My family and I just returned from an amazing 2 month trip across Canada.
We drove from Toronto all the way to Vancouver Island and back – we’re saving
the east coast for our next big trip.

It was 52 days total on the road with me, my husband and our 2 little ones.
We towed our little 18 foot RV behind us and stopped whenever we felt like it
to see the sights, climb a mountain or head to the beach. It was all family,
all the time, and I’d gladly do it again in a heartbeat.

Here are a few pics of us having a ball all the way across Canada:

I also had the opportunity to run some camps along the way with some great
people from the Total Female Hockey community. We had a fantastic time on
and off the ice working with some great young players in Okotoks, Alberta,
Kelowna, BC and Vancouver, BC. The future of women’s hockey is as bright
as it’s ever been.

Here are some pics of us having a great time at camp:

When I had the chance to sit down and talk with these aspiring young players
about the opportunities that lay ahead of them, I always started with the same
message…

…If you want more, you have to do more.

Seems simple enough, right?

If you just do what everyone else does, you just end up like everyone else.

If you only do what the rest of your teammates are doing, you end up the
same as 15-17 other players.

If you want to separate yourself, if you want to dominate, if you want to
stand out and get noticed, you have to do more.

Let’s say your coach has given you a workout program to do this summer.
Or a shooting plan where you shoot a few thousand pucks.

If you are doing that program, the way the coach wrote it out, you are only
doing the minimum.

You aren’t separating yourself. You aren’t pushing yourself to be better.
You’re just doing what you’re told.

Not very inspiring when you think of it that way.

If you are doing extra stuff, over and above what you’re expected to do,
you will stand out for all the right reasons. Those extra pushups you’re
practicing, you’ll see the difference when you start up those 1v1 battles
in the fall. All those extra backhands you’re taking, you’ll score a few
extra goals early in the season with that new & improved shot of yours.

And the funny thing is, when you do more, and you get better, everyone
notices. I know you’re not doing it so that everyone talks about it, but it is
great to be recognized for exceeding expectations. And a lot of people
will think you did something magical to gain that advantage.

There’s nothing magical about hard work and putting in the time to get better.

As one of my favorite quotes states, “There is never any traffic on the extra mile.”

For a lot of us, there are now only 8 weeks left until training camp starts.
Maybe your team is already skating and training together over the summer.

If you want to make a splash once the season starts, your time is now.

Do more.

Those extra workouts, extra shooting sessions, time spent on your mental
game and extra skills sessions, they will pay off once September rolls around.

Take the extra mile.

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

Your friend and coach,

Kim