Previous Updates

September 3

Reminder to all of our U11 and U18 participants of the following items that need to be completed prior to your first tryout session next week:

• Update your ePact profile (you would have received an email regarding this - if you do not see one please the office for assistance)
• Complete the Other Activity form
• Sign up to volunteer for the first session (dressing room monitors, HCSP and check in assistance are needed) - if you have any issues logging into the volunteer portal after their summer maintenance, please the office and we will reset your password. If it is your first time logging in, it is defaulted to your email address as the password as well.

September 2

Schedules: The following schedules have been added to the divisional tabs below:

• U11 schedule from Sept 13 to team formation (~Sept 26) and season schedule
• U13 schedule from Sept 7 to team formation (~Sept 19) and season schedule
• U15 schedule from Sept 7 to team formation (~Sept 19) and season schedule
• U18 season schedule (U18 schedule from Sept 14 to team formation (~Sept 26) will be posted shortly)

Note these schedules are not finalized and may see some minor adjustments as we settle into the start of the season. We do not expect major changes at this point. 

Quick reminders:

• No player in TBirds rep is permitted to miss a TBird activity for another hockey related program. Multi-sport athletes may be granted special consideration if possible without significant impact on the team.
• U11 and U13 divisions will have parent coaches for some of the teams this year. We will also need amazing team managers and HCSPs for all our teams. If you are interested in being on team staff this season, click here to submit your expression of interest. We will need parent support as soon as players are assigned to practice rosters to enter into the practice and exhibition game phase of the tryouts.
• Apparel sizing is taking place at Cyclone Taylor (Vancouver location) until Sunday. ALL players trying out for rep are asked to go into the store to submit their sizes. This will expedite all apparel orders this season.
• Skill development options are now posted:
  • for skaters (HP Program) expression of interest - click here for information
  • for goalies (Thunderbird Goalie School) open for registration - click here for information
• U15/U18 Oval HP dryland program - expression of interest for those who are not assigned to the A1 teams (automatic enrolment). Click here for more information and to submit your interest.
• Rep parent meeting is taking place on Wednesday, September 8 @ 7:30 pm on zoom. Click here to register.

 

Start of Tryouts for U11 & U18

As U13 and U15 are wrapping up their first stage over the next few days, U11 and U18 will just be getting underway. We will need onsite volunteers to help with dressing room monitors, HCSPs, timekeepers and check in for the first sessions. All of these are posted on the Volunteer Portal.

 

August 27

We are looking forward to puck drop tomorrow for the U13 and U15 skills sessions with our U11 and U18 players less than two weeks away. We hope everyone will be rested, well nourished, and ready to soar! Please make sure you have completed all the items listed on the right that need to be done before the first ice time.

New information:

• All divisions: The High Performance Fee which all rep players must pay this fall has been finalized and approved. For those who have been in the U15 or U18 in the past two seasons, this is not a new concept, but as we are expanding it to our U11 and U13 divisions this year we are providing further background information and details. For information, please click here and scroll down to the "Registration Fees" section.

 

• All divisions: To expedite apparel ordering this year, Cyclone Taylor is requiring that all rep players come into the Vancouver store between Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, September 5th so they can record the sizes. For our U13A1, U15A1 and U18A1 teams, they will automatically receive a dryland training apparel package including a hoodie, t-shirt and shorts so the sizing information is critical to have early. For the other teams, as soon as teams are formed you will be able to submit a team order form and Cyclone will already have your sizes which will save 1-2 weeks and get the apparel to you that much faster.

 

• All divisions: An expression of interest for all parents interested in being part of the seasonal team staff has been set up. No team staff will be rostered to any team until AFTER teams are finalized however we will need help during the exhibition game portion of tryouts AND we will be looking to name team staffs very shortly after the teams are formed. If you are interested in being a coach (U11 and U13 only), team manager or HCSP, please complete this short form.

 

• All divisions: Information is now available for the Thunderbird Goalie School happening Wednesday evenings this season from end of Sept to January with ProFormance Goalie School. Click here for more information. Registration will open next week.

