Derek Miller is a self-described adrenaline junkie.

But even he doesn’t know what to expect when he competes in the Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Quebec City next month.

The event is not for the faint of heart, as competitors line up on the peak of a 60-metre high hill and careen down a 500-plus-metre track of ice, following a twisting obstacle course and leaping over jumps with three-metre drops.

“It’s like extreme skiing downhill, but you’re on a sheet of ice and you’re on hockey skates,” said the 29-year-old Westboro man.

The sport traces its roots to Stockholm, Sweden, where athletes from across the world competed in the new event 11 years ago, dubbed ice cross downhill.

The sport is listed as non-contact, but with the athletes skating shoulder to shoulder collisions are more than occasional – hence the need for skaters to be decked out in full hockey equipment.

At the very least it’s an opportunity to knock another item off his bucket list, said Miller, who runs a power skating business, Next Generation HKY, and is an assistant coach of the Carleton University women’s hockey varsity team.

Just for a little added excitement, the March 17-19 competition will mark the first time Miller has ever skated downhill.

But he isn’t nervous.

“I’m going to try and leave all reasonable thinking behind,” Miller said. “(Thinking) might take a few seconds off my time.”

Miller won a spot to compete in the race by placing first with a time of 12.23 seconds in the men’s qualifier held at the Bell Sensplex on Feb. 1.

Miller, who lived in Kanata for several years before recently moving to Westboro, lucked into a spot at the Ottawa qualifier.

“I just happened to be at the rink and snuck my way in at the last minute,” he said. “I ended up winning it.”

The event uses a lottery system to select entries for the qualifying events held across Canada.

Unfortunately, Miller had failed to secure a spot in the event for the past three years.

Competition is fierce, as more than 11,000 daredevils registered for a chance to compete in the qualifiers held in rinks across Canada this year.

The day of the Ottawa qualifier, Miller was playing a game of pickup hockey at the Sensplex when he noticed organizers setting up a table across the rink.

An event organizer told him they were accepting 50 walk-on entries.

Miller quickly signed up.

Each skater was allowed to compete in two trials on a rink at the Sensplex, skating across an obstacle course on a flat ice surface.

“I was really excited, but I knew the chances of me ending up first or even in the top 10 were pretty slim.”

Miller finished first among the 250 entries with a time of 12.23 seconds in his best trial and led a list of 10 skaters who will compete in the Canadian qualifiers in Quebec City.

The Quebec City contest is part Canadian championship and part World championship, in a televised event attended by tens of thousands of spectators every year.

The Canadian qualifiers will be held March 17 to 18, with the best skaters moving on to compete in the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Cup on March 19.

Until then Miller intends to “train like a freak,” working with a personal trainer at the Kanata Greco Lean and Fit gym, focusing on foot speed, balance and stability.

Opportunities to skate downhill are limited in the Ottawa area, but Miller plans to ski skate (using short-length skis) down a few local hills like Mount Pakenham in the weeks leading up to the event.

“I just want to see how I do,” said Miller. “If I do terrible and fall down, I do terrible and fall down.”

Derek Miller finished first in the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship qualifier at the Bell Sensplex on Feb. 1 with a time of 12.23 seconds, which qualifies him for the final event in the circuit.

Crashed ice is a combination of ice hockey, downhill skating and boardercross reaching speeds up to 50 km/hour. The sport was created in Sweden in 2001 and Miller admits that it is a bit crazy and kamikaze-style in a sense.

Miller is a former NCAA hockey player and currently is the assistant coach for the Carleton University women’s hockey team. He also runs his own business, Next Generation Hockey, coaching all kinds of athletes.

He got into the sport a few years ago after he had quit playing competitive hockey because he needed something to work towards.

To be entered in the Crashed Ice event, one has to win a lottery. He has entered this three times before and didn’t get in. He was a little discouraged and went the day of the trials anyway to see if he could secure a walk-on spot.

