Girl power emphasized at Wickfest

2,500 female hockey players gather to compete and attend workshops

Learning from the best, more than 2,500 young female hockey players are getting the chance to improve their on-ice skills and off-ice mental game.

The seventh annual Wickenheiser Female World Hockey tournament (Wickfest) will see players aged eight to 18 compete in divisions from novice to midget. But as much as the games are important to the teams coming from as far as Prince George, B.C. to Saskatoon, it’s the exposure to Olympic champions that makes the event so special.

“Hayley wanted to provide an opportunity that female athletes don’t get very often and to try to keep them in sport,” said Ceilidh Price, festival director.

“As we know, girls drop out of sports sooner than boys and we wanted to do something that builds that community and social aspect.”

Price said Wickenheiser, a sixtime Olympic hockey player who calls Calgary home, came up with the idea around the time of the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. There was a lot of discussion about what the legacy of the Games would be and she reflected on her own career.

“She wanted to have some legacy for young girls in sport,” said Price. “The idea was to grow them as human beings, not just hockey players.”

Over the next two weekends, Wickenheiser will be leading novice, atom and peewee girls in skills camps and is leaning on some highcalibre coaches and athletes to run workshops on things like nutrition, mental toughness, team building and physical skills.

Two-time Olympic bobsled champion Kaillie Humphries will be coaching the participants on how to “Push to Be Your Best.”

Meanwhile, another two-time Olympic gold medallist, Rosie MacLennan, will showcase her sport of trampoline.

Two Rio Olympians will also give off-ice talks to the youth. Stephanie Labbe won bronze with the Canadian women’s soccer team and Erica Wiebe won gold in wrestling.

Price said the tournament’s impact can be seen in the participants’ increased confidence and skills. She noted with pride that one team that’s been involved since the start won’t be back this year.

“The Mexican team can’t come this year because they made it into the B pool of the Olympic qualifier,” Price said. “They used Wickfest as a training ground.”

The Canadian Tire-sponsored festival runs through this weekend and Nov. 24-27 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Winsport’s Canada Olympic Park.