My reply will be from "Guest" and I like the anonymity of that because I can speak the truth without worrying about the politics.
PARENTS! Your child may be good enough to make the team. He may be good friends with other players on the team. It may be a perfect fit, but then he doesn't make the team. I have been in the local hockey community since 1975.... Damn, I'm old, but I digress. Back to my point... I have seen plenty of players not make teams because of overbearing personalities of the parents. Coaches have full-time jobs and their own families to focus on. Now, we have convinced them to spend countless hours coaching your children for little to no pay. Yes, a stipend is usually given and yes often their kid(s) is on the team anyway, but the fee abatement of their child or the small stipend they get does not make up for the time and commitment of coaching a team. The last thing that want to deal with is a PIA parent. Bring your kid to practice and games. Keep your opinion of the coach and his decisions to yourself or leave the program. If you are a positive supportive parent or fan of the team (the negative folks might say Stepford Fan), You will make it so much easier on your child. Let your child enjoy the sport, learn and flourish. You can always add extra-curricular programming to help your child excel. Register for skating and stick handling clinics, summer hockey camps, private instruction, and even plenty of spring and summer league play. Your child will actually grow the most during the spring and summer months when league play is mostly about the FUN. That's not to say that hard work and a coach that pushes in the fall/winter season is bad. This is actually quite helpful, but it cannot be a year-round approach to the game. Mixing in different coaches and instructors helps your player experience different philosophies and techniques regarding the game. This will accelerate your child's improvement.
Topic: Black Bear Purchases Royals LLC and Wintersport Closing (Read 53413 times)
