AAA teams - girls hockey's 'Bridge to Nowhere?'

[trilogy]

Can someone help me out? The dizzying proliferation of girls hockey 'opportunities' this year makes me extremely concerned about burnout. Not to mention the ever present drain on my checkbook.

We have a newly 'improved' NDP tryout process. Which failed to attract the stated goal of participants in Phase One. And was a new addition to our family's hockey expenses to the tune of several hundred dollars by the time it was all said and done.

We have a newly introduced 'Elite' League. Which failed to attract the stated goal of 60 kids trying out. Again, more money, more money.

We have a newly introduced MGHCA Fall League. Which failed to attract even enough girls to fill the rosters, weren't they looking for 10 more kids last I heard?

And every year we have the returning array of special camps and festivals - Jr Fest, Senior Showcase, a showcase at SSM in spring, OS Prospects, plus if you really want to travel and drain the checkbook (no scratch that by now I'm heaping it on credit cards)

And of course let's not forget summer training! CODP, OS, FHIT. And constant offerings of leagues in the spring and fall - Showcase and OS.

Last but not least, AAA teams? Which now seem to be struggling to keep players as they have all these other things to commit to. Which has, IMHO brought the level of competition down and thereby the reward for participating in the offseason AAA events down. A few handpicked elite AAA teams with little competition because once they assemble their allstar team who will they play?

So. I smell burnout coming here, bigtime. Maybe it is already here when you look at a few names that hung up the skates this year as they went to college. Will that be more in the coming years?

Help me out if you have a daughter who has already been through the college selection process. Because I need help figuring this out.

I look at this list of 'opportunities' and the one that sticks out to me in the current environment as possibly unnecessary is the AAA team. If my daughter plays in the Can-Am thing next spring - two trips to Canada. Well there's a couple grand out the door. If she plays on a team that travels to the big tournaments out east, there's another couple grand out the door.

If she plays on a team that does stuff like Meltdown and Int'l Cup, what is the return? Nothing, because these tournaments that used to attract good Canadian teams and good local teams are have now become unbalanced competition events (there is no regulation, thus anyone can enter). Not good games with close scores, too many blowouts.

Spring leagues, fall leagues, first thing whacked off the list. What the heck do I need to waste gas money on this for

Training is good, who could argue with that?

The emerging programs while apparently testing the limits of how many good high school players are really out there - are at least tryout based and striving for balanced competition.

AAA? It seems like the 'bridge to nowhere' to me. Not that it's always been that. Probably was the best way to get that exposure a few years back. But today? I'm doubting it.

Is my logic flawed? Help me before I write another check

[finance_gal]

What hockey people aren’t realizing is that High School girls hockey is on the decline and has most likely peaked in many area’s. There are more CO-OP teams in the state than there are one school teams. Were seeing girls becoming disallusioned because the same group goes to the tournament every year, many outstate girls programs are treated like 2nd and 3rd rate sports and often the players are more dedicated to getting better than the coaching staff which also leads to frustration.

Coaches of the Edina type teams have their choice of girls to play on their teams while most teams are trying to scrape up enough players to field a team and this is leading the best players to find a way to play for the handful of power house teams. With the new transfer rules in place they tried to put a stop to the open recruiting that had been going on and now the dedicated players are congregating to the AAA teams and from what I hear Colleges are just as interested in them as they are in the High School teams because they get to see the players playing with and against other good players. but many of these teams are just ok and do very little for development.

I don’t see an easy answer to your question about which is better, people say that if your good the scouts will find you but that’s not really true anymore. Others do the put her in everything approach and have some success. While others put together full marketing programs for their kids.

With us we knew what school our daughter wanted to go to, talked to the coach who told us what she was looking for and what she thought our daughter needed and we are doing what she said. Is my daughter getting a scholarship? I doubt it. But she will go to the school she wants and get the chance to play college hockey, learn a lot, enjoy herself and I think that’s what Hockey should be about anyway.

[Northland]

If your daughter is good enough to play college hockey she will be found.

In the scheme of life ... a girls hockey career is a flash in the pan and will be over before you know it.

Sometimes the parents need to step back and see what the athlete wants to do.

Just my observation ...

