FARGO PREDICTIONS

muckandgrind · Post by **muckandgrind** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:02 am

100percenteffort wrote:The original premise of the 98 Fire was to try and keep the 98 Machine team together. Some of the of the Machine kids opted to stay with their association and then the team was filled in with Deuce type players and the token 4 from Wisconsin. The small association factor doesn't come into play with this team because the majority of the kids are from your bigger associations ie Lakeville, Wayzata, Prior Lake etc.

I also know of players from small associations that play on various Fire teams. Like I said before, if teams like Russell-Stove and the Jr. Gamblers are allowed, than so should the Fire. Let everyone play and quit trying to pretend that we are trying to maintain an even playing field for all...when it's obvious that we aren't.

crw · Post by **crw** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:10 am

muckandgrind wrote:
crw wrote:
muckandgrind wrote: Isn't that what A teams from large associations like Edina and Wayzata are? The Fire are no more an "All-Star" team than than either of those two teams.
Wrong........the difference is the larger associations so-called all star team(A team) are all from the same city/association....your other teams like the fire aren't even all from the same city/association/or in some cases the same state...
I've already addressed that in the post above yours. My opinion stands, Edina and Wayzata A teams are "All Star" teams. They choose their top 15 out of 150-175 players, while most others choose their best 15 from 50-75 players (and in many other assocations, their pool is even smaller than 50 kids).

My son plays on an A team from an smaller association that had to move kids up to fill out the c team...I believe it was less that 50 kids trying out...We don't complain about being from a smaller association, we even go out of our way to try to schedule games against the larger so-called all star teams so the kids can gauge themselvers and we(as in parents and coaches) believe playing better compettion will only make you better...that said I believe during the hockey season play with your association (friends)....Play your AAA in the off season....I have nothing against the Fire they are a very good team, however they are playing during the YOUTH hockey season and are not all from the same association so by by rules they are an all-star(so-called) team.The larger associations that happen to have more kids to choose from are not, they are just are fortunate to have that many kids and with numbers comes talent.......the Fire can play as many games as they want to and are not restricted to the 35 game limit so call them for a scrimmage and I'm sure they will set something up with you.

crw · Post by **crw** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:21 am

Should we put all the kids in a pool and have a state wide draft to make it more even across the board....

Its not going to be even nor will it ever. The talent pool changes from season to season...

look at Edina/Wayzata they usually dominate year to year

and this year it seems to be Rosemount and Farmington as the dominate

squads.........

crw · Post by **crw** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:23 am

Its kids hockey...........anyone can beat anyone......thats why they play the games..

muckandgrind · Post by **muckandgrind** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:32 am

crw wrote:
muckandgrind wrote:
crw wrote: Wrong........the difference is the larger associations so-called all star team(A team) are all from the same city/association....your other teams like the fire aren't even all from the same city/association/or in some cases the same state...
I've already addressed that in the post above yours. My opinion stands, Edina and Wayzata A teams are "All Star" teams. They choose their top 15 out of 150-175 players, while most others choose their best 15 from 50-75 players (and in many other assocations, their pool is even smaller than 50 kids).
My son plays on an A team from an smaller association that had to move kids up to fill out the c team...I believe it was less that 50 kids trying out...We don't complain about being from a smaller association, we even go out of our way to try to schedule games against the larger so-called all star teams so the kids can gauge themselvers and we(as in parents and coaches) believe playing better compettion will only make you better...that said I believe during the hockey season play with your association (friends)....Play your AAA in the off season....I have nothing against the Fire they are a very good team, however they are playing during the YOUTH hockey season and are not all from the same association so by by rules they are an all-star(so-called) team.The larger associations that happen to have more kids to choose from are not, they are just are fortunate to have that many kids and with numbers comes talent.......the Fire can play as many games as they want to and are not restricted to the 35 game limit so call them for a scrimmage and I'm sure they will set something up with you.

Most of what you say I agree with, but it still doesn't change the fact that their is no consistent policy against AAA teams coming into Minnesota and playing in tournaments during the youth season. Their money is just as good as yours and mine and they should be allowed to play as other AAA teams are allowed.

The one thing I disagree with you on is your statement that ALL kids SHOULD play with their local associations in the winter. There are a variety of reasons why a kid should have the ability to choose to play elsewhere. They could be living within the boundaries of a horribly-run association, or the coaches may be awful, politics out of control, goes to private school outside of association boundaries so no friends within the association, don't offer teams at the level he/she should be playing at, etc.

Its kids hockey...........anyone can beat anyone......thats why they play the games..

