YHH: Letter to the Editor "A case for the ADM"

[Ready2GoYet]

I am certainly not against skill development, but the over-emphasis is having a negative effect on smaller, out-state associations. When you struggle with small numbers to start with, recruitment and retention have to be number 1 priority, period, or your association shrinks, and you don't have enough teams to allow your local rink to stay afloat or it becomes too big a financial drain on the city or county. If you keep losing kids because they are not having FUN (and for the younger ones, that means going to other towns and playing other teams, at the mite level), the numbers drop as they go play basketball, or swim, or wrestle, or whatever else. It's tough to have an in-house mite league when you only have two mite teams of 12 kids. Mn Hockey needs to stop looking at everyone the same, we don't all have the numbers of a Wayzata or OMG Association.

[Welcome to the Gongshow]

Zach Parise and all of the current NHL Players NEVER skated in the ADM program or ANY of the Current Varsity High School and NCAA Players.

This is USA HOCKEY needing to change things so these idiots can keep their jobs.

[O-townClown]

Zach Parise and all of the current NHL Players NEVER skated in the ADM program or ANY of the Current Varsity High School and NCAA Players.

It's interesting that you'd see things that way. Many of the present NHL players focused on broad-based skill development through repetition at young ages, nurturing of general athleticism through multiple activities before puberty, and intense training as a teenager. How that means ALL players NEVER doesn't seem accurate.

The guidelines spelled out in the American Development Model are there because many professional hockey players went down a similar path.

Like Bode Miller and the Williams sisters, if people don't like the recommendations from the NGB for a sport there are other ways to work on one's game.

[YouthHockeyHub]

We got a response back from the original letter to the editor last week. The guy is from Apple Valley and had some great points about building a successful program. Both Pro ADM and against. Very well written.

http://www.youthhockeyhub.com/letter-to ... le-valley/


Enjoy,

TS

[Redarmy19]

We got a response back from the original letter to the editor last week. The guy is from Apple Valley and had some great points about building a successful program. Both Pro ADM and against. Very well written.

http://www.youthhockeyhub.com/letter-to ... le-valley/


Enjoy,

TS

Best written commentary I've seen on the subject so far. Nicely done.

[wannagototherink]

This is just my opinion, I'm sure it won't be popular.

I think there needs to be a total overhaul of the Minnesota Hockey Board. I don't want to insinuate that the current board is evil by any means. A lot of those guys have donated countless hours to help the youth of this state and better the game of hockey in our state. The problem is, if you look at that board, a majority of those guys have been doing it for the last 10-20 years. There are almost never any new ideas and quite frankly it seems like there is only 4 or 5 district directors that have ALL the power. (Example how the AA/A league ended up being NOTHING like it was originally intended). I have attended 3 Minnesota Hockey Meetings in the last 7 years, and to be honest it was like watching the movie "Groundhog Day". This is how it appears to an outsider, a bunch of old friends getting together, 60% good to see you again, 35% back slapping and ego stroking, 2.5% productive, 2.5% making sure they have covered their butts. Again, this is just my perception from what I've observed.

If you truly want change or at the very least equal representation throughout the state, then the change needs to start with the people making the decisions.

[O-townClown]

If you truly want change or at the very least equal representation throughout the state, then the change needs to start with the people making the decisions.

Great post. You're right, to change things markedly there need to be new people. I guess that's where that idea hits quicksand. Some people think nothing needs to change and others wish the MAHA board would just get out of everyone's way.

It's like the we-need-to-vote-everyone-out in Washington theory. Sounds possible, but it can't work like that.