values of humility and dedication to our youth.  Everything in this camp is organized around raising participants’ self-esteem and giving them skills that will help them succeed in both hockey and life.

The camp is open to all youth ages 10-19, regardless of experience or ability, and focuses on meeting the needs of specific populations, such as racial and ethnic groups, minorities, women, persons with disabilities and low-income groups.  The camp relies on contributions from sponsors and tribal organizations so that participants do not have to pay their own way.  They are continually looking for sponsors to help them provide opportunities for even more participants.

If you’re looking for a camp for yourself or for your child, you can’t go wrong with the Turtle Island Hockey Camp!

For more information on the camp, please visit the Turtule Island Hockey Camp official Web site at http://www.turtleislandhockey.com or contact Marcel Aubin, Program Director at: 801-619-6846.

Public Service Announcement:

Team Wisconsin Inter-Tribal Hockey Team Needs You!

Team Wisconsin Inter-Tribal hockey is
looking for 21 high school age hockey players to represent all tribes in this state on a hockey team.

This is a team to be run by Native People for Native Youths. It will be a team which will travel around the State and play games and enter tournaments. If you are a hockey player or would like to learn the game please contact Team Wisconsin.  If you are a person interested in helping and would like to be sponsors please contact the team. Team Wisconsin needs your help in getting uniforms and buying practice ice time. With your help this can be done.

If you are someone who would be interested in lending a hand in the formation of this team please contact us also. They need assistance in many areas.  This is an exciting chance for Native American Youth to participate in a sport which has more Native American players in the professional ranks than any other sport in the U.S.

Contact Bruce Wilber, Jr. or Shannon Wilber by phone or E-mail at
wilber6@frontiernet.net or 715-524-543