It was the best decision we ever made for him.

By Jason Gedraitis, Commercial Banker, Bridgedale Academy Dad

Bridgedale has done more for his development and character than his previous school ever did. 

When we were approached about Bridgedale we decided to go out of curiosity rather than thinking our son would want to leave his school and start all over with kids he didn’t know as a 7th grader.

After the tour we thought our son would say thanks for the tour but I want to go to school with my friends.

Instead, without hesitation he unequivocally said he wanted to go.

We've been blown away by the curriculum

By Michael Mayor, Businessman, Bridgedale Academy Dad

We also feel blessed by their incredible hockey staff.

We came to Bridgedale Academy not running from someting, but running to something.

We ran to an Academy that offers: a student-faculty ratio of less than 5-to-1; after-school study hours with a teacher present; extended classroom time in core subjects; and a competitive, disciplined approach on the ice.

We ran to an Academy that focuses on a traditional academic approach.

As a result our son, Ronnie, has been inspired and empowered to push himself both mentally and physically each day while also enjoying himself. He is learning to think critically, discovering daily how to solve problems both on and off the ice.

Curious about what an average day looks like at Bridgedale?

Dive in with this short video:

One of the best decisions we have ever made as parents

By Deana Olson, Bridgedale Academy Mom

Our son has flourished in the environment of smaller classroom sizes and individualized attention.

One of the best decisions we have ever made as parents was to enroll our son at Bridgedale Academy for 8th grade.

We had heard of the first-class hockey training that he would receive from some of the most respected coaches and trainers in the state.

But what we were not aware of was the classical education that he would be fortunate to experience from teachers who are some of the most dedicated, knowledgeable and caring teachers our son has EVER had.

Worth every penny spent and every mile driven

By Tom Manzella, Attorney-at-Law - Bridgedale Academy Dad

Every aspect of Bridgedale has far exceeded our expectations.

We enrolled our son as a 7^th grader at Bridgedale Academy for the 2017-18 school year with high hopes and expectations. The opportunity to attend at a pure hockey academy with a classic curriculum, rather than an online based curriculum or a common core education, presented a tremendous opportunity.

As the parent of a 12 year old AA player, one cannot help but proceed with nervous optimism.

Now accepting applications for the 2018-19 school year

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Bridgedale Academy limits its enrollment to 16 student-athletes at each grade level. 

Your son can be one of the 16.

• Grade 5 - Limited Openings Remain
• Grade 6 - Limited Openings Remain
• Grade 7 - Limited Openings Remain
• Grade 8 - (This grade level is FULL)

Our small class sizes guarantee:

• Every Bridgedale student receives the attention he needs
• Every Bridgedale student engages academically and learns
• Every Bridgedale student develops athletically and improves
• Every Bridgedale student matures and develops leadership skills

Bridgedale Academy is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 School Year.

Bridgedale is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 school year. Limited openings remain at grades 5th through 7th.

Bridgedale to the Rescue

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Last year about this time I received a phone call from a hockey couple looking for a solution. This couple, let’s call them John and Mary, said they'd found themselves between a rock and a hard place. 

The good news was that their son, we’ll call him Junior, was showing promise as a youth hockey player at a local organization.

But there was a problem: hockey was becoming almost an obsession. 

He had no interest in any other activities, and he was becoming increasingly disinterested and negative about school.

There was his phone … and there was hockey.

John and Mary knew Junior was intelligent but his grades were only “so-so” because, in their words, "he wasn’t engaging at school.”

Maximize the chances of making the team

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Although AA tryouts won’t begin until September, there is no time like the present for youngsters to get serious about their hockey training and begin preparing themselves to be at their best. 

Eating healthy and being in top physical condition are of course just the starting point as you prepare for AA tryouts. 

This article discusses the following 3 ways to really prepare, ways that go above and beyond merely eating healthy and being in top physical condition:

• Get on the right schedule

• Make at least one leap forward

• Visualize success and be mentally ready

The Physical Literacy of Youth Athletes Today

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

(This is the fourth of a 4-part blog series about developing physical literacy in young athletes.) 

A young athlete’s physical literacy, developed between birth and the onset of puberty, is the foundation upon which his or her athleticism is built. It is defined as “the development of fundamental movement skills and fundamental sport skills that permit a child to move confidently and with control.” (See Developing Physical Literacy - Part 1.)

The Long Term Athlete Development model (LTAD) is a science-based approach to athlete training that defines 7 physiological-age based stages of training, the first 3 of which are for the development of physical literacy. Although LTAD has been around in one form or another for more than thirty years, programs that effectively adhere to it are very limited. (See Developing Physical Literacy - Part 2.)

The phenomenon of “early developers” and “late bloomers” has also been known for many years, but only recently has the concept known as “relative age effect” (RAE) received much attention. The potential impact of RAE on developing athletes (and on youngsters generally) is profound and far-reaching. (See Developing Physical Literacy - Part 3.)

This article, Part 4 of the Developing Physical Literacy series, discusses the physical literacy of today’s youth athletes. It first examines the development of physical literacy in youth hockey players, including the risks of early specialization, and then offers some general thoughts for parents and coaches of youth athletes.

Early Developers versus Late Bloomers

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

(This is the third of a 4-part blog series about developing physical literacy in young athletes.) 

In Developing Physical Literacy - Part 1, we discussed the concept of physical literacy generally. In a nutshell, the physical literacy that a young athlete develops prior to the onset of puberty forms the foundation for his or her post-puberty athleticism. 

In Developing Physical Literacy - Part 2, we looked at the Long Term Athlete Development model, and how it focuses on physiological age versus chronological age in outlining its seven stages of athletic development.

This article looks at how physical literacy might factor in to the phenomenon of early developers versus late bloomers.

The early birthday phenomenon

It is well-documented that youth sports tend to be dominated by early-maturing youngsters. This is obviously true during adolescence when the “early developer,” having already reached puberty, is bigger, stronger, faster and more aggressive than the late developer.

But the phenomenon also occurs well before adolescence, when so many of the top-performing youth athletes are simply “older” (i.e. born earlier in the year) than their same birth-year teammates and opponents.