The Women’s High Performance Camp took place in the Finnish Olympic Sports Institute in July 2024 
 
In the lead-up to the Winter Olympics qualifiers, the week-long camp, brought together participants from 16 IIHF Member National Associations (MNAs). Taking place in Vierumäki, the gathering allowed players, coaches and Federations leaders to play, teach, and benefit from each other’s experiences in an open-minded and dynamic environment. The first two days were focused on education and leadership sessions for coaches and MNA representatives, followed by three intense days of on and off-ice training as well as classroom sessions for the attending athletes.
 
The 2024 Women’s High-Performance Camp gathered 160 participants representing 22 different countries including 72  female athletes, over 20 coaches, 16 MNA representatives, 17 game officials and officiating coaches, IIHF Women’s Committee members and camp staff (including presenters and IIHF Staff). 
 
Mel Davidson, former head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team for many years and member of the IIHF women’s committee addressed the participants in her opening remarks: “we are all here to have an open mind for learning, be ready for problem solving, ask questions, get to know people, take information and make it a habit, take the opportunity to enjoy and grow and get as much out of the camp as you decide”.
 
“The IIHF High Performance Camp is a unique opportunity for female athletes from all over the world to learn from each others’ best practices and keep building a sustainable community of talented athletes. It is also important for our Officiating members, who will significantly benefit from this camp as well”, shared Marta Zawadzka, who was representing the IIHF Council during the gathering.
 
“We are thrilled to see so many familiar faces as well as new ones and wish you all a successful stay in Vierumäki”, she added during her opening words.
 
To kick off with the presentations, Gina Kingsbury, General Manager of the Canadian National Women’s program took the floor to highlight the importance of leadership in sports. The experienced former Olympian reminded the attendance how communication and collaboration are the two backbones of bringing a vision to life. “The reward of our work is not what we get but what we become” she concluded, highlighting the importance of authenticity in leadership and finding one’s true self in the process.  
 
Naomi Bloetjes, IIHF Integrity Officer, introduced the IIHF’s Integrity programme displaying how the International Federation is tackling issues such as Anti-Doping, Competition Manipulation, Harassment & Abuse and Ethics. Participants were encouraged to take part in the presentation actively through playful quizzes and interactive interactions. Together with Janna Wiedmann, IIHF Junior Legal Counsel,  they also conducted group activities, where the players were able to improvise scenes around the different themes discussed during the presentations. The great commitment and active participation of the young crowd showed how integrity matters appear essential to most athletes in today’s sports world. It is an essential part of the game creating a safe and healthy environment for all participants.
 
Another camp highlight was a session related to the world of social media highlighting the best ways to handle the players personal branding and keep inspiring their fans through the use of impactful storytelling. Amrit Gill and Paul Sidhu, the two founders of “Tell A Story” shared some of their most powerful take aways with the attendance. From how to answers questions in an interview to promoting social causes or community engagement, the participants were presented with some of the latest most efficient techniques in the field of today’s public relations.

Communication and culture are key factors in women’s hockey

“This latest IIHF High Performance Camp focused on leadership and communication and it was crucial that MNAs were represented not only by players, but also coaches and federation leaders. This way the key takeaways of the camp will be implemented in all levels of their national programs. Naturally this was also a great platform for athletes to collect memories and knowledge from their own peers. For some less experienced players with less international exposure, being here represented a unique opportunity to learn from the best players and coaches in the industry. For years to come, the camp will benefit its participants in a sustainable and long-lasting way” expressed Blanka Elekes Szentagotai, IIHF Women’s Program Manager.
 
One session was also devoted to testimonials where five of the more experienced players were invited to get on stage and share about their own international experiences playing abroad. The insightful hot-stove allowed the rest of the athletes to ask questions and through that leading them to realise their common fears and challenges. Communication and sharing an open-minded culture were the overarching outcomes that are essential to creating and maintaining a healthy team culture and environment.
 
Emily Clarke from Canada mentioned it is important to give players a platform to express themselves. Values such as empowerment, culture and environment are paramount aspects of any player’s daily routine. For Aneta Tejralova, who plays for the Czech National team, introducing an healthy culture allowed the women’s game to take a giant step ahead. Caroline Harvey, a player for team USA, mentioned that empowering coaches and leaders remains the only way to ensure that a crucial safe environment is maintained.

Another insightful presentation provided by Canada’s Olympic medallist softball head Mark Smith highlighted that “the core of team culture is valuing and understanding ourself and one another”. Overall, the 2024 HPC provided the knowledge and tools for its participants to ensure the strong foundations for their national programs.