If only that were the case, but it's not and you know it. As a general rule, the same associations rule the roost year after year. Sure, occassionally there is an exception to that rule, but that doesn't mean the rule doesn't exist.

imaloserbaby · Post by **imaloserbaby** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:42 am

muckandgrind wrote:
crw wrote:
muckandgrind wrote: I've already addressed that in the post above yours. My opinion stands, Edina and Wayzata A teams are "All Star" teams. They choose their top 15 out of 150-175 players, while most others choose their best 15 from 50-75 players (and in many other assocations, their pool is even smaller than 50 kids).
My son plays on an A team from an smaller association that had to move kids up to fill out the c team...I believe it was less that 50 kids trying out...We don't complain about being from a smaller association, we even go out of our way to try to schedule games against the larger so-called all star teams so the kids can gauge themselvers and we(as in parents and coaches) believe playing better compettion will only make you better...that said I believe during the hockey season play with your association (friends)....Play your AAA in the off season....I have nothing against the Fire they are a very good team, however they are playing during the YOUTH hockey season and are not all from the same association so by by rules they are an all-star(so-called) team.The larger associations that happen to have more kids to choose from are not, they are just are fortunate to have that many kids and with numbers comes talent.......the Fire can play as many games as they want to and are not restricted to the 35 game limit so call them for a scrimmage and I'm sure they will set something up with you.

Most of what you say I agree with, but it still doesn't change the fact that their is no consistent policy against AAA teams coming into Minnesota and playing in tournaments during the youth season. Their money is just as good as yours and mine and they should be allowed to play as other AAA teams are allowed.

The one thing I disagree with you on is your statement that ALL kids SHOULD play with their local associations in the winter. There are a variety of reasons why a kid should have the ability to choose to play elsewhere. They could be living within the boundaries of a horribly-run association, or the coaches may be awful, politics out of control, goes to private school outside of association boundaries so no friends within the association, don't offer teams at the level he/she should be playing at, etc.

Its kids hockey...........anyone can beat anyone......thats why they play the games..
If only that were the case, but it's not and you know it. As a general rule, the same associations rule the roost year after year. Sure, occassionally there is an exception to that rule, but that doesn't mean the rule doesn't exist.

Muck, funny thing is that welcome to the world of not always getting what you want - Minnesota Made, Showcase, Cyclones and Monopoly came together and shut out AAA teams from local tournaments with their Alliance and now that you (or your argument) is on the other side of the fence you don't like it! Too bad, tournaments choice to pick who they want to play so get over it!

muckandgrind · Post by **muckandgrind** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:58 am

imaloserbaby wrote:
muckandgrind wrote:
crw wrote: My son plays on an A team from an smaller association that had to move kids up to fill out the c team...I believe it was less that 50 kids trying out...We don't complain about being from a smaller association, we even go out of our way to try to schedule games against the larger so-called all star teams so the kids can gauge themselvers and we(as in parents and coaches) believe playing better compettion will only make you better...that said I believe during the hockey season play with your association (friends)....Play your AAA in the off season....I have nothing against the Fire they are a very good team, however they are playing during the YOUTH hockey season and are not all from the same association so by by rules they are an all-star(so-called) team.The larger associations that happen to have more kids to choose from are not, they are just are fortunate to have that many kids and with numbers comes talent.......the Fire can play as many games as they want to and are not restricted to the 35 game limit so call them for a scrimmage and I'm sure they will set something up with you.

Most of what you say I agree with, but it still doesn't change the fact that their is no consistent policy against AAA teams coming into Minnesota and playing in tournaments during the youth season. Their money is just as good as yours and mine and they should be allowed to play as other AAA teams are allowed.

The one thing I disagree with you on is your statement that ALL kids SHOULD play with their local associations in the winter. There are a variety of reasons why a kid should have the ability to choose to play elsewhere. They could be living within the boundaries of a horribly-run association, or the coaches may be awful, politics out of control, goes to private school outside of association boundaries so no friends within the association, don't offer teams at the level he/she should be playing at, etc.

Its kids hockey...........anyone can beat anyone......thats why they play the games..
If only that were the case, but it's not and you know it. As a general rule, the same associations rule the roost year after year. Sure, occassionally there is an exception to that rule, but that doesn't mean the rule doesn't exist.
Muck, funny thing is that welcome to the world of not always getting what you want - Minnesota Made, Showcase, Cyclones and Monopoly came together and shut out AAA teams from local tournaments with their Alliance and now that you (or your argument) is on the other side of the fence you don't like it! Too bad, tournaments choice to pick who they want to play so get over it!

Who said I was in favor of what the so-called "Alliance" did?? I don't ever recall saying that was a good thing.

imaloserbaby · Post by **imaloserbaby** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:03 am

muckandgrind wrote:
imaloserbaby wrote:
muckandgrind wrote:
Most of what you say I agree with, but it still doesn't change the fact that their is no consistent policy against AAA teams coming into Minnesota and playing in tournaments during the youth season. Their money is just as good as yours and mine and they should be allowed to play as other AAA teams are allowed.