“I walked up and my name got put on the list and then I realized there were 250 others,” said Miller. “All I was hoping for was top 20 and that would have been pretty good and I would be happy with that. I knew top 10 went on to the big event in Quebec City.”

In the heat, which was a race of jumps and dives, he found out he was up against four others who had already been to the world championship. This, Miller notes, was very intimidating.

“I didn’t go in with huge expectations or a chip on my shoulder. It was just a cool thing to try and something to kind of tick off my bucket list.”

However, racing with a fast skater helped him to sail through even faster.

“I just happened to beat him at the line and I think he got second behind me so it was nice to get paired up with someone who could really fly out there to push me along.”

He was unable to stay to find out the results but does admit that he was fist pumping in the car as to where he was sitting in the standings.

“I was pretty excited to be in first when I left. I was unsure if my time would hold as I was the first person in the entire competition.”

OFF TO QUEBEC CITY

Qualifying for the big event has made his mom a little nervous and the majority of his friends think he’s crazy too, he admits. “Some of my friends are envious as they want to try…I think they are scared too but just don’t want to admit it.”

Now he is focusing on training for the big World Cup event in Quebec City on March 19. He does admit that training is a little hard as there is nowhere to skate downhill in the area. He is working on a fitness program at Greco’s in Kanata and is fortunate to be able to get ice time at Carleton University. Since he trains other athletes for a living, he says there is extra incentive to do well.

“The pressure is on me because this is what I do for a living.”

Derek Miller has led an interesting life to say the least. Born and raised in Neepawa, Miller, 29, spent most of his time during his childhood around hockey rinks, playing the game he’s loved since he was three-years-old. Miller, a former team captain for the University of Wisconsin at the NCAA level, played a few seasons of semi-pro hockey which included stints with the Elmira Jackals and the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League. Currently residing in Ottawa, Miller recently began “extreme skating”, a sport that has continually gained momentum and consists of competitors skating downhill, wearing hockey skates with helmets in a man-on-man battle down a 300-metre-long ice track filled with steps, jumps and razor-sharp hairpin turns.
Miller, 29, currently owns and operates “Next Generation Hockey”, a hockey camp and power-skating clinic that tours North America. He was interviewed by myWestman.ca’s Lanny Stewart.

Have you played hockey most of your life? When did you start?
I have been playing/skating since I was about three years old. I’ve never really been far from a rink since. It has really become a way of life for me.

When did you start the ‘Next Generation Hockey’ camps?
I started my own hockey camp back in 2006 just as a way to give kids from Brandon and area a high-quality low-cost program to attend each summer. Growing up, summer hockey camps seemed very expensive and I was not able to take part as often as I would have liked, so this was an effort to give kids, who were alot like me, the chance to actually attend a low-cost camp, but not sacrifice quality.

I understand you’re involved in extreme skating. Those interesting downhill skating events that are quite dangerous. Talk about how you got involved in this extreme sport.
This is a funny story. I actually just got involved. I always wanted to be a part of the sport. I was at the rink one day and had just finished a training session with a player when I saw there was going to be a qualifying event (in extreme skating) that night. I had a friend, who was involved in the extreme skating event at the city I was in, and he was able to help me get a shot at competing. The friend, along with the manager, snuck me in last minute and I gave it a shot. There was about 250 people at this event alone so I was going in with very few expectations and just wanted to finish top-20 if I could. However, I managed to get placed in a heat with some very skilled skaters that helped me rise to the occasion and I ended up finishing in first place for the qualifying event. Which leads me to now.

Now?
I am to compete in the Canadian championship being held in Quebec City March 18-19. If I manage to get in the top 64 of the 200-plus field of competitors from across Canada, then I will be competing in a world cup event which will have people from all areas of the world and 100,000 crazy fans in attendance.

