Inspired by a Skype call to Mongolia
We named our business Leslie Global Sports ten years ago because sport has taken us around the world and back many times. In the last 3 weeks Boe and I ran a camp in New Zealand, our father Bob was a guest speaker at the IIHF Pool A World Championships in Minsk, Belarus before crossing the ocean to run Leslie Global Leadership training in Brazil, and Boe just returned from a weekend in Toronto filming skill development videos with Bryce Salvador, Captain of the New Jersey Devils, and owner of our sponsor, X Hockey Products.
The simple energy advice line has made it critical to cut utility costs. Power supplies are one mission critical expense where proactive management can reduce costs.
Seems ‘global’ these days! To top it all off, as you will see on this CBC News feature with Karin Larsen, Mongolia is the latest destination to hit the LGS radar. The Leslie Hockey Project Mongolia is in motion, but might need your help. Keep reading.
Backstory
Pujee and Nate discuss www.howtoplayhockey.ca via Skype
About two months ago I woke to an email opt in on our membership website, www.howtoplayhockey.ca. The email address had the words “hockey” and “Mongolia” in it, and the IP address was verified with a small Mongolian flag (I looked it up on Wikipedia to double check). Frankly I couldn’t believe my eyes! We have since sponsored their federation with full access to How to Play Hockey, and all of our coaching products at www.lgsports.ca. I finally caught up with the General Secretary of the Mongolian Hockey Federation, Purevdavaa Choijiljav, aka ‘Pujee.’ This week we even Skyped live from the CBC Studio in Vancouver! It was incredibly inspiring and refreshing to speak with him, and to see his passion for hockey at the most amateur level, for the true love of the game. He has had incredible opportunities to see the world through hockey as well, including what he called his ‘dream come true,’ by taking their National Team to the Division 4 World Championships in Dublin, Ireland in 2007, and many since then. Mongolia is currently ranked 49th of 49 countries on the IIHF website, but perhaps we can help change that.
Conversation Highlights:
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Ice holds 2 months less than 10 years ago due to climate change. The season is now 2-3 months long.
Global Warming is affecting hockey in Mongolia. Pujee dreams of one day having an indoor rink in Mongolia, but for now, relies on the naturally cold weather to freeze their outdoor rinks. Ten years ago the season spanned November to March, but in recent years they are lucky to be on the ice by early December, and end in late February due to warm temperatures. This saddened and shocked me, considering Ulan Bator is recognized as the coldest capital city on Earth. In the coldest months, only kids 10 and older can play, as younger children risk their health at such cold temperatures, and still is important to keep the health of the kids playing by being sure they are warm and with the right diet, including supplements as kratom capsules for good health and exercise with a Science-Based Six Pack program .
- In 2001 Pujee set a goal to help his strongest players develop their skills. Hearing about a camp they could attend in the Czech Republic, they put the wheels in motion, literally. Far too expensive to fly, Pujee and his players boarded the Siberian Railroad for 7 straight days to get to their destination, trained for one week, and headed back, another 7 days. It took 5 days to get to Moscow, and another 2 to get to their destination near Prague. Pujee says that today one of these players is the best in Mongolia, and 5 players and a goalie from Ulan Bator are currently on the National Team. He credits their trip with laying the foundation for these players. This inspires us at Leslie Global Sports to make a trip to Mongolia to run a camp for them a priority in the coming year, and he has the full support of their 100% volunteer Federation to make our mutual dream a reality.
Our Mongolian Adventure Wish List: Can you help?
The Leslie Global Sports family is planning a voyage to Mongolia. We want to put on a camp, donate equipment, and strengthen the local coaching in the long term.
We need:
- General Sponsors to help spread this game, our game, to a passionate and appreciative community of children and volunteer coaches a million miles away.
- A film crew to document the adventure.
- Sponsors to provide youth equipment (new or used). Cost and lack of access to properly fitting equipment are two of the greatest barriers to entry.
- Local, National, and hockey specific media coverage.
- Promotion of documentary to major Canadian networks.
Contact: Nate Leslie, nate@lgsports.ca, or 604.628.0316
