U.S. contingency, including 12 Minnesotans, experienced Russian culture and hockey in an unforgettable 10-day trip

Just a couple weeks ago, two local coaches and 10 Minnesota high school hockey players returned from a 10-day trip to Russia. As the coaches reminisced, their responses echoed each others' sentiment.

"It was unbelievable," said Scott Macho, head coach of the South St. Paul boys' high school hockey team. "They completely rolled out the red carpets for us."

Jess Christopherson could barely put it into words.

"It's still pretty overwhelming," said Christopherson, head coach of the Coon Rapids girls' high school team. "Everyone asks, 'how was Russia?' I don't even know how to explain it to you. It far exceeded any of our expectations."

The Russian Exchange Program was formed through an agreement between the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Russian Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy. There were 24 Russian hockey players that came to Washington, D.C. last year - and now it was the Americans' turn to visit.

A total of 24 Americans packed their bags for a trip to Russia from Oct. 5-14.  The 12 Minnesotans were accompanied by 10 skaters and two coaches from California with the goal of experiencing a new culture, meeting new people and learning the different hockey methods, teachings and lifestyles of another country. With Russia's hockey history, the agreement made total sense.

Minnesota's participants:

Girls:
Laura Bowman, Minnetonka, Minnetonka High School
Emilie Brigham, Andover, Anoka High School
Lauren Wedell, Arden Hills, Minnesota Thoroughbreds
Kaitlin Storo, Chanhassen, Chaska/Chanhassen High School
Rachael Peroutky, Farmington, Farmington High School

Boys:
Mathew Derby, Isanti, Cambridge/Isanti High School
Elliot Moorman, St. Paul, Como Park High School
Benjamin Newman, Little Falls, Little Falls High School
Rory Taylor, Minneapolis, The Blake School
Ben Cencer, Clear Lake, Becker/Big Lake High School

World Class Welcome

When Macho says red carpet, he's not kidding. Upon arrival at the U.S. Embassy, the Americans were greeted by none other than Alex Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Federov and Ilya Bryzgalov.

Joining them was Russian Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretiak, national goalie coach Vladimir Myshkin - two international legends - and Igor Tuzik, vice president of the Russian Hockey Federation.

The group stayed at the Russian Olympic training center in Novogorsk - where all the Olympians and national teams train - just outside of Moscow. The Americans hit the ice everyday with some of the Russian national U17 players, the girls' national coach and one of the boys' national coaches, along with Tuzik, Myshkin and Tretiak, who helped explain the Russian style of coaching, player development and day-to-day activities. The group also attended two KHL (Kontinental Hockey League, Russia's professional league) games and saw many of the historic monuments and buildings.

A different philosophy

The Americans immersed themselves in Russian culture and hockey, but one of the things that stuck out to the coaches was the encouragement of multi-sport participation. Macho asked the Russian national coaches: Do these guys play hockey year-round?

"They said, 'no, you have to have a break,'" Macho said. "They said, 'when do you take a break?' And I said unfortunately a lot of times parents and kids don't allow breaks in teh U.S."

"It was neat to see the, 'you have to take a break, but you also have to play other sports' philosophy.'"

Christopherson couldn't agree more.

"It was actually refreshing for us to hear that. That's the system they support," she added. "It's the whole theory that we want athletes. We don't want hockey players, we want athletes. We want kids that no matter what happens, they're going to fall and crash and they're going to be able to get up and use their body for positioning and they're going to be strong athletes and be able to adjust to different situations."

The players were exposed to new drills and activities - including a floorball game with a bunch of Russian kids - as well as a very different style of hockey that Europeans are used to.

All in all, a trip they'll never forget.

"I don't think anybody could say it was just a vacation or it was just a hockey trip or it was just whatever," Christopherson said. "It was an amazing experience is what it was."

Stay tuned for a full in-depth Russian Exchange Program feature in teh December issue of the Minnesota Hockey Journal, complete with a full photo gallery and insight from some of the players who experienced it first-hand.