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Home Life
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON BECOMING A BILLET FAMILY!
Our athletes who need room and board are billeted among a great group of local families. Our billets provide a safe and supportive environment that our student athletes can call home. We have had great success through our billeting program and feel that it has been an integral part of the growth of our Academy.
Daryl, OHA’s Director of Residential Life who billeted students for four years before stepping into her current position, facilitates the process and ensures that our students are placed in a home they will be comfortable with. This process includes an extensive screening process that insures the family and student are the right fit for each other. Each potential billet family goes through a wide-ranging interview and reference check. The student is also asked a series of questions such as if they are okay living with children, pets, etc. This process insures the student and his or her new billet family will be comfortable with one another.
“AS A BILLET FAMILY, WE LOVE BEING INVOLVED WITH OHA. WE HAVE A YOUNG SON PLAYING HOCKEY AND THE EXAMPLE AND DETERMINATION OF THESE YOUNG MEN IS A HUGE BOOST TO HIS CONFIDENCE AND GAME PLAY. WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE HAVING THEM IN OUR HOME AND MEETING THEIR FAMILIES AND GAINING NEW FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY.” – DUSTIN AND KRISTY MALLORY, OHA BILLET FAMILY
Billet families provide student athlete with a home away from home. The families provide meals and transportation, when needed. In many cases, the relationships developed between the student and billet family last for years, even when the student has moved onto the next chapter of his or her life.
"Playing at OHA was great. I had great billet families and made great relationships with people I still keep in touch with. It was a really good learning experience for me being away from home playing hockey, which set me up to go play junior." - Dennis Robertson (Charlotte Checkers, AHL)
For more information on the OHA billeting process, please contact:
Garth Astles
OHA Coordinator of Residential Life
250.219.2275
GarthAstles@okanaganhockey.com
Looking for a program you can trust?
We have over 50 years of experience.
At the end of grade nine, my parents and I decided it would be beneficial for both my hockey and scholastic development to attend OHA the next year. We toured other hockey academies, but ultimately felt OHA was the best fit for me. The coach’s and trainer’s expertise allowed me to learn more about the game, further develop my skills, strength and stamina and readied me to enter the WHL as a competent and confident 16 year old. With the support of great teachers and tutors my grades improved and I made friends that will last a lifetime. I highly recommend OHA for the player who is looking to take their game, grades and life skills to the next level."