STARBUCK , MB . -- Back in the day , Val Voth was one of Manitoba ’ s great volleyball players . From her own personal experience , she understands athletes . She knows the discipline required to be successful and she knows that if athletes want to advance to the next level , they have to dedicate themselves .
These days , Mrs . Voth is one of the teachers at Starbuck Hockey Academy . Every day , she works with young athletes striving to get better , athletes who are working to become better hockey players and better students .
If there is one thing that resonates with a visitor during a trip to Starbuck Hockey Academy it ’ s the concept of “ School First .”
“ They work so hard ,” said Mrs . Voth . “ Most of the time , they are working above grade level . If they finish their course work , they just keep going . Last year , my Grade 8 ’ s were mostly doing Grade 9 work and this year , my Grade 7 ’ s are doing work above grade level .”
“ I can push them hard . Our day is set up in a way that our classes are longer and because I know they ’ re busy in the evenings , we use every minute . From the time they get in , to the time they finish , they work hard .”
That pretty much describes the approach of the 73 student-athletes currently enrolled at Starbuck Hockey Academy . Athletes who have traded gym time for ice time , but have not traded a minute of classroom time .
In a nutshell , the Starbuck Hockey Academy is a unique opportunity for students in Grades 5 to 8 , both boys and girls , to attend a school “ where strong leadership , integrity , commitment and character are instilled in our young student-athletes .” The focus of the program is “ to engage and challenge the students in their academic learning through their enthusiasm and passion for the game of hockey .”
The school is located in a beautiful small-town setting , just 12 minutes southwest of Winnipeg on Highway 2 . The academy offers students one hour daily of Hockey Canada certified professional hockey skills instruction provided by Ketchen Hockey School for 100 school days , between late September and March .
The academy is open to students from outside the Red River Valley School Division catchment , with the majority coming from Winnipeg and surrounding areas . Transportation is available at cluster sites in Winnipeg and meets in Oak Bluff where the students travel to the academy .
“ We have Starbuck School and the hockey academy is a program within Starbuck School ,” explained principal Mark Wiehler . “ This year , the hockey academy has a Grade 5 / 6 split , a grade 7 and a grade 8 class . However , the class breakdown will change annually based on enrollment numbers per grade .”
“ The program started 17 years ago , and was the first of its kind in Manitoba . It was started out of a desire to see some hockey being integrated into the day-to-day school program . The students have their regular classes and they spend one hour a day on the ice . We run one hour of ice for 100 days of the school year .”
“ We ’ re a certified Hockey Canada Skills Academy . Our program is governed by our agreement with Hockey Canada . There is an academy fee for the students and that fee goes to hiring the coaches , renting the ice and a few smaller expenses like jerseys and skate sharpening .”
“ This isn ’ t a team though . We don ’ t play games against other teams . The kids all play on their own club teams . We provide 100 hours of extra practice time for individual skill development during the school year . When some students go for their gym times , the Starbuck Hockey Academy students have their ice time . The Hockey Canada Skills Academy goal is for skills development , it ’ s not to form a team .”