For the past 12 years, Lake Orion resident Roman Andrys has brought together young hockey players from across America to condition and practice their skills during the summer off-season.
This year is the first that Andrys hosted players from The Czech Republic, and he plans to do so again next year.
Thirteen Czech players joined 16 American players for the three-week long camp, from June 26 to July 20.
Lake Orion residents housed a number of the players during their stay in America. The children are between eight- and 19-years-old.
The camp, run by Andrys and his brother, is an opportunity for the Czech players to learn English.
These players live with American host families, separate from their fellow campers, ‘so they are forced to learn English,? said Andrys. By the fourth week, most players are speaking some amount of conversational English, and have most of the basic greetings learned.
Camp sessions lasted all day, from 8:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m., and took place in various metro Detroit locations.
From 9:30 a.m. to noon, players conditioned off-ice on the lawn of the Oak Park Ice Arena. After lunch, between 1-3 p.m., the group practiced shooting and skills on-ice at Hazel Park Ice Arena. Following some relaxation and dinner, the group finished the day by lifting weights from 6-8 p.m. at Great Lakes Athletic Club.
Andrys ensures that his campers are following ‘the perfect nutrition program,? a diet rich in carbohydrates and protein to keep their energy at a premium while skating and working out, and low in sweets for the same effect.
Andrys hopes to continue providing this opportunity for Czech students to learn English, and for both them and the American students to work on their hockey skills and strength during the summer months.
Andrys urges any willing Lake Orion families to volunteer to host campers.
‘I’m working now with bringing more kids because they’re very interested, but there weren’t enough families [to host them],? he said.
For more information, contact Andrys at (248)391-6255.