I understand you currently have a trainer who is helping you in your attempts to become an extreme skater world cup champion?
Yeah, in preparation for this event, I have been sponsored by a local trainer here in Ottawa that also trains Carrie Underwood and the Ottawa Senators as well.

Do you have a “day job”? Or do these camps and the extreme skating you do, take up most of your time?
My day job is with Next Generation Hockey. I am fortunate enough to be my own boss and I get to be at the rink each day working with athletes trying to help them reach their own goals which, in a sense, is rewarding as I get to pay it forward for all the help I received throughout my career.

Have you been able to run any of your hockey camps in Neepawa at all?
I did run a program in Neepawa in September of ’09. However, with the limited population of players, I was not able to get enough players to facilitate a camp there for 2010. I always would love to make Neepawa a ‘for sure’ on my camp schedule each year and will try again in 2011 to operate a program there.

When things are going well they are going well, so far this week Next Generation HKY has 4 new camps to release very soon. The new program locations will find 2 being in Ottawa this coming August, 1 in Morris, MB in August and most recently it looks like Next Generation HKY will also be coming to Winnipeg July 2011. With a busy summer schedule approaching and programs filling fast you would think things couldn’t get much better…….however!

The icing on the cake for this week must be the opportunity I had to compete in the 2011 Red Bull Crashed Ice Qualifying event (youtube it to find out more). After 3 years of entering the pick at random lottery for the opportunity to compete I was finally able to secure a position at the starting line, not to mention being the 1st person to go and kick off the 250 competitor event.

This was the first time I had actually been faced with a true competition since retiring from my playing career 3 years ago, and I have to admit I was very nervous when stepping to the line and waiting for the starting whistle. I would guess there was 500 people in attendance to watch the entire event which was a mix of other competitors like myself, family/friends and fans.

The race consisted of some full out sprinting, jumping, diving and some 360 spinning which seemed to go well with where I was comfortable being on the ice. Not knowing anyone else that was competing in my heat I knew I had to use the pressure I was putting on myself to push myself through and as that whistle went off everything seemed to disappear around me and it became quite quiet as the foot race was on. In the end I was lucky to be in the 1st heat as it turns out there was 5 other guys in my heat that had competed in the Quebec City event in previous years so there was some stiff competition out there to raise the bar.

The first run went as expected I got used to the course, put up a good time (12.45 sec) and after watching the video of the run figured out a way to shave a bit of time off. The 2nd run which was the last chance to leave my mark and get to the big dance in Quebec City was even more nerve racking as I had seen how good some of the other skaters truly were by this point. The whistle sounds again and we are off, with a sprint into a full out stomach dive, then up quickly jumping over a barrier and already at the far end of the ice into a quick 180 turn around the bottom of the circle heading back to the start/finish line…..here is where I knew I could make up some time! With the home stretch consisting of an all out sprint I knew I could get up some speed but this time when I did my 360 spin I knew I couldn’t just spin but needed to keep moving forward while completing this aspect of the race, which seemed to help. Now its 10 feet to the finish line and with the clock being operated by an electronic system that stops when you break the barrier I new carrying lots of speed and diving through the finish line to stop the time was a way to shave off those 100th of seconds which is exactly what it did, securing me in 1st place with a time of 12.23 seconds.

Now its time to sit and wait, and wait and wait. There was still 230 more people to go so there was no being comfortable yet. I couldnt stand to watch anymore so I went home and waited for the call, at around 12:30am I got the call that the competition was over and my time at been good enough to keep me on top of the leader board with 5 others from my heat also remaining in the top 10 and allowing all of us the chance to move onto the next step on March 19th in Quebec City.

If you want to see the actual races, reference our facebook page by clicking on Facebook Updates found on the right column of your screen and be sure to check back often for more updates on upcoming programs, training reports in preparation for the March 19th event and other events.

This could go down as being one of the best weeks for 2011 when the PACKERS pull out a big Superbowl win this Sunday.

