The 2018 IIHF Women’s High-Performance Camp is currently taking place at the Sport Institute of Finland in Vierumaki, Finland.
The IIHF members from nations ranked in the top 28 of the IIHF women’s world ranking were invited to send some of their top U18 players, coaches and staff to the camp.
There are eight attendees at the camp from the UK.
The Women’s Hockey Leadership Development Program will see mentors – from countries with top female hockey programs – educate the attendees on a variety of subjects.
The IIHF is committed to the continuous development of the female game. The camp, which has been held since 2011, will focus on showing the players born in 2000 and 2001 and the coaches and staff joining them to Finland what it takes to become a world-class athlete in women’s ice hockey.
The players from different nations and levels will participate in mixed teams and learn both on and off the ice, as will coaches, goaltending coaches, video coaches, team managers, equipment managers, strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers and nutritionists involved in the camp.
IIHF council member Marta Zawadzka, who is a co-chair of the women’s and of the officiating committees, opened the event with a speech to the participants.
She said: “Eight years ago I was here as a participant in the officiating program and now I’m happy to be back and see how you want to grow here.
“It will be an exciting week. Enjoy every single moment as much as you can and we want you to become friends. The IIHF is a big family.”
For more details on the camp click here.
Attendees from the UK
Geoff Hemmerman – team leader
Cheryl Smith – coach
Nicci Wardell – coach
Louise Capps – manager
Saffron Allen – sports therapist
Emily Harris – player
Jessica Sprules – player
Ellie Wakeling – player
Photo credit: Toni Saarinen.