Well Keeks's camp began here in Fairview Heights IL this past Saturday, and will run until Wed. Unfortunantly I am unable to attend as a student due to the fact that I would have to take off work, AND pay for the camp on top of that.
But I was able to help out on Sat with running some of the drill stations. This was something that I wasn't sure I would like doing just because I hadn't done it before, but I really enjoyed and got a lot out of it for myself as well. I could really see myself doing some type of instructing in the future, just the chance to have a positive effect on someone, and possibly help take them to a higher level really appeals to me.
Most of the drills I did mostly involved motion and technique, although I really wanted to get in on the shooting drills. I guess after I cranked one off of Wavecaves knoggin at the last clinic Keeks might have had a bit of reservation about letting me shoot....Grrrrrrr. ( I tried to explane that it's hard to shoot accuratly with all of my goalie gear on.......sorry wave!
)
One very distinct reason I liked running the drills was watching those poor goalies come over to my station gasping for air, and then I'd say: OK, now were gonna run some drills.
I didn't miss that at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I mostly was involved with the advanced and the elite groups, and there were a few there that looked VERY, VERY good! One kid I remember inperticular was Kyle, a sixteen year old with green and white TPS gear that could run through the drills like nobodys bussiness!
Well since I wasn't able to attend the camp for instruction, I had asked Keeks if there was any time he would have available to give me some private instruction if I could comondear some ice time after hours, he said sure. So I scurried off to see about getting the rink after we played our pickup league on Monday nights.........much to my surprise we were able to have it at no charge! ( we even got them to resurface the ice before we got on )
Well keeks and company showed up early while I was still playing in my pickup league and watched us stumble around the ice for a while. Naturally only one or two of the "good" guys showed up, which I'm sure made for some pretty boaring viewing. Well after that was over they flooded the ice, so I got to take a 10 minute break.( I hade been on the ice for 1 1/2 hours )
After the ice was done, Keeks, a college shooter from Ancorage, two goalie instructors from the camp( one a draft pick for the Oilers......with 40" pads!!!
), another local goalie with whom Keeks is staying with, and myself, took the ice.
First thing Keeks says is: OK, we're gonna start with some skating drills. I knew I was doomed! Luckly we didn't do that many, but we did do enough to make me look like an idiot falling all over the place. One thing I realized from the get go was I have a very hard time doing a sliding b/f to my stick side, the mechanics just arn't there.
Well after the torture was over moved on to some warm ups with the clear pucks. We only used two, something about getting sucked up in the Zamboni or something..
Much to my surprise these wern't as hard to see as I had first thought. But you sure had to stay focused. We used the clear pucks at the end in a one-timer format, and that was a bit trickier.....but doable. It seemed to me that you could see it pretty good comming off of the stick where you could get a trajectory on it, and then you'd loose it a bit untill it was about 10' out in front of you.
You wouldn't think with just two shooters, and 4 goalies that you'd get that worn out doing shooting drills one goalie at a time, but it was pretty gruleing to say the least. We did all sorts of shooting combinations, one-timers, breakaways, live rebounds, puck control/shooting.......you name it, we did it.
Two things I learned from our short time on the ice was that I need to really take the time to work on the body mechanics of a stick side sliding b/f, and when dealing with a quick/short one-timer from behind the goal line to 6-8 feet out in front, take note of which hand the shooter is, and line up with his stick not the shooter himself. I knew this last one, but when actually doing it I seemed to gravitate towards the shooter more so that the blade of his stick.
I guess we spent about an hour and a half out there on the ice before I thought I was gonna die and we called it quits. ( I'm glad I didn't sign up for the camp! ) I know it's been said on here before, but it bears repeating, Keeks has got a real nice shot, and sure can pick a goalie apart on the break-a-ways! The other shooter packed a bit more heat in his shot, but wasn't near as shifty on the break-a-ways as Keeks.
Well if you've read this far you're probably two seconds away from slipping into a coma, but it's a nice slow day at work, and my fingers are about the only things on my body that I can still move.
I'd like to take the oppertunity to give a BIG THANKS to Keeks and his staff for taking the time out of their busy schedule to work with me. I only hope that their efforts wern't in vain.
Thank you very much!
Rick Werner / WERNER1
I was supposed to have a photographer there to take pictures, but my BROTHER didn't show up!
Maybe next time........
Truth be know, you were in a good stance. 
If you remember correctly, at the begining of the clinic, Keeks mentioned that the last shot of the drill would be right at the head, and you needed to try and head butt it away from the net. Well since that never happened...........I improvised. 
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