Welcome to Waterloo Girls Hockey Association
2023-24 Season

Welcome to the 22nd season of Ravens hockey in Waterloo! We are happy to have so many returning players and families. A special shout out to players and families that are joining us for the first time – glad you are with us!.  You will notice that we have a change to our corporate name - as of June 22, 2023 we are now the Waterloo Girls Hockey Association. We continue to proudly wear the black and gold as well as our Ravens name. 

Another exciting announcement for this year is that the Waterloo KW Rangers (a Ravens team since inception) will now be known as Waterloo Ravens U22AA Elite! The team has a new look and is ready to be Ravens this season. Chad Campbell and team are hoping that many many more Ravens will come out to RIM Park to cheer them.  

Organized sports such as female hockey, offer participants many many benefits including enhancing passion for the sport, skill development, leadership opportunities and friendships that will last a lifetime.

We are excited about the 2023-24 season. Getting back on the ice, playing games, participating in tournaments, hosting tournaments, celebrating 22 seasons and seeing friends and colleagues are all in store. 

Focus on Programs

2023-2024 is a new season, plans are already in place for it to be a fantastic year. We will be offering Learn to Skate, Rookie Ravens, House League and Rep programming this year. Our special programs are back as well – Power Skating, Goalie Clinics, Mental Wellness, High Performance Training Program and more. New this year is special program for girls aged 6 - 9 whose families are new to Canada. Jeff Tailby and Haley Baxter are heading up this program. For more information, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Players ages 4 to 55+ can find a program to join. Specific details on each of the programs can be found on the website or by contacting Scott Storey, Director Rep Hockey, [email protected], Ryan Terpstra, Director House League Hockey, [email protected] or Chris Holdsworth, Registrar and Admin [email protected]  

Registration is now open for the season, please register as soon as you can – this helps us better plan based on the number of players. 

Focus on Ravens Wear

We have a new clothing vendor - All Team Sports who will be the sole supplier for the Ravens Off Ice Uniform and Dry-Land Gear.  Shortly there will be a link directly to our new online store. McPhail’s Cycle and Sport and SportsZone will continue to offer Ravens Spirit wear.  Keep checking out the Ravens website for ordering details.

Focus on Volunteers

We are a volunteer run organization. Without the countless hours of many – coaches, committee members, board members and more,  we would not be able to offer our programs and events.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact our Admin Assistant.

I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the volunteers who help in many different ways to make this one of the best run female hockey associations in Ontario. It is with your support that we achieve our goals on the ice and off, allowing us to continue to develop and grow this association. Thank you to all who step up to help out on teams, tournaments and fun events. 

Your volunteer Board of Directors spend many, many hours planning and delivering programs and ensuring that our direction lines up with our strategy and the guiding principles of our Association. We do our best with the available volunteer hours we have to ensure that we meet your expectations and more.   

We are currently looking to fill the following roles: Director Marketing and Communications; Rep Convenor; House League Convenor and Fundamentals Convenor, a member for our Leagues Management Committee and members for our Tournament Committees. If you are interested in joining the Board, a committee or Tournament Planning Team, please don’t hesitate to contact Ian Murphy  [email protected] or myself [email protected].

Focus on Creating a Safe and Fun Environment

The health and safety of our players, coaches and families is paramount. A reminder about two key policies that help us assure the safety of all: 

Harassment, Abuse, Bullying and Misconduct

Please refer to the WGHA Manual of Operations for more details.

The WGMHA continues to fully endorse this extremely important policy. To that end: 

• The WGMHA is committed to providing an environment that is safe and respectful for all participants.

• The WGMHA supports the right of all its members to participate in an environment that prohibits discriminatory practices of all kinds.

• There will be no harassment, abuse, bullying or misconduct of any participant in any of the WGMHA programs.

• The WGMHA will not tolerate cyber bullying of any form. 

Rowan's Law 

Concussion awareness, management and safe return to play have been key areas of focus for our trainers and coaches. WGMHA has hosted two workshops focused on Concussions in Hockey. Information is available on the Ravens website for parents, players and coaches in managing concussions and ensuring the safe return to play for a player.

Since the introduction of Rowan's Law in 2018, all players, parents, and coaching staff must sign a declaration indicating that they have read and agree to comply with the requirements outlined in the policies from OWHA. As part of the registration process, forms have been included for players, parents and coaches to sign.

So, there you have it . . . unique year ahead of us and if you should have any questions throughout the year, or wish to make comments, please do not hesitate to contact myself or any one of the WGHA Board of Directors.

We are looking forward to another great season. Please remember ... “it is not about whether you win or lose, it's about how much fun you make it for the kids” The WGHA is not a “Win at all Cost” centre and will do what’s right … “For the Kids, For the Game, For the Fun”

Sandra 

Sandra Hanmer
President, WGMHA

[email protected] 

“For the Kids, For the Game, For the Fun of it”