[hockeya1a]

Can someone help me out? The dizzying proliferation of girls hockey 'opportunities' this year makes me extremely concerned about burnout. Not to mention the ever present drain on my checkbook.

We have a newly 'improved' NDP tryout process. Which failed to attract the stated goal of participants in Phase One. And was a new addition to our family's hockey expenses to the tune of several hundred dollars by the time it was all said and done.

We have a newly introduced 'Elite' League. Which failed to attract the stated goal of 60 kids trying out. Again, more money, more money.

We have a newly introduced MGHCA Fall League. Which failed to attract even enough girls to fill the rosters, weren't they looking for 10 more kids last I heard?

And every year we have the returning array of special camps and festivals - Jr Fest, Senior Showcase, a showcase at SSM in spring, OS Prospects, plus if you really want to travel and drain the checkbook (no scratch that by now I'm heaping it on credit cards)

And of course let's not forget summer training! CODP, OS, FHIT. And constant offerings of leagues in the spring and fall - Showcase and OS.

Last but not least, AAA teams? Which now seem to be struggling to keep players as they have all these other things to commit to. Which has, IMHO brought the level of competition down and thereby the reward for participating in the offseason AAA events down. A few handpicked elite AAA teams with little competition because once they assemble their allstar team who will they play?

So. I smell burnout coming here, bigtime. Maybe it is already here when you look at a few names that hung up the skates this year as they went to college. Will that be more in the coming years?

Help me out if you have a daughter who has already been through the college selection process. Because I need help figuring this out.

I look at this list of 'opportunities' and the one that sticks out to me in the current environment as possibly unnecessary is the AAA team. If my daughter plays in the Can-Am thing next spring - two trips to Canada. Well there's a couple grand out the door. If she plays on a team that travels to the big tournaments out east, there's another couple grand out the door.

If she plays on a team that does stuff like Meltdown and Int'l Cup, what is the return? Nothing, because these tournaments that used to attract good Canadian teams and good local teams are have now become unbalanced competition events (there is no regulation, thus anyone can enter). Not good games with close scores, too many blowouts.

Spring leagues, fall leagues, first thing whacked off the list. What the heck do I need to waste gas money on this for

Training is good, who could argue with that?

The emerging programs while apparently testing the limits of how many good high school players are really out there - are at least tryout based and striving for balanced competition.

AAA? It seems like the 'bridge to nowhere' to me. Not that it's always been that. Probably was the best way to get that exposure a few years back. But today? I'm doubting it.

Is my logic flawed? Help me before I write another check

This is probably one of the best posts that I have read in some time. I kept reading it wondering "did I write this???" because it seemed that you were reading my mind. I'm sure that there are others out there that feel exactly the same way.

Right now I am strongly leaning towards dropping my daughter's AAA team participation and some of the camps and clinics. She and I need to prioritize the important camps and clinics and eliminate the rest. She wants to play in some tournaments/leagues but we will be more selective next year. In all, I think my daughter played a gazillion games this Spring, Summer and Fall (I don't want to think about what I spent on this) and next year I want to try cutting it down to less than 1/2 of what she did this year.

I haven't completely made up my mind but I think a good summer program for my daughter would be: (1) OS Prospects; (2) skating, weight lifting and plyometrics program(s); and (3) 3-3 league and college league; and (4) maybe the International Cup. In fall I think she will tryout for the Girls Elite league (if asked); and play in a couple of tourneys. In spring, she will probably tryout out for NDP if her coach recommends her and I'm also thinking about the Two Nations League. Its good hockey at a good price (even though I don't really like spending my holiday weekend in Winnipeg) but the determination on whether she will participate is my daughter's comfort with balancing the time spent on hockey versus the time that she will need for school work since she has a very rigorous academic schedule this year. I'm not sure she will do NDP or the Girls Elite League and maybe I will cut them out of the equation since its a lot of time and money and I'm not sure its necessary.

Each kid's situation is different so there is no one size fits all but I think much of what we all do during the summer is overkill and for most families too expensive.

I agree 100%
The cost of our children playing hockey at all of these camps could have paid for a few years of college, personally I think we would be all better off having 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 hockey for the girls in the summer let them develop skills on there own. And then maybe throw in a skills camp. I highly doubt Gretzky’s parents sent him to 10 camps a year.

