Two Women Who Give a Puck

EP 9 - Ashley Holmes - USA Hockey Assistant Coach in Chief

Tera and I are joined by Ashley Holmes, the Assistant Coach in Chief for Female Coach Development in the Minnesota District (that’s a mouth full!!). 
Ashley shares her story of growing up playing hockey in the Alexandria area, how that led to playing at the University of North Dakota and then on to coaching. 
An important part of her coaching journey is that she was ASKED to coach a 12U hockey team. Without that invitation, she is unsure if she ever would have found her path in coaching. 
So, hockey associations, and mainly MALE ALLIES (because you are currently the majority in hockey), remember to ASK females to coach. Many of them will not step up without an invitation.
Within her role at USA Hockey, she is working to attract more female coaches to get involved in the coach developer role and NORMALIZING seeing women in leadership roles within USA hockey, MN hockey and within the youth levels. 
She also hears from many female coaches throughout the state of MN who are facing similar challenges. 
She regularly hears females express encountering the challenges below:
Feeling like you aren’t welcome
Having people second guess your abilities
Males with less experience getting a coaching position rather than you because it’s a higher level and females aren’t seen as capable at that higher level
Not having their voices heard
Having to prove their competency when their male counterparts are automatically granted competency
It’s a challenge for those female coaches to want to continue coaching within the game when they are volunteering their time AND having to overcome all of the situations at the same time. They start to question, “Why am I doing this? Is it even worth it?”
This leads to a challenge in retaining the female coaches who are willing to step up. 
Lastly, we talk about how the move away from USA hockey’s ADM model and community-based hockey is producing fewer top level female talent within the State of Hockey. Parents having an understanding of the ADM model and its value is vital to continuing to be the State of Hockey on the female side. 
She is also focusing on bringing MN female coaches together to help support each other and be resources for each other. If you are a MN female hockey coach, look for an invitation to a MN female coaches GroupMe and reach out to Ashley at any time with questions. She is here to support you!
 
Contact info:
Ashley Holmes - ashley.holmes.usahockey@gmail.com
 
USA Hockey Female Coaches GroupMe - GroupMe - Join the group for USAH Female Coaches
 
Reach out to Tera and Sarah if you have any questions or if you have a story to share.
TwoWomenWhoGiveaPuck@gmail.com

EP 8 - Alicia Pelton - CoachingHER

Tera and Sarah sit down with Alicia Pelton, the Program Director for Coaching HER from the Tucker Center, a research center at the University of Minnesota that researches girls and women in sport. 
Coaching HER is a coaching resource that helps sport coaches of girls challenge the status quo and the taken-for-granted assumptions of what it means to coach girls. We are helping coaches minimize gender inequalities and to coach differently.
Coaching HER tackles central and unaddressed issues which negatively impact girls’ and women’s performance, self-perceptions, sport choices, and experiences: coaches’ unconscious gender biases and stereotypes.
During this episode, Alicia shares with us the inequity she saw between her son’s hockey experience compared to her daughter’s and what she did about it.  
We also discuss the fact that sports were created for men by men and continue to be coached by men and designed around men, i.e. sport equipment. 
However, women are different. Our hormones are different, we injure differently, we hit puberty at different times, AND we are treated differently in society. 
So instead of looking at the sport of hockey as a boys sport and the girls simply exist in it, we may need to rethink the design of the sport so we can meet the girls where they are at and appreciate what they bring to the game, rather than trying to fit them into the existing model.  
The game of women’s hockey may look different than men’s hockey; however, it is a BEAUTIFUL game and embracing the differences can help to expand the sport for females.
This is important because when girls play, they are more successful in life. 
They are healthier, they have healthier families, they have less depression and anxiety, they’re healthier in every way and succeed occupationally.

