Following on from the huge success of their “Just for Girls” hockey day in October, the Genève Futur Hockey Association has launched a new ice hockey training program, “just for girls” in and around Geneva.
Taking place at ice rinks in Carouge, Grand-Saconnex and Bellevue, the new sessions will be open to all girls – those wishing to try it for the first time as well as confirmed hockey players looking for an opportunity to “shoot some pucks”. Under the watchful eye of trained coaches, the sessions will focus on developing skills, learning tactics and how to play the game. Mostly, it will be an opportunity for girls to have fun in a positive, healthy and safe environment.
Jean-Philippe Paradis, Director Sportif for Geneve Futur Hockey, told knowitall.ch, “We want to build on the momentum generated at the World Girls Hockey day and offer girls a chance to learn and play this great sport. Based on feedback from the participants and their parents, it is clear that girls hockey is only going to increase in popularity. Lots of girls want to play a team sport, and they want to be with other girls instead of always being integrated with the boys teams.” Some girls, and in many cases their mothers, are hesitant to give hockey a try because of the image of the men’s game as being rough and aggressive. But you only have to watch a girl’s game to see that it is quite different. No “charges” are allowed, so the game is more about strategy, tactic, speed and agility. Most importantly, the games are fun, and provide a great way for girls to get fit, learn about team work, sportsmanship and develop self-confidence.
All sessions are free – just turn up with a helmet, gloves, elbow pads and knee protection. Skates can be rented at the venues and a limited number of sticks will be provided for those who don't have their own. Later in the season, Genève Futur Hockey hopes to host a tournament where the girls can demonstrate their newly acquired skills in a small, friendly competition, naturally “Just for Girls!”To kick-start the program, there will be an opening session at the Vernets ice rink for girls on Saturday 26 November 2011 between 10h30 and 12h00.
Genève Futur Hockey
www.genevefuturhockey.ch
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Click here for program details
Do you want to do something unusual with your family, a group of friends, or guest visiting for the nth time? We have a great day out just at your doorstep.
If you like the idea of a hike without too much denivelation, then read on! Take the télépherique to 1,100m then walk 20 minutes to the restaurant de l’observatoire where you will be greeted with a 360° view of the Alps and Mont Blanc as well as the best spit-fired chicken around! The specialty of this restaurant comes with French fries and family-style salad (one bowl for the whole table). It is a real bargain for only €18.-! The restaurant is built on the site of an observatory that was destroyed in WWI. Open Saturday to Tuesday from 11h-18h. Vegetarian or fish menu with prior 24-hour notice.
You might not think polo is for everyone but if you like horse-riding and sports then read on. Polo is typically regarded as an exclusive sport practised on horseback and has a certain elitist reputation. Reputedly played by the rich and the royal, polo is a sport played on horseback in which teams hit a ball into the opposing team's goal using a long-handled mallet. Originating in Persia in the 5th century BC, polo became popular when the British enjoyed a similar game in India. In 1875 the sport was practised in Argentina with a formal polo match with the skills of the gauchos and their talents. In 1876 the sport was popularized in the USA.
Nowadays, the sport is open to anyone willing to give it a go. Practice makes perfect and once you are confident enough to be able to ride and maneuver the ball and mallet without crippling your opponent, then you will be allowed to play at the Geneva Polo Club in Veigy, France, just at the border near City Green Sports center.
Local hockey association, Geneve Futur Hockey, is running a special ice hockey day for girls on Sunday, 2 October. Called “Just for Girls", the event will run from 9h30 until 15h00 at the Vernets ice rink in Geneva, and will aim to teach girls the basic skills of ice hockey, but in a fun, enjoyable way.
The event is one of many that are being held throughout the world to mark the occasion of World Girls’ Hockey Day, a new initiative being organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation to celebrate the future of female hockey. Female hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, due in part to events being held like these.
Girls aged from 5 years and above, are invited to come to the ice rink at Vernets, even if they have never skated on ice or held a hockey stick in their life before! Beginners will have the opportunity to learn all about the game in the company of fellow novices, whilst those who have played before can benefit from specific training tips that will help them progress further in the game.
It’s that time of year when you have to start thinking about extra-curricular activities for your children. La rentrée (going back to school) is fast approaching and your kids will soon be badgering you to book them on their favorite course – just one of hundreds of after-school classes that are now being offered for children in this region.
One course that you might like to consider, and which is being offered at the Futurekids Geneva center for the first time this year, is STRATEGIOS. On offer on Wednesday afternoons, and Tuesday and Thursday after school, this innovative workshop uses games to help young people aged from 6 to 14 develop essential reasoning skills.
The workshops have been carefully designed to help children analyse information, structure their thought processes, think logically, make decisions and solve problems: all skills they need to succeed in their studies and professional lives. Research in US universities has shown that programs similar to SRATEGIOS have resulted in children achieving significantly improved results in standardized verbal communication and mathematical tests. Download this flyer to find out more.
