October Recap and Newsletter

Greetings Lightning Families!

We hope you are starting to settle into a routine and getting to know your new teammates and Lightning families for the season. Thank you to all coaches, volunteers, managers and den moms, seasoned and new! We assure you these are not jobs for the faint of heart BUT they are very rewarding and vital to the operating success of your team. We encourage everyone to get involved to some capacity, there is a lot of planning behind the scenes and it really does help to learn what goes into a full season, providing opportunities that benefit all girls. 

Halloween Skate

Please be sure to check your team schedule for practice on October 31st. Unfortunately, we cannot hand back ice to the town without penalty, so we have allotted older teams the Halloween ice times. For ANY PLAYER that would like to hit the ice that night, we are hosting an OPEN SKATE, 5:30-6:20pm Central Arena. Feel free to drop in!

Ice Time

Game schedules are up to date and 2025 practices will be posted by the end of the week, followed by additional practice ice. Thank you for your patience. We understand you’d like to plan the next 6 months of life! If you find conflicts or have questions regarding ice time, please reach out but understand that mistakes do happen and that we have used our ice allotment to the best of our ability. Changes may occur so please keep yourself up to date!

The Rule of Two 

The ‘Rule of Two’ requires two trained and screened adults to be present in the dressing room or immediately outside the dressing room in order to monitor the environment and ensure it is free of any discrimination, harassment, bullying, or other forms of maltreatment. If you are unsure whether your team allows parents/guardians, generally U9 and younger, into the changeroom to assist players, please speak to your team coach/manager for the rules of the team. And be sure to pass the guidelines onto grandparents/guardians. 

Lightning Attire

COLGHA encourages all players and team staff to agree to a Lightning uniform when arriving at the rink, warming up within the rink, representing our club at a tournament or within the community. There's no better feeling than showing up to a game or event as one unified team. Uniforms contribute to team spirit, motivation, solidarity and confidence. Your team uniform is what gives you your superpower feeling!

Socks (and swag) for U9B, U11B, U13HL and UP are available for purchase through the UNIFORM FACTORY. U7, U9HL and U11HL teams are given game jerseys and socks to keep, thanks to Tim Hortons and McDonalds respectively for these amazing jersey programs and support. 

Collingwood Thundersnow Classic, Jan 17-19th 2025

The CTC committee is still looking for SPONSORS to support our Second Annual Hometown Tournament. If you have been to ANY of our events, you know we run successful shindigs, so please reach out to local businesses for support. And please consider pitching in, we will need lots of help that weekend. Helping others has a dual benefit. Not only does it provide support to those on the receiving end, it makes you, the helper, feel better too! So for your own health, Help Us Out!

Lightning Raffle is Underway

Our amazing club raffle is back and better than ever! Team managers should have connected with families to provide raffle tickets. Each player in the association is responsible for selling one book of tickets for the annual Association Fundraiser. Each book of 10 is valued at $200 ($20/ticket). At the time of registration, players U7 through U18 committed to a $200 deposit for a book of 10 tickets. Families will recoup these funds through the sale of the book of tickets and subsequently, keep those funds, up to the cost of one book of tickets ($200). The association-wide fundraiser:

• helps COLGHA maintain a low registration fee
• provides opportunities for skill development programs
• funds the purchase of association-wide equipment (pucks, jerseys, goalie equipment etc..)
• helps the association provide player assistance to families in need
• Reimburses coaches and volunteers for their certifications
• provides individual player and team photos
• allows our teams to celebrate the season at a year-end banquet and awards night

Collingwood Santa Claus Parade

Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 16th, beginning at 5pm, and plan to join the fun! We are looking for a Parade Lead and Volunteers to help decorate and organize this year's float. Thank you once again to Signworks for hosting the Lightning on their float once again! Please respond if you are willing to become the parade leader. 

Rise & Skate Reminder

It’s no secret midweek ice is a challenge to acquire this year, but we are committed to player development.  As a reminder, COLGHA and Azevedo Hockey School are offering optional skill development to all players U9 through U18, Sept 30-December 23rd 2024. There’s nothing better than a clean sheet of ice and a sunrise skate. To find your grouping, and schedule please visit our WEBSITE.

**U7 Program runs consistently twice a week with a focus on player development**

Town of Collingwood Affordable Recreation Fee Subsidy Program

The affordable recreation program is directed at individuals and households who face financial barriers participating in sport and recreation programming by providing fee assistance to Collingwood residents.

Eligible households can access financial credit which may be directed at subsidizing programs delivered by the Parks, Recreation & Culture Department including swim or public skate passes, swimming lessons, and Museum day-camps as well as community recreation or minor sports delivered in Collingwood recreation facilities. Check it out HERE

Did you know that Collingwood Girls Hockey Association ALSO has a Financial Assistance Program? It is our sincere desire to support girls wishing to play hockey with the financial support they require to access our programming. Please reach out to collingwoodgirlshockey@outlook.com.

If you are a business or individual that feels strongly about girls and women in sport and would like to donate to our Financial Assistance Program, please reach out.

Building the Future of Women’s and Girls’ Hockey

Hockey Canada has released "Building the Future of Women’s and Girls’ Hockey," a discussion paper led by a 15-person steering committee, chaired by National Women’s Team alumna Gillian Apps. The paper aims to inform Canadians about the challenges facing women’s hockey and inspire collective efforts to remove these barriers.

The paper identifies six key barriers:

1. Structure
2. Equity in resources
3. Policy and governance
4. Education and training
5. Data
6. Visibility.

It also introduces Vision 2030, which aims to see over 170,000 women and girls on the ice by 2030.

Building the Future of Women’s and Girls’ Hockey can be found HERE.

Social Media

Please follow our Facebook and Instagram feeds for the latest photos and team news. If you haven’t seen your team, then become the person that updates us! You can either send your photos and caption to us at collingwoodgirlshockey@outlook.com or post it on Facebook, it will be approved and copied to Instagram. Don’t forget to check in with our website for full team schedules and further Lightning updates.

As always, we thank you for choosing Collingwood Lightning to pursue your athletic and hockey endeavors. Thank you for trusting us to provide the best possible programming and experience for your athlete. Each and every one of us has an obligation to contribute to someone else's hockey experience, not just our own. Please be kind to one another, know that mistakes do happen, emotions can run high and that everyone deserves compassion and respect. 

Have a great November! Go Lightning!

Cheers, COLGHA