EP 7 - Topher Scott - The Hockey Think Tank

AUDIO WARNING - some of the audio is a little rocky!!  Good ol' technology... It doesn't always cooperate.......!
On this episode Tera and Sarah chat with Topher Scott from The Hockey Think Tank about the value of community based hockey, for everyone, and especially for female hockey players. The less accessible hockey becomes, the fewer females there will be in the sport. 
Topher’s mission is to get people to recognize the importance and the power of the front of the jersey again.  Meaning, no one has made it to higher levels alone and creating a supportive community around your daughter during her playing career, better enables her to develop all of the important life skills that lead to success on the ice.
We touch on the mental and physical health challenges within the youth hockey and youth sports experiences and Topher shares his advice with parents on how to manage this, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL! 
Topher also highlights that a well balanced approach MAY include saying “No” to your daughter even if she LOVES the game and wants to play in ALL the hockey programs coming your way.   Saying “No” to something DOES NOT mean your daughter’s hockey career is over!  It may actually enhance it!
We end the conversation talking about the benefits of the unique community model that Minnesota Youth Hockey has and why it has enabled us to become THE STATE HOCKEY. 
Here are some of the top reasons that the community model is AMAZING:
It attracts the best coaches
It gives the kids something bigger to play for, which accelerates their hockey development and improves their mental health
 
It is a MUST listen for anyone immersed in the youth hockey world!! 
Topher references his podcast with Kendall Coyne-Schofield. It’s a great listen to hear about the challenges the top USA female hockey players faced with USA hockey.
 https://thehockeythinktank.podbean.com/e/episode-5-kendall-coyne/
Topher is a wonderful hockey resource. Check him out at www.TheHockeyThinkTank.com and subscribe to The Hockey Think Tank Podcast on your favorite podcasting app!

EP 6 - Valuable Coaching Skills that aren't hockey specific

In this episode Tera and Sarah discuss all the ways female coaches can provide value even if they never played hockey. 
 
They discuss the many aspects of coaching that have NOTHING to do with the Xs and Os of the game. 
 
From helping players overcome adversity, to teaching them how to be good teammates, to holding them accountable, ALL of these are INCREDIBLY valuable. AND none of them require hockey knowledge to teach. 
 
They remind female coaches that if they are starting with the younger ages, they can learn the game alongside the players and that is wonderful!
 
Also, the most important aspect of hockey is: if the kids are having fun, they’re going to want to come back. If you can help them have fun, you can be out there!!!
If you have any questions or are interested in playing or coaching and you need a little extra support and encouragement, reach out to Tera and/or Sarah at TwoWomenWhoGiveaPuck@gmail.com. They're always here for you :)

EP 5 - It happens to guys......

In this episode, Tera and Sarah discuss the common response they receive when sharing their experiences with males in the hockey world, which is “It happens to guys too”. 
 
Although this statement is true, Tera and Sarah discuss how it feels very dismissive and it glosses over the reality of females having different experiences in hockey than males do. 
 
Even if similar things happen to men, the way women experience certain issues, like harassment, violence, body image pressure, is often shaped by systemic and cultural factors that affect them differently. Saying “it happens to guys too” glosses over those differences.
 
Also, even if it’s meant to be comforting or to show empathy, it can come off like you're saying it's not unique, not that big of a deal, she shouldn't be upset and she should just get over it. 
 
It leaves women feeling as if women are given the choices of: 1) get over it and don’t validate their own feelings, 2) live with it and suck it up, 3) walk away from it, or 4) shove those feelings deep down inside and wait for them to explode!
 
Saying “It happens to guys too” also shifts the focus away from the female’s experience. She might be sharing something that’s difficult or vulnerable. Responding with “it happens to guys too” redirects the conversation to men’s experiences instead of staying present with her and listening to what she’s going through.
 
If you are a male and your thought is, “it happens to guys too”, please stop, rethink and listen. 
 
If you have any questions or are interested in playing or coaching and you need a little extra support and encouragement, reach out to Tera and/or Sarah at TwoWomenWhoGiveaPuck@gmail.com. They're always here for you :)
 
Here is the article Sarah references:
Athletes step up to support Minnesota kid who was told girls can’t play football
Elena Easley goes viral in TikTok video about playing football | MPR News

EP 4 - Kris Wing, USA Hockey Coach in Chief

Kris Wing is building a legacy, a beautiful and bright spiderweb, of positive energy, inclusiveness and an integrated approach to supporting ALL coaches within the world of USA hockey that she hopes will live on indefinitely.
 
