If you're involved in a variety of sports, particularly at the high school level, you're accustomed to minor swings in participation trends.

You might see three schools joining in this sport, two schools dropping out of another, six more students, joining the cross country running team, two students opting out of track of field, and so on. While the levels of participation in the S.D.S.S.A.A. has never decreased relative to school enrolments, I'm sure you get the picture.

What conclusions then do you think should be drawn from a team sport that virtually doubles its entries from one year to the next?

Let's ask Girls' Hockey Convener Pauline Therrien of Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School. You see, Therrien had a seven team league to schedule last year, while this year she has to schedule a 13-team league, a increase of 86%!

Her response? "I'm not sure I signed up for this," jokes Therrien, the only convener high school girls' hockey has had since its introduction as a sanctioned sport five years ago. "But it sure is a pleasant challenge to contend with. We actually had a fourteenth team indicate an interest to join the league but they were too late. Sure says a lot about the popularity of girls' hockey locally."

No doubt about that. Therrien also explains that along with the increase of interest, a shift in the power structure seems to have taken place as well. "A few short years ago, the championship seemed only to be within the grasp of two or three schools in the league - the others seemed a few steps back in their development and couldn't mount a serious challenge for the league trophy. Now a winner will be much harder to predict as several teams have worked very hard over these past few years and have improved dramatically. This will be another selling point for the league as well."

The league plans to host its annual hockey tournament on the weekend of December 10th and 11th at the Carmichael and Countryside Arenas. Attempts have been made in the past to attract teams from out of town, but this year that effort is unlikely. Adds Therrien, "The event is meant to showcase the league on one weekend to parents and other spectators in the community. Many of these players may not have had an opportunity to participate in an organized tournament otherwise."

Therrien also hopes to introduce an all-star game or east/west classic concept to help further promote the league as well, perhaps as early as this season.

Regular season games are expected to begin the week of November 22nd. In addition to last year's entries of Lo-Ellen Park, Lockerby Composite, Lasalle Secondary, Lively District Secondary School, St. Charles College, College Notre Dame and Confederation Secondary, the following schools have joined the league in 1999/2000: ESC L'Heritage, Marymount Academy, Manitoulin Secondary, St. Benedict Catholic Secondary, ES Macdonald Cartier and ESC L'Horizon.

With regard to the final standings, it's hard to hold Therrien to a prediction, but if pressed she'll grudgingly offer the following as a top four teams scenario in 1999/2000 - College Notre Dame, St. Charles College, Lively District Secondary School, Lockerby Composite - but she's quick to add it's far too early to say for sure.

In a league of thirteen teams - she's allowed.

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