[trilogy]

My post rambled on, sorry. I don't know whether the money part or the potential burnout side of things bothers me more. Both are troublesome.

some points though-

- the numbers are not matching up. Too many things to participate in, not enough good players to fill them out so that they can operate with their intended purpose

- as far as college goes - are not the numbers similar? If a girl wants to play women's hockey at some level and makes that priority #1 she will find a team. Can't all play Div 1 of course but there will be some school somewhere if they look hard enough

- the fear factor comes in precisely because it is a one-time opportunity. Scenario being what loving parent would want to screw up his daughter's chances? So he'll write that check and urge his girl to put another thing on the calendar

finance_gal I have heard the opposite comment about college scouts being interested in AAA teams. Instead what our daughter was told at the Mankato camp was that the scouts are more interested in watching NDP, Elite league, Jr Fest type things because these are better tryout based and are more guaranted to have the best skilled players participating.

In the end I'm just feeling like this is one big money grab. My girl is growing up too quickly, I want her to enjoy a part-time job, be in other sports and activities at school and not feel she must play hockey 12 months a year.

[hockeyheaven]

Too much hockey… are you nuts! You can never play too much hockey…that’s if you are doing it for all the right reasons. And that simply is by following your heart. Stay away from the “pack mentality”. With the explosion of all the opportunities that have evolved over recent years, to some the mind set appeared to be that if you aren’t participating in every event that you just may be missing out and ultimately you might just be left behind…well I say hogwash! Let your interest and passion drive you (player that is). IMO Spring leagues, summer AAA teams should be for enjoyment purpose only. This is a chance to make new friends…play some competitive hockey…and it should be done so without the pressure to win at all costs. Training is training. If your goal is to be the best you can be, then you have to find an effective training regiment…no way out of this one. As far as NDP or Elites; do some hard, honest soul searching? If you are not one of the top 50 players’ maybe pass on this one. Fall hockey is for preparation for the real season. 3 on 3, 4 on 4 leagues are great and pretty inexpensive. They give you a chance to be creative and daring. Allows you the opportunity to work on those skills you developed over the summer, or shake the rust off if you haven’t. Like I stated the most important factor is to honest with your aspirations and with your abilities. Then plan your schedule accordingly. Lastly, if you are worried about the cost, well pal I think you are in the wrong arena (pun fully intended).

[OntheEdge]

Too much hockey… are you nuts! You can never play too much hockey…that’s if you are doing it for all the right reasons. And that simply is by following your heart. Stay away from the “pack mentality”. With the explosion of all the opportunities that have evolved over recent years, to some the mind set appeared to be that if you aren’t participating in every event that you just may be missing out and ultimately you might just be left behind…well I say hogwash! Let your interest and passion drive you (player that is). IMO Spring leagues, summer AAA teams should be for enjoyment purpose only. This is a chance to make new friends…play some competitive hockey…and it should be done so without the pressure to win at all costs. Training is training. If your goal is to be the best you can be, then you have to find an effective training regiment…no way out of this one. As far as NDP or Elites; do some hard, honest soul searching? If you are not one of the top 50 players’ maybe pass on this one. Fall hockey is for preparation for the real season. 3 on 3, 4 on 4 leagues are great and pretty inexpensive. They give you a chance to be creative and daring. Allows you the opportunity to work on those skills you developed over the summer, or shake the rust off if you haven’t. Like I stated the most important factor is to honest with your aspirations and with your abilities. Then plan your schedule accordingly. Lastly, if you are worried about the cost, well pal I think you are in the wrong arena (pun fully intended).

Good thoughts except I think people should look at the money component too. I am a financial professional and what constantly amazes me is how under educated people are about risk and money and how to manage both. I think each family should take a hard look at what all of this is costing and see if it makes sense for their family. Giving your daughter the opportunity to possibly play college hockey is a nice goal but it shouldn't be at the expense of your retirement fund or other financial goals for your family. College and the education earned is an investment in the future. Playing hockey while fun is not an investment in a girl's future (I know very few women that make a good living from hockey). There's no NHL for women and the pay for coaching is low and is usually tied to another profession in order to be doable.

The cost of developing a college hockey player, at best, is a wash if she is lucky enough to get a scholarship. I personally think that the cost of developing a college player is higher than if that money were saved for college even if there is a scholarship. At least that is true in my own personal analysis.

