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New to Hockey? The Portland Jr. Hawks welcomes you to our organization. We are committed to making your family's hockey experience a great one. If you are new to hockey, you may have some questions about how to get your child started in the Portland Jr. Hawks Association. We think you'll find most of the answers to your questions below. If you should have further questions, please feel free to contact anyone on our contacts page. General Information To Get You Started At what age can my child begin ice hockey with the Jr. Hawks? Children as young as four years old have participated in the Jr. Hawk learn to skate program. Typically children are between five and eight years old when they enter the learn to skate program. But don't let age stop you, we have seen great skaters develop after joining at 12-15 years old. Where do the Jr Hawks practice and play? The Jr. Hawks have two home ice arenas, Valley Ice Arena in Beaverton, and Sherwood Ice Arena in Sherwood. Visit LINKS/RINKS for locations, and phone numbers. Both rinks have great ice, locker rooms, concession stands, rental skates, and friendly staffs to assist you. Northwest Skate Authority hockey shop is next to Sherwood for all your skating needs, including skate sharpening. What if my child needs to learn to skate? The local skating rinks, Valley, Sherwood, Ice Chalet and Mt. View have several programs to teach your child to skate. Their learn to skate programs will give your child the basics in skating and stick handing. You should also take your child to 'Open Skate' at any of the rinks to give them more time on the ice. (See Links/Rinks) There are many private skating coaches in the area as well. Private lessons can accelerate your child's learning, and help him/her to form good skating form and skill. Ice hockey is dangerous, right ? NO! Bicycles, basketball, football and roller sports top the list of eight recreational activities with the largest number of injuries among children. Ice hockey is not even listed !!! This can be attributed to proper safety equipment and physical conditioning, but mostly do to the controlled ice surface. You will rarely see a knee injury, or the like, because if you get hit in the knee, you just fall down. No cleats to stick, no holes to hit, no bad bounces of balls. While there is always a chance of injury in ice hockey, here is the leader board for most injuries:
Isn't hockey just for boys? Not at all ! Female ice hockey is actually growing faster in numbers than its male counterpart. The major difference in boys and girls hockey is in the lack of "Body Checking" in female hockey. In boys hockey "Body Checking" is allowed at the PeeWee level (in the USA), but is never allowed in girls hockey. This takes much of the risk of injury out of the game. Girls are also welcome to play in all boys divisions. Many girls play in boys divisions and are team leaders. Come out and see what our girls team can do on the ice !!! What age divisions are the Jr. Hawks? The Jr. Hawks follow the USA Hockey Division classifications:
When does the season start and how long is it? Each division, and level of competition is a bit different. Evaluations for teams will begin in August or September. The season will end in March or April. There is also Spring hockey and learn to skate programs throughout the year. What hockey gear does my child need? Your child will need the following hockey gear:
Much of this equipment can be found used, as children generally out-grow their equipment before they wear it out. Ask around, check posting boards and used sporting equipment stores for used equipment. Where can I purchase ice hockey gear? There are several shops in the Portland area to purchase ice hockey gear. Here are a few:
How do I register my child to play with the Jr. Hawks? You can register through the following ways:
How can I as a parent get involved with the Jr. Hawks? The Jr. Hawks welcomes your participation in the organization. We feel that member participation is the best way to give your child a quality experience that builds players for life. Contact any of the Board members to see how you can help. |
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CPA to the Jr Hawks: Many of the forms, and docutments on this site require the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. It is available for downlaod for free at www.adobe.com or by clicking the link below.
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| 503-324-6274and Jr. Hawks is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, with no affiliation to with any other school or government agency. To provide the most possible youth in the area access to the sport of hockey, we ask for your personal or corporate sponsorship. | |
