To that end, Snider Hockey’s renowned off-ice Life Skills Curriculum is a critical aspect of what we offer to our kids, their families, and the community at-large. This program is a template for personal character development, and is presented as a packet full of behavior guidelines, and numerous activities and exercises used to promote teambuilding, appreciating diversity, dealing with peer pressure, committing to a healthy lifestyle, identifying personal goals, organizing for success, and overcoming challenges.

In 2009, Snider Hockey expanded on this curriculum by introducing the Champions Program. This program furthers the foundation’s mission of academic, character and athletic development by supporting and rewarding players who show dedication to Snider Hockey, along with the potential to be outstanding teammates, students, and members of society.

Players who show a commitment to the ideals of Snider Hockey are invited by their coaches to apply to the Champions Program. The applicant is then asked to list goals that they hope to attain both on and off the ice, submit their report card, and sign an agreement to “live as a Champion” in school, on the ice, and in their community. Finally, before they can officially join the Program, each player must complete a Champions Challenge, a project that incorporates one of the three key elements of the Champions Program (mind, body, character).

Some recent Champions Challenges:

• A 10th grader worked with one of Snider Hockey’s academic advisors to develop a personalized college "road map" that laid out important milestones in the college preparation and application process.
• N 11th grader visited several senior citizens in his community on a weekly basis to help with errands and spend time with them.
• A 5th grader committed to reading 15 minutes a day above and beyond his required school reading. In 3 months he raised his reading level from a 3rd grade to a 5th grade level.
• A 9th grader researched and wrote about off-ice training techniques, created his own summer program and tracked his daily progress in a log.

Those players who successfully complete the Champions Challenge join a select team of other Champions, and are presented with a special jersey recognizing their accomplishments. Additionally, Champions are eligible to enjoy unique experiences (such as trips, meeting NHL players, and attending Flyers games). Finally, and most importantly, Champions participate in regular assignments that continue to support their athletic, academic, and character development.