Follow your daughter's lead in pursuing her dream but part of being a parent is to make sure your family uses good financial judgment and to educate your daughter on the real priorities in life. I've been rightfully criticized by my wife because I show too much enthusiasm for her sports and not an equal enthusiasm for other achievements such as academics. My wife says what I am saying to my daughter is that sports are most important which is not a good life lesson. Its something I work on to change because my wife is right. I regret it but hockey will be over sooner than we think.

[hockeyrube7]

In the end I'm just feeling like this is one big money grab. My girl is growing up too quickly, I want her to enjoy a part-time job, be in other sports and activities at school and not feel she must play hockey 12 months a year.

This may be one of the greatest threads ever posted out here. And the above quote is exactly the question, to add to it, where do the kids get to have FUN and make friends? Since your kid has been through this, where have they had their best times, on the AAA hockey team, or at the summer camps and training? I would say the answer to this is the one that makes it more valuable at the same time, and may answer your question. I have heard that all of your examples have their value. So where do you cut it off, is more the question I suppose, or do you?

[OntheEdge]

In the end I'm just feeling like this is one big money grab. My girl is growing up too quickly, I want her to enjoy a part-time job, be in other sports and activities at school and not feel she must play hockey 12 months a year.

This may be one of the greatest threads ever posted out here. And the above quote is exactly the question, to add to it, where do the kids get to have FUN and make friends? Since your kid has been through this, where have they had their best times, on the AAA hockey team, or at the summer camps and training? I would say the answer to this is the one that makes it more valuable at the same time, and may answer your question. I have heard that all of your examples have their value. So where do you cut it off, is more the question I suppose, or do you?

Good question. I'll take a shot at the answer. If you have the money you don't have to cut it off. If you are putting these expenses on a credit card and not paying it off each month you have to cut it off. If you aren't fully funding your 401(k) or IRA because of hockey expenses you have to cut it off. If you are borrowing money to pay your taxes, then you have to cut it off. If you aren't saving money for your kid's college education because of hockey, then you have to cut it off. If you refinanced your house to get more cash for a car, vacation, or hockey, then you have to cut it off. If you don't have quick access to cash (without borrowing) to cover at least 6 months of essential expenses should you lose your job, then you have to cut it off.

If money is an issue, then I think you cut off based on your daughter's reason for playing summer hockey. If she's playing for fun cut or minimize some of the skills clinics and camps. If she's working towards playing college hockey, cut or minimize the games (leagues and tourneys).

[Melvin44]

AAA hockey is something my daughter has always done to make hockey friends and have fun. If you get the right group together it doesn't have to cost a fortune the last 2-3 years our AAA commitment was under $500.00 for the summer. AAA hockey is a great place to start as you get noticed by coaches of the elite teams. It's a kind of a progression U8,10,12,14? Get noticed by AAA coaches then hopefully get noticed by elite AAA and then hopefully get noticed by college coaches.

My daughter does OS to increase her speed and endurance. Winny is her idol and she values her opinion like no other and the dry land program gets better every year. We've done CODP because of the dry land program. The cost of CODP is getting to be too much and this was probably our last year. Normally we only do one of these a year $650-$850. She usually will attend one camp for fun not so much developement this year it was the Gopher camp $350.00.

I would also like to say I would never force my child to do any program she didn't want to do. She loves hockey more than me if you can believe that. She is always saying my friend's are doing this camp can I? She shoots/stickhandles and trains on her own. I guess what I'm saying is every girl is different and let them decide what they want to do. You can suggest things but don't force. She always takes 2- 1-month breaks usually before and after soccer season. I feel that has been important.

Their will always be some girls who burn out or in my opinion discover other options (boys) etc.

I disagree with Finance G that High school hockey is on the decline. There are always stronger/weaker years. Our youth programs at U8, U10 are bigger than ever. My daugher does not want to experience a part time job and she has always played other sports and activities like most summer players.

My final opinion for today is sports, activities SCHOOL is a full time job.

