CFHC Bears Club Newsletter

Since being appointed the CFHC Bears’ Hockey Directors, we have faced a lot of obstacles, however through all of the unfortunate circumstances, we have been privileged to retain a wonderful group of kids and parents within our organization. With your participation this season, our club was able field 10 CFHC Bears’ teams.  We owe a huge thank you to all our Bears’ families, Bears’ coaches, and Bear’s board members. Stoan and I know it was not exactly rainbows and butterflies, but we appreciate the endless support and positivity along the way. 

While our vision as Hockey Directors has been a little derailed by having to pivot due COVID, the temporary closure of RDV before try outs, and a number of other issues, we have been able to implement some key pieces of our strategy to develop players and engage the club. We have established the first-ever weekly goalie clinic, and Stoan and I get on the ice with all of the teams at least once a month.  We are looking forward to the future as we have a solid plan set for spring training, summer development, and for the fall season ahead.   

We have gotten a chance to know pretty much all of your kids in the club at practices. Stoan and I have enjoyed engaging them in hockey talks, and passing on our knowledge of the game when we get out there with them. We take pride in being available for your questions and concerns via email and on the phone. Our emphasis on skill development and team synergy is helping teams in their success, on and off the ice. 

As Hockey Directors, and coaches, we have enjoyed working with all of your children and we look forward to helping them achieve their hockey goals, academic goals, athletic goals, and continuing to build their character. Please feel free to reach out to us as we continue into the last 7 weeks of our season.

What is the difference between OYHA, CFHC and The Bears?

OYHA is Orlando Youth Hockey Association; a 501(c)3 entity that oversees hockey club operations. Started in 1987, OYHA has been part of bringing hockey to Central Florida for over 30 years. Our hockey teams, run by OYHA operate under the banner of CFHC - Central Florida Hockey Club and our mascot is “The Bear”.  Let’s Go Bears!

Can you explain our relationship with RDV?

OYHA has been proud to call RDV our home rink since opening their doors in 1998. We are the only Tier II Youth Hockey Travel program to call RDV our home rink. As an independent entity from the rink, we rent as much ice from them as we are offered and able to purchase. 

Are we aligned with any AAA Hockey Clubs?

We fully support the Florida Alliance as the SAHOF (Statewide Amateur Hockey of Florida) AAA hockey program and are proud to have many of our current and former players wearing the Alliance jersey in tournament team and full season activities.

What about Birth Year teams?

Being able to field birth year only teams is something we strive for. Having the right amount of families and players at each age group and being able and wanting to play at appropriate skill levels, to field the most competitive teams possible is crucial to an endeavor like this. We certainly welcome the support and advocacy of our current Club members to bring in more of the appropriate birth years and right families to help round out new teams each year.

Are there ways to make travel hockey more affordable?

We are proud to be one of the more affordable travel hockey programs in the state, plus one that is not-for-profit.  We’re able to maintain our affordable options by being creative and efficient with our ice-time and from generous corporate and private donors. We’re always looking for more sponsors and if you know of any, please contact our Board Members for more information.

So you are aware, here’s a quick breakdown of where and how our Club spends tuition dollars.

<< Budget Placeholder Graphic – need details from Wayne>>

Can we get more ice time?

We are always trying to get more ice for our teams. Aside from the facility interruptions this season, we’ve all seen firsthand how busy RDV ice is weekly. We purchase as much practice ice for our teams as we are able to from RDV outside of “extreme” early morning or late night hours; which wouldn’t be beneficial for any of our teams. 

We are continuously updating our approach between full ice, shared practices and skills and training sessions that have allowed for increasing on-ice time on a weekly basis. Our dedicated Goalie training sessions have been extremely successful for us upon RDV re-opening. We are far from done exploring and entertaining new practice ice configurations and options.