She is the USA Hockey Coach in Chief for Female Development, which means she is a part of USA hockey's coach education program. She is the first female to have a Coach in Chief role within USA Hockey. Her role specifically focuses on encouraging and supporting women to become involved in hockey as coaches, players, and board members, with the goal of increasing the numbers everywhere. During this episode Kris shares her experiences growing up during Title XI, playing field hockey, basketball, softball and pond hockey, pretty much any sport she could get her hands on. She loves sports!!
 
She calls out how the landscape of coaching was drastically different when she started coaching. She only saw female coaches, which lead to her never question a female's place in sports. A very different atmosphere than the one Tera and Sarah find themselves in now.
 
Upon starting her Coach in Chief for Female Development role, Kris embarked on a learning journey to better understand the landscape of females within hockey. Leading her to realize that in hockey, and many sports worldwide, females don't feel comfortable or invited.
 
For this reason, Kris has created a number of programs within USA hockey to pull women in and help them feel comfortable, accepted and valued, including female only coaching education clinics, a GroupMe chat group for female coaches throughout the nation, as well as virtual continuing education sessions specifically geared towards the female coach and/or athlete and educational presentations for local associations to highlight gender biases within the sport.
 
Below are resources that can be utilized for tangible action items.
 
Sarah encourages female coaches to establish their own female coaching support group within their local association to bounce ideas off of and be that first line of support within USA hockey.
 
And she challenges associations to have 1 female coach on each girls team, especially during puberty (U12-U15).
 
Resources:
What Is Unconscious Bias 
Do You Know the Factors Influencing Girls’ Participation in Sports? https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/do-you-know-the-factors-influencing-girls-participation-in-sports/
Game On - Women Can Coach Toolkit https://tuckercenter.umn.edu/tuckercenter/projects/gameon-toolkit.html
We Coach https://wecoachsports.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/wecoachsports/login.jsp?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwecoachsports.app.neoncrm.com%2Fnp%2Fconstituent%2Fresponsive%2Fcommon%2FacknowledgeCustomizePage.jsp
USA Hockey’s Girl’s and Women https://www.usahockey.com/girlshockey
Tucker Center - https://tuckercenter.umn.edu
Coaching Her - https://www.coachingher.com
As part of USAH’s Continuing Education the CoachingHer modules are available for CE hours   https://www.usahockey.com/coaching-continuingeducation
 
USAH Female Coaches GroupMe forum for sharing, developing and supporting our community. You can join using the link below - You will be asked “What Is Bring It In” Answer the question with - a monthly Zoom session to support female coaches. Also please acknowledge that you are 18+ years old. https://groupme.com/join_group/90808759/juPQiD5E
 
If you are interested in having or being a mentor coach please use this link to fill out a Google Form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdo0xZAf70NiizTt4_NvXMencgseWqVj57BJxmT_bFmdby57Q/viewform
 
Reach out to Kris: Kristine.Wing@usahockey.org

EP 3 - Sarah's Hockey Story

Sarah shares her hockey experience. From growing up in Minnesota skating on the ponds, to youth hockey, high school hockey, college hockey and WHAM hockey (women's recreational hockey). She shares her love for the game as well as the challenges she faced when she started coaching her daughter.

EP 2 - Tera's Hockey Story

Tera shares her hockey story from playing hockey with the neighborhood kids on the outdoor rink, to being the only girl on a boys team, to joining the girls and playing with them in youth, high school and college.
She also shares what her experiences in hockey taught her about life and feeling confident in situations where she is different. Highlighting the importance of the non-sport aspects we players learn while participating.

EP 1 - Introduction - Why we're here

Sarah and Tera are doing a thing, they're starting a podcast because they are Two Women Who Give a Puck!
Through this podcast experience they will highlight the experiences of female coaches and players in hockey, as well as provide tangible ways to create positive changes.
They are here to reminder women that they belong in hockey and deserve to be a part of the greatest game in the world.
As well as encourage all of us to invite someone into the game to coach and/or play.