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Fitness. Girls who play hockey develop general physical fitness by playing a game that’s fun. |
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Stress relief. Hockey allows girls to clear their minds of academic and social pressures, to literally skate off tension that’s accumulated in their muscles. |
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Mastery. Hockey gives girls a satisfying, enjoyable way to develop their talents and skills. |
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Healthy habits. Hockey increases an awareness of how physical and mental effort needs to be supported by proper eating and hydration habits. |
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Reduces body fat. Playing hockey is a fun and effective way of burning off calories. |
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Cardiovascular system. The sustained energy and muscular strength required in a hockey helps develop fitness and endurance. |
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Muscle strength. Playing hockey is a great way of developing your body’s leg muscles, including the hamstring, hips and calves. It also improves the endurance of shoulder muscles, triceps and forearms. |
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Coordination skills. Hockey relies on good coordination between the eyes and the hands and improves the reflexes and reaction times of its players. |
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Personal Benefits
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Valuing preparation. Hockey helps girls learn to prepare there mind and bodies for games and practices. |
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Resilience. Hockey provides an unparalleled model for dealing with challenge and disappointment. |
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Attitude control. Girls learn that a having a confident attitude improves their performance, and that they have significant control over their attitude. |
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Leadership opportunities. Team hockey offers girls a rare opportunity to serve others as leaders. |
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Identity and balance. Being part of a group is inordinately important to girls, and hockey makes girls feel like they belong. |
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Time management. Young athletes learn to manage their time productively balancing hockey practices, games fitness, school and other life responsibilities. |
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Long-term thinking. Hockey players and other athletes often learn the fundamental lesson of sacrificing immediate gratification for long-term gain. This is the basis for personal success as well as for life in general, and perhaps in ones life, no lesson can be more valuable. |
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Social Benefits
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Relationships with other girls. Hockey players develop powerful relationships and often lasting friendships with their teammates. |
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Teamwork. On a hockey team, girls learn about cooperation, camaraderie, and friendship. A hockey team is a natural environment in which to learn about ones responsibility to others. |
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Diversity. Hockey is a great equalizer as economic status, colour of skin and attractiveness are irrelevant issues when girls are at the rink. What counts to a hockey teammate is commitment, dedication, work ethic, talent and heart. |
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Relationships with adults. Hockey gives girls an opportunity to spend ongoing periods of time with an adult in a shared endeavor. |
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Participating in a community. Hockey fosters a sense of community and pride. Playing for a community gives girls a chance to build their sense of identity |
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