[Oilers08]

Good thoughts except I think people should look at the money component too. I am a financial professional and what constantly amazes me is how under educated people are about risk and money and how to manage both. I think each family should take a hard look at what all of this is costing and see if it makes sense for their family. Giving your daughter the opportunity to possibly play college hockey is a nice goal but it shouldn't be at the expense of your retirement fund or other financial goals for your family. College and the education earned is an investment in the future. Playing hockey while fun is not an investment in a girl's future (I know very few women that make a good living from hockey). There's no NHL for women and the pay for coaching is low and is usually tied to another profession in order to be doable.

The cost of developing a college hockey player, at best, is a wash if she is lucky enough to get a scholarship. I personally think that the cost of developing a college player is higher than if that money were saved for college even if there is a scholarship. At least that is true in my own personal analysis.

Follow your daughter's lead in pursuing her dream but part of being a parent is to make sure your family uses good financial judgment and to educate your daughter on the real priorities in life. I've been rightfully criticized by my wife because I show too much enthusiasm for her sports and not an equal enthusiasm for other achievements such as academics. My wife says what I am saying to my daughter is that sports are most important which is not a good life lesson. Its something I work on to change because my wife is right. I regret it but hockey will be over sooner than we think.

Geez, way to burst my bubble. I can see why your name is "on the edge" Got to go, need to mapquest directions to the High bridge in St.Paul.

[goal4it]

city-idiots!!!

[HOCKEYMOM3232]

I just thought I would comment on this thread as I think it is a great topic. My thoughts on this have varied over the years, however we have a daughter playing college hockey at a Metro MIAC team, she loves it there and is having a great experience in hockey, academically, and on campus. We did provide her with opportunities to participate in most camps or other hockey activities that she wanted to try. She did very little in terms of camps or playing outside of her regular season. She played 3 sports in High school, and worked in the summers. When she hit each sport season she was very "hungry" for the sport and worked extremely hard, and she was a pretty good player (certainly not the best). She got most of her training at home, stickhandling, shooting and rollerblading in the driveway. We found this is a great way to see how interested your daughter truly is in 'becoming the best" In my opinion kids don't need to play hockey 12 months a year, a lot of development can happen right at home. She would beg us to bring her to the outdoor rink all the time, she and her friends had a great group of kids that met 2-4 days per week and play pickup or small area type stuff. We found that is where she developed most, and it was fun for the kids to not have adults structuring everything for them. She became much more creative and confident, and the kids made all the rules. Did she miss out on some "scouting opportunities"? Maybe, but she had a great time, she made it to a great school and is getting the opportunity to play College hockey. I realize as a parent you want to provide your children with every opportunity you can, but we have found that kids are very resiliant and if they want something bad enough they will work to get whatever they want regardless of the circumstances. My husband played division 1 hockey (granted I know this was a different era) however he only attended 1 camp for a week for "development". In summary I think there are many ways to go about this, and it is different for each family. Maybe money is no object, and going to hockey tournaments and camps is what your family wants to do for fun. Then I say do everything that your daughter is passionate about. But if you fall in the middle somewhere you probably need to pick and choose some things, and also realize that they do not need to be at a "facility" to improve. I think a lot of us would find that our children are not interested enough to shoot a couple hundred pucks everyday, or stickhandle, or rollerblade on their own everyday (without us spurring them on)? If this is the case we want them to be the best, and maybe they are playing for a totally different reason, social, ect... I certainly do not have the answers, but this has been our experience, so you can take it or leave it. I wish all of the families the very best of luck, navigating this slippery slope.

[Bensonmum]

city-idiots!!!

So what do you call those who drive 3 hours 3 times a week to attend STP's in Duluth and Grand Rapids or the Warroad, Roseau, and Crookston girls who play on AAA teams based in Blaine? Do you have a cute derogatory name for them too? Or how about the girls who live in Mora and Sartell who drive an hour and a half one way to attend CODP? Anything? C'mon, you can think of something can't you?

[hockeya1a]

city-idiots!!!

So what do you call those who drive 3 hours 3 times a week to attend STP's in Duluth and Grand Rapids or the Warroad, Roseau, and Crookston girls who play on AAA teams based in Blaine? Do you have a cute derogatory name for them too? Or how about the girls who live in Mora and Sartell who drive an hour and a half one way to attend CODP? Anything? C'mon, you can think of something can't you?

Jealous! or I think Foxworthy said it best!

