Reply To: Good Habits at Practice? The Art of Coaching!

[hockeygod]

Fun Could Go A Long Way In Saving Hockey

By Ed Shamy- Burlington Free Press
Published: Thursday, October 18, 2007

Many Vermont parents dread the moment when their 6-year-old announces he or she would like to play ice hockey.

A youth hockey player poses the immediate threat of wrenching apart the tightest knit of clans, what with the bizarre hours of available ice time, the long road trips in hazardous winter weather and considerable expense of a heavily padded sport played on cold ice in enclosed rinks far from home.

And then of course there is the dividend: The privilege of watching 12 children under the age of 8 spread out on a full-size hockey rink, some barely moving for entire periods.

"It can be pretty painful," cedes Fritz Langrock, a hockey parent.

Parents and their children have reacted in recent years by steering clear of hockey in Vermont. The number of participants has slumped. Some towns have struggled to field teams because youth ice hockey developed such a reputation as an expensive hassle.

Langrock is president of the Vermont State Amateur Hockey Association, the group that oversees the youth leagues that are now beginning practices.

The members of the hockey association, peering into a Vermont future in which hockey — traditionally a cornerstone of the athletic kingdom — could become marginalized, have this year instituted changes to reverse the trend.

The youngest group of competitive hockey players, the mites, will play "half-ice" games with three players on each side rather than six. Goals will be half as far apart as they were a year ago, and with fewer players the hope is that the players will be able to get more involved. To skate more and to actually handle the puck.

This must come as a relief to some hockey players. After all, to be 45 inches tall and to be strapped into skates, gloves, sweaters, helmets, pads and high socks and to stare 200 feet down the ice must feel the same way Columbus felt peering through his glass searching for land on the far side of the ocean. Now it will be 85 feet or so, a much more do-able distance.

Langrock said the association hopes players will be lured back by the increased activity of the game. Full-size rinks could be used for two or even three games at once, he said, so tournaments could be held in less time, which could translate into less travel. And costs could drop.

Some basic rules, such as icing and offsides won't be strictly enforced. There will be no more state tournament for mites. And teams will be encouraged to bring practice jerseys with them so that if one town's team seems too dominant, coaches from the two teams can mix players to get the best competitive balance.

That, Langrock said, could defuse some of the more rabid fans by encouraging them to root for whichever team their child is playing for regardless of the mix, rather than for one program over another.

"Once the parents see it, once the kids see it, it's going to be a blast," he predicted.

But, too, he acknowledged that not everyone goes into this new world order as thrilled as he is.

Some see it as blasphemy, tinkering with the rules and diluting the competitive spirit. And besides, how will young puck handlers learn the basic rules of the game if they're just skating willy-nilly on a short rink?

Hockey has a bad habit of periodically shooting itself in the foot, whether through college hazing scandals or professional work stoppages.

The new rules of mite hockey are a breath of fresh air for a sport that too often seems so adept at withering.

If a 7-year-old doesn't learn to love playing hockey, it doesn't much matter that by age 9 he or she won't know all the rules. Won't be playing anyhow.

Get the kid hooked on the sport, then teach them the rules, goes the new philosophy. Kids learn easily.

With luck, we can teach some of the old hockey parents a new trick, too. The game is supposed to be fun.

Remember? That's why we "play" hockey.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."