Federick was friendly enough to give us a short interview and a photo which we will publish shortly. Federick was scratched due to a bad cold. Federick says that he loves the Philadelphia area and had dinner at Moshulu restaurant along Penn's Landing. I met Behavorial Scientist and Educator Bonita C. Barron last night and she told me about the research that she is doing for a program involving the transition of foriegn players into US culture, or any strange culture for that matter. Bonita is in the process of developing a program for athletes from diffrent cultures that will help to make their transition into their new cultures easier.
Hockey is a business, but it is a business that involves people.
People have needs beyond the physical. Those needs must be met if an athlete is expected to perform at his best both on and off of the ice. It is not enough to meet needs like exercise, diet, and ice time. Foriegn athletes also need to become familiar with the language and cultural innuendoes involved with every day life in their new environment. For example, a player may not speak the language well and be ashamed to admit it, because there may be the tendancy to judge people's intelligence by how they use the language of the foriegn country they are in.