Testimonial

“My Son Caige attended the OM Hockey Training Sessions last summer and the improved level of performance was immediately noticeable. In the season prior to the camp, he was a dependable utility defenseman. After the camp with greatly improved puck handling skills, he evolved into a scoring defenseman that was an offensive threat. This was undoubtedly because of the coaching he received from Tyadg McGauley who knew the appropriate drills and the amount of repetition needed for the fundamentals to become a habit for the players. My Son’s level of confidence grew due to sharing the ice with established Junior hockey players from all ages and several different leagues of high caliber hockey. This increased level of confidence made a world of difference in my Son’s attitude both on and off the ice. I highly recommend this training and will definitely be signing my Son up for the camp again this year.” – Wavell Starr

Lightning Dawn is a human development program that uses revolutionary hockey skill training systems to elevate Indigenous children both athletically, mentally, and socially. Powered by Om Hockey Systems, the implementation of the Lightning Dawn Developmental program aims to accomplish three main objectives. One is to implement cutting edge, remotely accessible, and highly portable professional hockey development programs onto First Nation reserves in order to provide easy access to world-class training. Second is to raise the self-esteem, mental wellness, and confidence of First Nations youth through competency and excellence in the sport of hockey. The third is to educate through direct experience the important lessons of discipline and leadership, both of which come throughout the training program as a result of the development gained. 

A typical player attending an Om Hockey Program will be undergoing a very unique skill development camp. Firstly, he will be amongst his peers as this program is catered specifically towards First Nations. This is something that we have been told is quite significant to our players. They feel welcomed and comfortable coming to the rink and working with us amongst other First Nations athletes. Our players show up every day and they show up on time –  this factor is significant in that regard.

A player will quickly realize that the on ice instruction in this camp is very different from what he or she is used to. Om primarily uses obstacles as teachers to mimic the real world environment a player will find himself in during an actual game. This produces rapid development in what we call functional hockey ability. A lot of development camps and hockey schools teach many things that are often used rarely in a typical game. Om flips this on its head, using obstacles that teach fundamental, primary skills that are used in every facet of an actual competition. Another huge advantage that Om has over other development programs is that in order to navigate successfully through an obstacle, the player is forced to use proper technique. This causes the player to self correct his or her mistakes, which makes the learning curve much faster in comparison to traditional methods which require an external correction which takes many more repetitions to sink in.

Players notice their competency starts to increase almost immediately. This rapid positive feedback sparks enthusiasm and willingness to push through obstacles both physically and mentally. This rapid development associates reward and positivity in regards to discipline which is crucial for a young person’s mental development toward challenges. We believe a positive association with discipline will pay huge dividends in their lives both inside and outside the arena.

This level of elite, professional development quickly leads to a huge increase in hockey competency. This leads to players rapidly becoming some of the best players on their teams. With this comes leadership as players are awarded the captaincy and assistant captaincy due to their prowess on the ice. Direct experience with leadership at a young age is a huge educational opportunity for our First Nation athletes. Learning how to lead a dressing room full of your peers to victory are life lessons that are never forgotten and pay huge dividends not only to their own lives but to every life they affect in their communities as a result.

We are now entering our third year running this program. Attached are testimonials from parents about their children participating in this program. Common themes we hear from our players and their parents are significant increases in confidence and general well being. Success in one area quickly leads to success in other areas. This positive momentum especially coming from a sport that’s so culturally relevant to our country has huge positive benefits not only to the individual but the community the individual comes from. We ask for your support in this endeavour so that we may touch more lives as we progress to transform hockey development in regards to First Nation youth. 

Lightning Dawn is a program aimed at taking advantage of paradigm-shifting hockey development programs to give indigenous youth an unparalleled opportunity to rapidly develop their ability to play hockey. Through this, Lightning Dawn aims to uplift the First Nations athletes and their respective communities through the benefits that come from such a rapid change. Benefits such as increased self-worth, self confidence, self discipline and leadership ability. All things come from working towards and achieving an increased competency in a socially significant and celebrated sport such as hockey in Canada. These valuable attributes pay huge dividends not only in the athlete’s immediate life but the community they reside in as a whole. 

Not only can this program have such an impact on its applicants, but it can also reach remote, far away communities that struggle with access to elite, beneficial development programs such as this. Lightning Dawn deploys remotely accessible, highly portable programs that can turn any isolated community into a professional development center. 

We believe the benefits of a program such as this will have many positive reverberations throughout the First Nation communities it is deployed in.

This part is in conjunction with Lightning Dawn, Om Hockey Systems will provide First Nations with world-class portable development programs. Each reserve will be allocated one full Om equipment set complete with the obstacles needed to conduct the program. They will also be granted access to the drill database on the Om website complete with a six-month curriculum to follow through the winter. 

Reserves will provide Om with two trainers from the First Nation. They will be trained in the implementation and deployment of the Om skill development program. These trainers will be responsible for the equipment and running the Om program throughout the 6 months. These trainers will be paid directly from the First Nation for their services. 

Om will also train any coaches and volunteers within the First Nation alongside the two trainers. This will maximize the literacy of the program within the Reserve which will allow for more access and sustainability. 

Lightning Dawn will require a minimum usage of 100 hours of on ice instruction from the First Nation. 

Cost

The cost of each applicant for the Om Hockey Winter Program will be $600.00. This cost will be covered by scholarships given by True North Aid. The only cost to the Reserve will be the two trainers provided by them to operate the program. Their salary will be left up to the discretion of the First Nation.