Let's Make Kids Hockey Fun Again
Sept 25, 2002 9:54:02 GMT -5
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Sept 25, 2002 9:54:02 GMT -5
The following is a transcript that was published in last Saturday's Whig Standard. It is written by an extremely active minor hockey supporter here in Kingston, and by a quasi-contributer to our board.
Ron Gordon, AKA Gapper , used to play Senior hockey as well. He is also the owner of one of the most original Canadianna sites I've had the pleasure of visiting, "Gapper's Hotstove". I hope all of you have the opportunity to visit it one day.
Please take the time to read "Gappers" article. You'll be pleasantly surprised. On behalf of the HabsRus community, thank you Ron.
Let's Make Kids Hockey Fun Again
by Ron Gordon
I was discussing the state of minor hockey recently with Sean Lucas of Napanee. Sean is a senior instructor with the national coaches certification program and has coached at various levels for several years and played junior hockey himself.
He posed this question to me: "What do you see when you watch a group of kids playing hockey on an outdor rink?"
" Kids having fun and getting exercise", I answered.
"Yes:, he replied, but something else very important is also going on."
He went on to point out that the shinny game would probably involve two fairly evenly picked teams, no official rules, no dirty hits, no time limits, no equipment or major expenses, no scoreboards and nobody yelling at the kids. There would be no adults or parents around - just kids having fun and playing fair without any pressure.
He suggested taking this same group of kids and putting them into an organized game in an indoor arena with coaches, referees, rules, time limits, a scoreboard, equipment, penalties, major expenses, pressure to win and perform well, with adults and screaming parents. The added structure would change things - and not for the better.
It would take a lot of the fun out of the game for the kids. And it also made me think about hockey from a kid's perspective for a change.
I myself have served on a minor hockey association as vice-president, coached for five years, played senior -level hockey and recreational hockey. I've been a fan of the game for more than 40 years. Aside from exercise and recreation, I like to think I have also learned valuable life skills - learning concepts such as teamwork, dedication, commitment, unselfishness and how to win and lose graciously. In addition, I developed many life-long friendships, met hundreds of fine folks and have thousands of terrific memories. The most important point of all is that I had fun.
If my 12-year-old son gets any or all of these things, then his days playing hockey are days well spent. It's probably what the vast majority of parents who have children in hockey hope for. But some parents dream of a lot more. As a result, the nature of the game has changed dramatically since I was a boy.
Today, kids are expected to be on the ice by two or three years of age and playing hockey by five, even though studies tell us that some children are now showing signs of early hockey burnout by six or seven years of age. Starting so early also means many kids are subjected to a lot more stress. One of the major sources of stress is the over-ambitious hockey parent, who seems to be a fairly common fixture in most arenas across Canada.
We have all read about the beatings, and even, in one case in the United States, a death caused by parents that "lost it" over minor hockey. While such occurences are, thankfully, rare, there are still plenty of milder examples of bad judjement and improper behaviour at the local hockey arenas.
Some parents nag their children on the way to the rink, at the rink and on the way home. They coach from the stands, yell at their child, scream obscenities at referees, coaches and other players, and even yell at each other. Parents are being kicked out of arenas and sometimes banned. A few leagues now require that written gag orders be signed by parents.
Too many parents set poor examples of sportsmanship for their kids, blaming all losses on officials, coaches or other players. Or worse, they may blame the loss of a game on their own child.
Some children play hockey 12 months a year. There are spring, summer and fall leagues with an endless cycle of hockey schools, power-skating clinics and dry-land training. Some children are even lifting weights, have special diets, watch videos of their own play, and study play books over and over. Lots of parents spend thousands of dollars travelling to and from games, practices and tournaments, with travel, equipment and entry fee costs swallowing up most or all of the family's social budgets, both time-wise and financially. Often, siblings who don't play are forced to take a back seat to the brother or sister who does.
Continued
Ron Gordon, AKA Gapper , used to play Senior hockey as well. He is also the owner of one of the most original Canadianna sites I've had the pleasure of visiting, "Gapper's Hotstove". I hope all of you have the opportunity to visit it one day.
Please take the time to read "Gappers" article. You'll be pleasantly surprised. On behalf of the HabsRus community, thank you Ron.
Let's Make Kids Hockey Fun Again
by Ron Gordon
I was discussing the state of minor hockey recently with Sean Lucas of Napanee. Sean is a senior instructor with the national coaches certification program and has coached at various levels for several years and played junior hockey himself.
He posed this question to me: "What do you see when you watch a group of kids playing hockey on an outdor rink?"
" Kids having fun and getting exercise", I answered.
"Yes:, he replied, but something else very important is also going on."
He went on to point out that the shinny game would probably involve two fairly evenly picked teams, no official rules, no dirty hits, no time limits, no equipment or major expenses, no scoreboards and nobody yelling at the kids. There would be no adults or parents around - just kids having fun and playing fair without any pressure.
He suggested taking this same group of kids and putting them into an organized game in an indoor arena with coaches, referees, rules, time limits, a scoreboard, equipment, penalties, major expenses, pressure to win and perform well, with adults and screaming parents. The added structure would change things - and not for the better.
It would take a lot of the fun out of the game for the kids. And it also made me think about hockey from a kid's perspective for a change.
I myself have served on a minor hockey association as vice-president, coached for five years, played senior -level hockey and recreational hockey. I've been a fan of the game for more than 40 years. Aside from exercise and recreation, I like to think I have also learned valuable life skills - learning concepts such as teamwork, dedication, commitment, unselfishness and how to win and lose graciously. In addition, I developed many life-long friendships, met hundreds of fine folks and have thousands of terrific memories. The most important point of all is that I had fun.
If my 12-year-old son gets any or all of these things, then his days playing hockey are days well spent. It's probably what the vast majority of parents who have children in hockey hope for. But some parents dream of a lot more. As a result, the nature of the game has changed dramatically since I was a boy.
Today, kids are expected to be on the ice by two or three years of age and playing hockey by five, even though studies tell us that some children are now showing signs of early hockey burnout by six or seven years of age. Starting so early also means many kids are subjected to a lot more stress. One of the major sources of stress is the over-ambitious hockey parent, who seems to be a fairly common fixture in most arenas across Canada.
We have all read about the beatings, and even, in one case in the United States, a death caused by parents that "lost it" over minor hockey. While such occurences are, thankfully, rare, there are still plenty of milder examples of bad judjement and improper behaviour at the local hockey arenas.
Some parents nag their children on the way to the rink, at the rink and on the way home. They coach from the stands, yell at their child, scream obscenities at referees, coaches and other players, and even yell at each other. Parents are being kicked out of arenas and sometimes banned. A few leagues now require that written gag orders be signed by parents.
Too many parents set poor examples of sportsmanship for their kids, blaming all losses on officials, coaches or other players. Or worse, they may blame the loss of a game on their own child.
Some children play hockey 12 months a year. There are spring, summer and fall leagues with an endless cycle of hockey schools, power-skating clinics and dry-land training. Some children are even lifting weights, have special diets, watch videos of their own play, and study play books over and over. Lots of parents spend thousands of dollars travelling to and from games, practices and tournaments, with travel, equipment and entry fee costs swallowing up most or all of the family's social budgets, both time-wise and financially. Often, siblings who don't play are forced to take a back seat to the brother or sister who does.
Continued