 

• U11 and U13 divisions: Information is now available for the U11 and U13 rep divisions regarding the Vancouver Hockey School in-season high performance skill development program. Click here for the information. Expression of Interest will open next week.

 

• U11 Division: U11A open skate registration is now open. These skates are the final TBirds pre-season element of the new U11 pathway giving all players access to hit the ice in advance of tryouts. While most of our players have been part of our, or other, summer camps, these skates will allow others a final chance to shake off the rust. They are open to ALL U11 players and there is no additional charge to attend. Simply sign up on TeamSnap to reserve your spot in any session(s) that fit your schedule.

 

• U15 and U18 Division: The A1 team will be automatically enrolled in the Oval HP dryland training sessions tied to their weekly Monday practice at the Richmond Olympic Oval from late September to end of January. This is included in their High Performance fee. The A2/A3 teams are not automatically enrolled but players have the ability to add-on access to 14 dryland sessions for only $240, also tied to their Monday practice time. The Oval HP coaches train athletes from grassroots to Olympians and Paralympians and is one of the most highly recognized facilities in Canada for national team training. To allow us to finalize the program with the Oval, we ask all players trying out to fill out this form if they would opt-in to these sessions if they are assigned the A2/A3 team in their division. We strongly recommend this program for any player who wants to further their overall strength and athleticism.

 

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August 19 

Welcome to the Participant Information page for the 2021-22 Rep Tryouts. All information for those participating in the tryout process will be posted here in the appropriate division. The overview of the process can be found on the Rep Selection Process page with the specific logistical details and announcements posted here.

Before we begin the process, we want to take a moment to remind all of our participants and families of:

1. All participants have already completed the Rep Commitment Form during the registration process for tryouts. This includes the behavioural and commitment expectations for all players in the Thunderbird Rep program. You do not need to sign anything further but we do strongly recommend everyone re-reads the document prior to the first session to ensure this process is as smooth as possible.
2. Participants MUST attend all sessions they are assigned to with the following exceptions:
   • injury - a doctor's note must be submitted to the executive director with both the nature of injury as well as an expected return to play date
   • COVID symptoms - Covid presents a different situation from past tryouts and we want to be clear that anyone experiencing COVID symptoms are not permitted to come to the rink. We will ask that you inform the executive director as soon as possible if a player is experiencing symptoms and the player will not be eligible to return until they provide confirmation of a negative COVID test or any isolation period imposed by the health authorities has been completed. They will be treated in the same manner as an injured player as per the Rep Selection Policy - Section 2.3. It is incredibly important that we keep each other safe and are able to start the season in a healthy manner.
   • tryouts for zone or junior - regular communication is required for those still involved in other program tryouts. All players must attend a minimum of one TBird tryout session to maintain their eligibility and they must inform the executive director in advance of each session of their status - both if they are missing or if they are attending - so we can be prepared for the ice time.
3. A rep parent meeting via zoom will be held where a minimum of one parent per player is asked to participate/review the video. As our U11 tryouts are now mandated to begin after the first week of school and many of those families new to tryouts will be on vacation during the last week of August, we will hold this meeting on Wednesday, September 8 @ 7:30 pm. Please register for this meeting here.

Posted today:

1. Detailed schedules for all divisions from the start of tryouts up until the formation of practice rosters - see division specific tabs below.
2. U13 and U15 group rosters for August 28 Skill sessions (alphabetical with consideration to position) - see division specific tabs below.
3. Other Activity form for rep players - all players are asked to complete this form prior to tryouts.
4. Volunteer positions for tryout sessions will be available for sign up early next week on the Volunteer Portal for the first sessions on August 28 for U13 and U15. Volunteers will be needed for each session but parents are asked to wait until their player has been assigned to a group to sign up. There are a number of tasks on the portal with Summer camps and start of season roles so follow these steps to easily find the tryouts or feel free to look through the other roles as well:
   • click on the "Search Tasks and Activities" at the bottom of the People Needed
   • select "Tasks by Activity" from the drop down menu that defaults to "Available Tasks"
   • scroll to the bottom of the list