With Coach Louie Gialedakis at the helm, his staff and 5 parent chaperones, the Toronto Marlboro Atom 2001 team embarked on an adventure and a mission unlike any other.

On August 22nd 2011, a group of 15 boys, their coach and 5 parent chaperones showed up at the Nottawasaga Resort Inn to not only physically prepare for the season ahead but to mentally be ready for a very challenging year.  Gialedakis felt that it would be conducive to great development to seize the opportunity to have the boys taken out of their “comfort zone”.  The atmosphere created was designed to help them grow in an environment that would better prepare them to reach team goals and expectations that were set as a team unit.  At the same time, the boys were able to forge exceptionally strong bonds with one another and their coaches as they placed a great deal of trust and comfort in one another. “Our team is united in our Relentless Pursuit of Excellence both on and off the ice” says Gialedakis, “as was witnessed this past week here at Nottawasaga.”  The boys were fed high end food, with a bevy of healthy snacks and drinks available to them before and after training.

Their dressing room would have rivalled any junior dressing room equipped with healthy snacks, drinks, music and even their own skate sharpening machine (complete with their own team skate sharpener).  Each and every day the boys had two 90 minute on ice sessions as well as two 90 minute off-ice sessions, one of which was with Joe Costa of Mind to Muscle. At the end of a grueling day, the boys would clean up, have a well prepared meal and unwind with a movie while sharing anecdotes about their day.  Prior to calling it a day, they would once again share in a bonanza of “samples” as they called them which were comprised of high end meats, crackers and fresh fruit and a little “night cap.”

“I have never witnessed such a successful environment that created an atmosphere of camaraderie and solidarity” said one of the team chaperones.  “Boys that met this week for the first time are leaving as great friends and team mates, it was really quite touching.  With the help of his coaching staff and chaperones, Louie Gialedakis led his new 2001 Atom team into a pre-season training camp that would rival most if not all Junior “A” Camps!