[OntheEdge]

Good thoughts except I think people should look at the money component too. I am a financial professional and what constantly amazes me is how under educated people are about risk and money and how to manage both. I think each family should take a hard look at what all of this is costing and see if it makes sense for their family. Giving your daughter the opportunity to possibly play college hockey is a nice goal but it shouldn't be at the expense of your retirement fund or other financial goals for your family. College and the education earned is an investment in the future. Playing hockey while fun is not an investment in a girl's future (I know very few women that make a good living from hockey). There's no NHL for women and the pay for coaching is low and is usually tied to another profession in order to be doable.

The cost of developing a college hockey player, at best, is a wash if she is lucky enough to get a scholarship. I personally think that the cost of developing a college player is higher than if that money were saved for college even if there is a scholarship. At least that is true in my own personal analysis.

Follow your daughter's lead in pursuing her dream but part of being a parent is to make sure your family uses good financial judgment and to educate your daughter on the real priorities in life. I've been rightfully criticized by my wife because I show too much enthusiasm for her sports and not an equal enthusiasm for other achievements such as academics. My wife says what I am saying to my daughter is that sports are most important which is not a good life lesson. Its something I work on to change because my wife is right. I regret it but hockey will be over sooner than we think.

Geez, way to burst my bubble. I can see why your name is "on the edge" Got to go, need to mapquest directions to the High bridge in St.Paul.

I never thought of suicide when making up my moniker. My moniker was short for "On the Edge of Insanity". I think we are all close to being insane for putting this much time and money into a kid's sport

[hockeyheaven]

Unless I’m mistaken these are female hockey players were talking about…right. I don’t know about your kid, but the $2000 spent each year is a drop in the bucket compared to the alternative. Lots of spare time and the Mall of America being so close. Do the math on that, Mister Finance

[bigred]

Parents spending too much time and $$$ on kids sports has really gotten over the top. Girls hockey is not the only sport out there with this problem. Kids can only play ONE sport now it seems, or they can't compete at a highenough level to satisfy their parents or the prospect of a D1 scholarship. They have to play it 24/7/365 too, with no relief in sight. VERY FEW, maybe 5% of kids really really want to focus this hard and be one sided.
If you have one of those kids, I have one, different sport, different gender...it is tough to know when you have really gone over the edge. (Parents) not kids. They will do what they are told, and what you register them for/what teams they make/etc....But sometimes, it becomes work, knowing if you let your guard down, and GASP take a break and play a different sport for fun...you will lose your competitive edge. I think so many kids (I guess it is around 80%) quit sports by the time they graduate HS, is it is a job...and the competition is fierce. I have one that quit, and we were all relieved, it wasn't fun at all anymore, and one on that nutcase insane track...to get the coveted D1...but at what cost? tens of thousands?
As for keeping your kid from the mall, I agree they have to be involved in something, how about a HS JOB?, being in the school play, or call me crazy, playing 3 different HS sports in all 3 seasons! You will be busy enough to not get in trouble guaranteed....
Anyway, I can see both sides because I have one of each...I do know the parents cause this insanity, not the kids.

[MNHockeyFan]

This is one of those threads that when reading through I find myself agreeing with most everything that's been said. I think that's mostly because it's such an individual thing depending on each player's and their parents' individual circumstances. What might be right for one doesn't necessarily apply to someone else, for all the reasons mentioned.

What I would say though is that here in Minnesota with our high school system we have it pretty good compared to just about everywhere else in the country. The competition can be good-to-great and it allows so many girls the opportunity to just play for a very reasonable cost. Obviously some schools/programs are more competitive than others in terms of how much time, effort and money must be invested during the off-season in order to participate at the high school level. But overall it's very reasonable compared to other places where good hockey during season is played at the club level and costs WAY more, and they also have the same off-season issues to deal with (and pay for) just like here. Just wanted to add a little perspective to the discussion...

[joehockey]

MNHockeyFan - Great perspective. You are right hockey is expensive but we have it great in MN with a high concentration of players. In the metro and the state we have closer access to rinks than anywhere else in the country. The rest of the country the Elite girls either go to a Hockey Academy $35,000-$45,00 or so or play a Thoroughbreds AAA type schedule probably $10-12,000 with travel costs.

A player doing everything may be $3000 or so - real money but real bargain.

