The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Hockey season doesn't take much of a break in this neck of the woods and that was evident this past week as the Flin Flon Xtreme Hockey School was in full swing at the Whitney Forum. Former hockey school student Richard Dupre, who has helped with the school over the past few years, took on role of director this summer. By the looks on the young athletes' faces, things were going smoothly. "Everything is going really (well)," Dupre said. "I couldn't be more happy with everyone; instructors, kids, parents." This year, the Flin Flon Xtreme Hockey School had 110 players signed up for the regular sessions and as of Friday morning, roughly 60 names had been added to the roster for the specialty clinics. Dupre was named director after having been a part of the production for seven years. "I have to give props to (former director) Mike Reagan. I've been working with him for seven years and he's kind of got me on my way," said Dupre. As director, Dupre was given leeway to make some changes and fine tune a few things. The biggest change this year, Dupre says, is that the school created the Mr. Hustle Awards Ð which were announced daily. "But the school hasn't changed that much," he said. Though the fundamentals of the school are similar, Dupre says another change made was the instructors. "We brought in a lot of different instructors," he says, making note that they are of a "higher caliber." Dupre says having skilled instructors is important. They're "something for (the athletes) to idolize and look up to like we did when we were young," he said. Dupre, who now plays with the University of Alberta Augustana Campus, says when he was going through the hockey school he had instructors like Bob Faktor and Dustin Ernest Ð both former Flin Flon Bombers. "I still keep in touch with those guys now that I'm doing (the school) and running it. They think it's great. "They...remember when I was a little guy running around and they laugh about it," he said with a smile. The Xtreme Hockey School has kept both the athletes and the Whitney Forum a busy place. A portion of the day is spent on the ice, but another portion is spent doing dry-land training. The younger athletes, Dupre says, spend the afternoon in the field close to HBMS, but the older athletes stay inside and run drills and warm-ups Ð similar to what the Bombers would do. With 110 athletes in the hockey school, Dupre says he thinks it will be a positive contribution to the Flin Flon Minor Hockey Association. "We've got lots of (athletes) from out of town, but I think minor hockey should have a great year in Flin Flon," said the director. "I know they need it and it's about time. This is something to get the ball rolling and get kids excited for the season," he said. "I think minor hockey is going to have an awesome year." As a former Flin Flon Minor Hockey Association player himself, Dupre says going through the system put him where he is today. "Minor Hockey here supplied me with the fundamentals to get me where I am right now," he said. Taking a look at the ice, Dupre says he hopes to see the athletes continue in the minor hockey system in Flin Flon. The Flin Flon Xtreme Hockey School wraps up tomorrow with the end of the specialty clinics.