GO PACKERS

Athletes today must possess both a physical and mental edge in order to stay competitive and rise above the crowd in hockey, regardless of what level they are playing. Strapping on the skates and hitting the outdoor rink for some extra ice time used to be enough, but today’s players have hockey-specific training facilities, gyms, and camps which specialize in providing the upper hand for the physiological aspects of their game.

Execution of proper technique while training for hockey is where mental toughness is needed. Kicking old bad habits is tough. Players need to devote themselves to refining old skills and adapting their game to incorporate new and improved methods. Unfortunately, most practice is often completed without efficiency and technique in mind. Of course, there is no substitute for hard work, but proper technique should always be the top priority when looking to evolve as a player.

Whether it is kicking a soccer ball, hitting a fastball or scoring a top-shelf goal, all competitive athletes must engage in endless repetition if they want to maximize their potential. While skills may come naturally for many players, there is no substitute for old- fashioned practice. This does not mean just any kind of workout, because practice does not make perfect if it is not the right kind of practice.  Instead of the old saying “practice makes perfect,” we should say “perfect practice makes permanent.” If you merely practice without a purpose or without correct technique in mind, your bad habits will become the only thing that becomes permanent. The definition of perfect seems unreachable for an everyday athlete; however, it is during the pursuit of excellence where each person’s natural talent is exceeded by the execution of permanent practice.

Understanding and generating the proper muscle memory is not as simple as bending your knees while skating or following through when taking a wrist shot. In order to train yourself effectively as a player, you must first know how to execute proper technique. Nothing can replace each player becoming educated about the correct way to execute an efficient skating stride, complete a turn or take a shot. Once a player has a foundation from which to work, practice becomes meaningful and the repetition becomes permanent.

At Next Generation HKY staff is dedicated to giving students an environment where they can learn proper skills and techniques to complement their current abilities. Students learn throughout our programs the keys to individual success and how that mental advantage can lead to practicing with a purpose.

Camp announcements for the weeks of August 8th-12th and 15th-19th are coming soon!

2010 was an amazing year again for Next Generation HKY, we got to see a lot of familiar faces and made a lot of new friends along the way.

2010 had quite a bit to live up to after a epic 2009, but with 3 trips to Scotland to train their national teams and approximately 4500 players being on the ice with our programs throughout the year last year proved to be our best yet.

Already looking forward to 2011 we have more than doubled our camp offerings, opened up clinics in numerous new markets and now are in negotiations with England Ice Hockey and Australian Ice hockey to bring out unique training program over the Atlantic and south of the equator respectively.

We will be adding new programs almost every week for the next few months so be sure to check back and sign up for our mailing list so you aren’t left on the outside of the glass looking in at our camps.

NOTE: our 2nd annual 14 week spring summer development camp as seen on the camps page is already 66% full with past participants and as of tonight is now OPEN for registration to the Ottawa and area community. SIGN UP NOW!!!

Hope all your hopes an aspirations for 2011 come true,

Derek Miller
CEO
Next Generation HKY

In a show down that brought the best of the UK together to compete for 2009-10 bragging rights from U11 up to U17 players. Having had the opportunity to work with players from all over the world and assess the players Scotland is molding through its programs I can see a promising future for players born in the UK who wish to pressue hockey dreams.

Specifically focusing on Scotlant the U13 team was runners up in the final championship game losing a nail biter, but haivng shown they were able to compete with anyone. Seven players were also selected to the all star teams, the U13 coaching staff was awarded coaches of the tournament and greatest of all many Scottish players have been invited to the presegious UK school of excellence camp where they will be competing to represent Great Britain in the world championships and in several international events.

Congradualtions to all the players and coaches and I look forward to working with the players again this July in Dundee.

From my humble beginnings growing up in a small rural town in Manitoba to now having the opportunity to live throughout the US and Canada and travel all over the world while meeting amazing people. Hockey is obviously more than a game to me I view it as an opportunity for players to learn teamwork, real life skills and how to become a focused individual overcoming many forms of adversity similar to in real life.