Sports are fun and teach many life lessons. In Hockey if you can play D1 or D3 or HS it is all good.

Some benefit points to consider:

Kids who play a HS sport make about twice the compensation money (on an annual basis) than what kids do that don't according to recent studies.

Maybe they also pick up lifetime skills in being healthy or having their kids be healthy - big issue and getting bigger/more costly.

From hockey kids learn team work leadership, facing pressure, how to win, how to lose, how to acquire new skills, how to set goals, how to set team goals, how to achieve goals.

All good perspective on don't spend money you don't have especially in current economy. Lots of cheaper ways to improve. Hockey is a very energy intensive sport so icetime and equipment will rise. It will be interesting to see the hockey economy with the price of gas, food, dropping market. We will all make decsions - hopefully this board will be a source to continue to discover and share the programs that make the most sense.

[OntheEdge]

This is one of those threads that when reading through I find myself agreeing with most everything that's been said. I think that's mostly because it's such an individual thing depending on each player's and their parents' individual circumstances. What might be right for one doesn't necessarily apply to someone else, for all the reasons mentioned.

What I would say though is that here in Minnesota with our high school system we have it pretty good compared to just about everywhere else in the country. The competition can be good-to-great and it allows so many girls the opportunity to just play for a very reasonable cost. Obviously some schools/programs are more competitive than others in terms of how much time, effort and money must be invested during the off-season in order to participate at the high school level. But overall it's very reasonable compared to other places where good hockey during season is played at the club level and costs WAY more, and they also have the same off-season issues to deal with (and pay for) just like here. Just wanted to add a little perspective to the discussion...

MNHockeyFan,

You are correct in stating that in other parts of the country people are paying more for hockey but I think that is a red herring. It really doesn't matter what other people are paying. What really matters is each person's particular financial situation. My dad used to say "just because everyone else is jumping off a cliff doesn't mean you have to jump too". I have hockey friends that moved to MN from other states. Hockey opportunities for girls are limited in most places are outside of MN so it can be very expensive and take a lot travel time. We all hear of the worst case scenarios because they are sensational but we don't know the financial situation of those involved or the best case scenarios so I think pointing out that our situation is expensive but be thankful its not as expensive as other places is like saying, I'm lost money gambling in Las Vegas but I don't feel so bad because I saw other people lose more than me. It takes away a little of the sting but it doesn't change the fact that I lost money.

[joehockey]

I read MN Hockey Fan to say every situation is different - not spend recklessly. And that every situation and perspective is personal....Amen.

You have to look at any sport or any activity on what you can afford and do correctly inside of your income. The pursuit of a scholarship should never be the goal. The other atrtibutes gained in sports or other pursuits far outweigh the other costs - it is part of the education of developing future leaders who can make this a better world.

[Coachk]

It is true if you are good enough, the college coaches will find you. My daughter played on the 2 time natl championship UMD bulldogs. She only did CODP and 1 AAA team, 1 trip to Canada and none to the East coast. I coach 2 AAA teams and I don't want players that 1, don't play other sports and 2, get pushed into AAA because of Mom and Dad. After the 2 years at UMD she was burned out, finished school, went to grad school and played open hockey at Texas a & m. She is now playing for the Robert Morris Lady Eagles in Chicago at the age of 25. She regained her passion and is having fun. Come watch them play against the Gophers in October. And enjoy the ride.

[joehockey]

It is true if you are good enough, the college coaches will find you. My daughter played on the 2 time natl championship UMD bulldogs. She only did CODP and 1 AAA team, 1 trip to Canada and none to the East coast. I coach 2 AAA teams and I don't want players that 1, don't play other sports and 2, get pushed into AAA because of Mom and Dad. After the 2 years at UMD she was burned out, finished school, went to grad school and played open hockey at Texas a & m. She is now playing for the Robert Morris Lady Eagles in Chicago at the age of 25. She regained her passion and is having fun. Come watch them play against the Gophers in October. And enjoy the ride.

Congratulations - when did your daugther play for UMD and how does she still have eligibility left - I thought you only have 5 years to play 4 once you start the clock in your first year? Should be a fun series for her to come home to MN.

[Coachk]

She played on the 2002 and 2003 teams. She stopped playing after that and still has 3 years of eligibilty left.