Whitpain Recreation Association

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Fall Baseball Program Registration 8/14/2008 Our Fall Baseball Registration is now open. Click here to access our Registration System to register for this program.

Fall Baseball Program Registration

8/14/2008
Our Fall Baseball Registration is now open.

Click here to access our Registration System to register for this program.

Program Info

WRA Field Hockey
SPRING OUTDOOR PROGRAM

Whitpain Recreation Association Field Hockey Program has been teaching the fundamentals of Field Hockey since 1994. Our coaching philosophy is "to teach the game of field hockey in a fun environment and to work on child development in sportsmanship, fair play, teamwork and competition."
The WRA Program has children participating in 4 different divisions, Instructional, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior. Game are played on Sunday afternoons. Instructional, Junior and Intermediate Divisions play at Wissahickon High School on the artifical turf. Senior Division players play games at MCCC and Wissahickon High School. The season starts at the end of March and finishing with a Tournaments the first and second week in June.

INSTRUCTIONAL (1st and 2nd Grade)

1st and 2nd graders start in the instructional program. Here kids learn the fundamentals of field hockey. It starts with how to hold the stick, then moves on to dribbling and passing. There is a lot of fun situation games designed to give the kids a feel for teamwork that is a part of modern field hockey.By the end of the 8 weeks we have them playing full games. The Instructional program is a Sunday ONLY program at 12:00 to 1:15 pm.

JUNIOR (3rd & 4th Grade)

It isn't unusual to have kids start in the WRA Program at the Junior level. There are 12 Teams in this division with around 12 kids on each team. Teams are made up by dividing the kids evenly by age and skill levels to make sure no one team is loaded with good players. There is ONE practice a week and one game on Sunday. The field is scaled down to match the kids size (30yds x 50yds) and they play 6 vs 6. The WRAFH coaching staff follows a consistent program for skills and teamwork development. The real focus for this division is to get the kids to not just chase after the ball but to find teammates to pass to. WINNING IS NOT STRESSED OR RECORDED, POSITIVE SKILL DEVELOPMENT IS PRAISED. At the end of season there is a Tournament where the winners compete for medals.

INTERMEDIATE (5th & 6th Grade)

Building on fundamentals is the theme at this age. The field increases in size to 45yds x 75yds and the competition intensifies. There are 12 teams in the division and they play 6 vs 6. No record of scores is kept as we still think it is more important to challenge the kids to try new things and not feel as though they jeopardized their teams by making mistakes. These games are fun and exciting to watch as the players are gaining more control of the skills. The real test for these players is to compete at the end of season Tournament where the winners receive medals.

SENIOR (7 thru 11th)

This is the big leagues for the WRA. The senior division is made up of 8 teams, each team could have 18 to 22 players. Games are played on a full size field (50 yds x 100 yds) with 10 players on each side. Because of a shortage on goalies the WRA has played without them. The goal has a block placed on the goal line that is 36" wide and 18" high to ad an obstacle to replicate a goalie. Rosters are made up of an even mix of 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th graders. 1oth and 11th grade players can not be varsity players at their high schools. This age mix creates a good learning environment for the younger players to develop in. Unlike the other division the senior division keeps track of the win/loss records for the season. The season has 7 games and a Tournament at the end.

If you have any questions please contact:
Lance Eichert
WRA Field Hockey Chairman
email: hhockeycat@aol.com