I am certain that from when I was 18 no one would have ever guessed that a kid like me could grow so much over 10 years and still be “living the dream” of hockey everyday. I cannot take credit for where I am today however it is the contributions of many people from my parents, coaches, friends and mentors that I have learned from and been able to piece together into a amazing career.

Having the chance to work with several thousand kids and adults each year and allow them the opportunity to get everything they want out of this game is the least I can do after all the agme has given to me. So instead of viewing the game as 60 minutes, 3 periods, or by wins and losses try to take a step back and see what else the game teaches players about life outside the rink.

Dedicated to those who have helped me get to where I am today….you all should know who you are.

“The longer we live, the more we should realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. Attitude is what determines your personal successes and failures for all aspects of your life not only sport. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home and especially a TEAM. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and the one thing we can control, and that is our attitude …growing as a person, player and a teammate means understanding that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

-Charles Swindoll(with some editing)

The natural evolution  of our countries favorite game may be undergoing yet another phase of molting and again be changed forever. In the recent headlines and sportscasts the hot topic has been headshots and blind side body contact hitting resulting in injuries and suspensions. Yes the players have also evolved alongside the game and got bigger, stronger and faster however that means most should be big enough to take a hit, strong enough to withstand the hit and fast enough to get out of the way as long as it it done clean.

To go way out on a limb and now say that eventually we will be moving into a game where players are only able to angle and pin may not be far of with the way things are going. The players will only get better each year and with that comes more issues. The part of the game that has disappeared completely does not come from anywhere in the rule book but from the players themselves. The respect for your counterparts has been lost along the way and players now feel they have the ability to take liberties without consequences(non NHL rule related consequences). The consequences I am talking about  are if you stepped across that hypothetical line and were not respectful of your opponent you could expect a Bob Probert type player to be lined up against you on your next shift to “remind” you all about respecting  your opponents. Of course we still saw heavyweight vs heavyweight back in Proberts day, however teaching someone a lesson was a common occurence as well. In our modern-day NHL rarely do we see an Wisniewski lined up against Ben Eager ready to remind him of his lack of respect after the cheap shot on Seabrook.

To nominate myself as the new Colin Campbell(the sheriff) I would instead of giving the GM’s of these teams a nice weekend vacation to Florida to discuss the issue over frozen drinks, I would gather the role-playing enforcers and have them discuss the proper plan of action.

The result could be simple, any player crosses the line they will be “reminded” not to do it again like old-time hockey and it will not become a battle of enforcers but an understanding that no matter who you are you will be held accountable and maybe that would make a few players think before they lay that next cheap shot.

Everything happens for a reason comes to mind today, when reflecting on Team Canada’s tournament so far. It seems as though the “bonus” game Canada earned was just he spark or extra time together the boys needed to gel as I mentioned yesterday. I personally didn’t get to watch much of the game last night as I had my own 1st CIS playoff game to coach (heartbreaking loss 2-0 with an empty net goal to the #1 team in the country) but from what I did see it seems as though the Germany game was just what the doctor ordered and seems was a god send for us not to Rush (ian) on to the quarter finals unprepared. 

I am sure  Pang, Mackenzie and Kypreos are taking all the credit today for team Canada’s turn around but I would also imagine they are icing their ankles from jumping on and off the proverbial team Canada band wagon a few times throughout the last week. It seems as though in order to be a hockey analyst you must possess the ability to criticize, state the obvious and nod your head convincingly while doing both. 

My dislike of the analysts aside I am glad to see the game went as it did and surprised that Team Slovakia is now on our radar upsetting the 2006 champions from Sweden. My concern is that a team like Slovakia are hard working and will right now be riding the highs of a overly emotional game yesterday but we all know that with the highs come the lows and it will be interested what team will show up for both Canada and the Slovaks when they meet coming off big wins.