How is SportQuest's evaluation system unique from other testing programs?

SportQuest's proprietary evaluation system measures skills free of human bias and error, and it compares evaluation results to a database of over 20,000 internationally evaluated players. SportQuest's proprietary system does a computerized analysis of players' data and makes this information immediately available on the Internet. The SportQuest system is the only hockey skills evaluation system that is: unbiased, accurate, reliable, repeatable, valid, and interactive online with the largest comparable database available.

What do you mean by accurate, unbiased, comparable, valid and repeatable?

ACCURATE--the absolute preciseness of the measurement. For example, the SportQuest system measures time to the nearest 1/100th of a second, far beyond what is humanly possible using a stopwatch.

UNBIASED--no personal beliefs, expectations, preconceptions or notions may have any influence on the outcome of evaluation results.

COMPARABLE--for evaluation results to be comparable they must be consistent. For example, two players' times to complete a drill would not be comparable if the distance from blue line to blue line were not exactly the same or the evaluator did not follow the same protocol for each test.

VALID--the measurement taken was actually what you intended to measure. For example, you are measuring the time for the player to skate exactly 60 feet, because blue-line to blue-line actually varies from rink to rink. Additionally, you are not obtaining a valid measurement if the player's stick triggers the timing beam rather than the player's body.

RELIABLE--the protocol, equipment and personnel are dependable and trusted to consistently perform well; the timing gear is precise and resilient in spite of being constantly moved in a cold, humid hockey arena.

REPEATABLE--the testing protocol can be done over and over again in the same format.

I have my own on-ice drills. Why can't I just use them?

Most players want to do complex, exciting drills that always end up shooting on a goalie. But how many times in a game does this actually happen? SportQuest evaluations break down skating into its simplest components so that each individual component can be analyzed to allow strengths and weaknesses to be identified.

If a player receives a poor score after doing a complex drill involving a loop de loo crossover around the net followed by accepting a pass, then does some quick turns followed by a shot, how do you know where to focus the player's development? Which component(s) does a player need to work on? You cannot look at the final complex performance and expect to know how to improve a player's skills.

SportQuest's evaluation results provide you with a blueprint for development by isolating key hockey skills. Evaluation results will tell you, for example, that a player is performing forward crossovers to the left at a below average score for his/her age, gender and experience. Player results will also offer training suggestions on how to improve performance.

Why can't I just use a stopwatch?

In actual evaluations of over 100 players of similar caliber often the difference between the highest and lowest times was less than 1/2 of a second—a measurement more accurate than any person using a stopwatch could possibly make. A tenth of a second can make a huge difference, and that is why precision timing gear incorporating two laser beams that are not triggered by a stick is critical for accurate results.

What is so special about SportQuest's timing equipment?

SportQuest's proprietary timing gear is a precise, dual laser beam system that will be triggered only by the player's body and not the hockey stick. Less advanced systems use timing gear whose timing beam will be triggered by a pencil. Such systems do not provide accurate results because a player's stick can stop the timers, which means that players who reach out at the finish line will have invalid scores.

Why is SportQuest known as the "Universal Standard of Hockey Skills"?

SportQuest has evaluated athletes of all levels in North America, Europe and Asia for over ten years. Each evaluation has been conducted by specially trained staff and carried out with the same precision equipment and strict protocol. These factors established a practice of standard evaluation and subsequently an international standard of performance.