The High Performance Camp 2024 of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in Vierumäki, Finland, has come to an end. What remains is a lot of valuable input and great memories with the international ice hockey family.
The Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB) was represented by five national players: Ronja Hark, Hanna Hoppe, Hanna Weichenhain, Svenja Voigt and Anastasia Gruß travelled to Finland. DEBOfficials included the new U18 women's national coach Sebastian Jones and the head of team management for national teams Julia Graunke on the list of participants. The week-long camp brings together athletes, association officials and coaches from the various IIHF member associations to learn with and from each other in a relaxed atmosphere and to pursue the sport of ice hockey together.
The athletes and association officials had mostly separate, but also some joint, agenda items. The players attended seminars in which topics such as developing leadership skills or improving communication were taught. There were also several units on the ice where they could put what they had learned into practice straight away. The crowning finale was an ice hockey game in which the German players formed a joint team with athletes from other nations.
"The camp was a very cool experience for us. Getting to know players from other nations and exchanging ideas with them was great fun. You get an overview of who has progressed how far, how far you have progressed yourself and where you can still go. Everyone was open and we did a lot together outside of the coaching sessions. The seminars were interactive, which made it exciting and entertaining. On the last day of the camp we played a little game - it was of course something special to play together in a team with the other nations," summarizes the national player. Ronja Hark.
Meanwhile, the coaches and association officials attended lectures on topics such as team culture, motivation and the association-related areas of application in different organizations. They also received input on communication strategies, which were taught as part of group exercises. U18 women's national coach Sebastian Jones, along with three other coaches, also coached one of the women's teams in their final game on the last day of the camp.
The Head of Team Management National Teams Julia Graunke has only positive words to say about the experience in Vierumäki: "We really enjoyed the camp. We took away a lot of ideas that will be used in our everyday work in the future. In addition, it was an insightful exchange with other nations about how they handle different processes and structures."
