ABOUT COURT

Court has been a teacher and hockey coach/instructor at Upland Country Day School for the past 50 years. In addition to his responsibilities at Upland, Court has directed many skating and coaching clinics, coached at all age and ability levels, and has served as hockey chairman at the Chester County Skating Club.  As Upland's Varsity Hockey Coach, Court has led his teams and guided others on many trips to Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Belgium, Holland, Czechoslovakia (The Czech Republic) Germany and Russia (The Soviet Union), as well as to Canada.  In the summer of 1996, he created the European Hockey Connection (EHC) as a way to bring the teaching methods of top European and Olympic hockey coaches to the USA.  As the director of EHC, Court has directed camps in the local Tri-State Area, in Portland, Oregon and in Weiden, Germany.  In addition, he has assisted former Olympic and World Championship great, Juhani (Juuso) Wahlsten, in Turku, Finland, at the Great Skate Hockey Camp and has worked closely with noted Canadian hockey coach, Tom Molloy, in camps and coaching symposiums.  In 1997, Court was presented with the Finnish Central Sport Federation’s Silver Cross, for his “notable work contributing to the athletic life of southwestern Finland”.  Today, in consultation and collaboration with noted professional educators, authors and coaches in hockey as well as other sports, Court continues to work to bring about a broader understanding and support of the basic premise of youth hockey – taking the game ‘back to the pond’, where it began, to have fun.  Many players, having benefited from the instruction and philosophy of this ‘European’ style instruction under Coach Dunn, have gone on to play at higher levels, including New England Prep Schools, Division I and Division III Colleges, as well as in the Finnish Elite and Minor Hockey Leagues and in Minor Professional Hockey.  Most importantly, those whose careers end because of jobs, families and other responsibilities, still find time to enjoy the game, either playing or coaching.  At Upland, a K-9 school, it is common to get close to 100 players returning to campus for annual alumni games. Recently, Court was asked and honored to deliver the keynote address to participating players and coaches at the 69th Annual Lawrenceville School Invitational Hockey Tournament Banquet.

 

Now, in addition to EHC, Court acts as a representative for IEMS (International Education Management Systems) and the European Hockey Academy.  In his presentations, he continues to support the teaching methods developed and refined by Juhani Wahlsten and Tom Molloy – the ABC’s of International Ice Hockey – as the only ‘real’ way to learn to play the game.  He credits the influence of European coaches, philosophies, and practices on much of his success as a hockey coach.  He also credits hockey giant, Jack Cleveland, with providing the guidance and inspiration to work with young people through coaching, particularly ice hockey.