Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

My older son LOVES to play ice hockey.  And all year long, the events he looks forward to most are the Come And Get It Hockey Camps.  He skates one in June and one in July.

The guy responsible for running the CAGI Camp is Dan Sullivan, formerly of the Gwinnett Gladiators.  Coach Sully (as the kids call him) is a heck of a guy and runs a GREAT camp.  It really is a family affair, too.  Dan’s brother and sister are involved, and his wife Liz is there every day checking the kids in and making sure everything off the ice runs smoothly.

This is my son’s 3rd year at the camp… and he’s only 7 years old.  He skated his first camp when he was just 5.  There is a core group of youngsters that all started skating at the same time and they still enjoy getting on the ice together.  Now though, there are even younger players coming up behind them.

There are a lot of unique things about CAGI Hockey (like that parents can drop their kids off all day and food is provided), but my favorite is the level of instruction the kids get.  The instructors are guys that played (or still play)  professional and college hockey.  Of course, it goes a little deeper than that…  The instructors really work with the kids.  They get to know them, eat with them, play with them and mentor them.

Even though I could drop off my son and leave him for the day, I like to hang out and watch the kids skate.  I’ve gotten to know the coaches and some of their families.  I have been blessed to get to know some of the other parents, too.  And best of all, I have gotten to know some pretty cool and special kids that have skated at the camp.

Here is the post from 2 years ago… when I wrapped up the first camp.