The one thing I disagree with you on is your statement that ALL kids SHOULD play with their local associations in the winter. There are a variety of reasons why a kid should have the ability to choose to play elsewhere. They could be living within the boundaries of a horribly-run association, or the coaches may be awful, politics out of control, goes to private school outside of association boundaries so no friends within the association, don't offer teams at the level he/she should be playing at, etc.
If only that were the case, but it's not and you know it. As a general rule, the same associations rule the roost year after year. Sure, occassionally there is an exception to that rule, but that doesn't mean the rule doesn't exist.
Muck, funny thing is that welcome to the world of not always getting what you want - Minnesota Made, Showcase, Cyclones and Monopoly came together and shut out AAA teams from local tournaments with their Alliance and now that you (or your argument) is on the other side of the fence you don't like it! Too bad, tournaments choice to pick who they want to play so get over it!
Who said I was in favor of what the so-called "Alliance" did?? I don't ever recall saying that was a good thing.

Guilty by association. And, people can stop saying "so-called" Alliance - it is in play and real so stop trivializing by inserting the "so-called" prefix.

My_Kid_Loves_Hockey · Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:10 am

Hey wo cares why, the tournament is set and the kids have to play the teams the organizers selected. It should be exciting, those that are in enjoy the experience.

crw · Post by **crw** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:12 am

My_Kid_Loves_Hockey wrote:Hey wo cares why, the tournament is set and the kids have to play the teams the organizers selected. It should be exciting, those that are in enjoy the experience.

I Agree

muckandgrind · Post by **muckandgrind** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:19 am

imaloserbaby wrote:
muckandgrind wrote:
imaloserbaby wrote: Muck, funny thing is that welcome to the world of not always getting what you want - Minnesota Made, Showcase, Cyclones and Monopoly came together and shut out AAA teams from local tournaments with their Alliance and now that you (or your argument) is on the other side of the fence you don't like it! Too bad, tournaments choice to pick who they want to play so get over it!
Who said I was in favor of what the so-called "Alliance" did?? I don't ever recall saying that was a good thing.
Guilty by association. And, people can stop saying "so-called" Alliance - it is in play and real so stop trivializing by inserting the "so-called" prefix.

"Guilty by association"??? How do you figure?? Do you have me confused with someone else?

imaloserbaby · Post by **imaloserbaby** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:04 pm

muckandgrind wrote:
imaloserbaby wrote:
muckandgrind wrote: Who said I was in favor of what the so-called "Alliance" did?? I don't ever recall saying that was a good thing.
Guilty by association. And, people can stop saying "so-called" Alliance - it is in play and real so stop trivializing by inserting the "so-called" prefix.
"Guilty by association"??? How do you figure?? Do you have me confused with someone else?

My bad on the connection to MM - I had you confused with DuckDuckQuackQuack.

flattop · Post by **flattop** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:09 pm

What has happened to playing for the old home town? I am all in flavor of if you leave,your gone. Why come back when it is time for high school and take a spot from a kid who is loyal to the program. You left because the talent at home wasn't good enough for your kid but now they are...hum. Edina will be Edina and Wayzata will be Wayzata, they are bigger and alway will be. Isn't that part of the fun when you can knock off the big guys? Is nice to see the Rosemounts and Farmingtons this year giving the big guys a run for their money. GO HOMETOWNS.

iwearmysunglassesatnight · Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:09 pm

"Guilty by association"??? How do you figure?? Do you have me confused with someone else?[/quote]

My bad on the connection to MM - I had you confused with DuckDuckQuackQuack.[/quote]

Ouch... the former Boogerman / DuckQuack appears to have bred JudgeandJury

goinbardown · Post by **goinbardown** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 9:24 pm

do we have any idea how the Farmington vs. Tonka scrimmage went?

NoExcuses · Post by **NoExcuses** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:23 pm

goinbardown wrote:do we have any idea how the Farmington vs. Tonka scrimmage went?

Farmington 4 or 5
Tonka 1

defense · Post by **defense** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 2:17 pm

imaloserbaby wrote:Historically, how good have the Fargo Flyers been at the SqA level? Anyone know if they are good this year?

Generally they play good "system" hockey. That's all I got.

itsjustkidshockey · Post by **itsjustkidshockey** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:03 am

defense wrote:
imaloserbaby wrote:Historically, how good have the Fargo Flyers been at the SqA level? Anyone know if they are good this year?
Generally they play good "system" hockey. That's all I got.

Did anybody hear or see how the Farmington vs Edina controlled scrimmage went yesterday?

HogwartsW&W · Post by **HogwartsW&W** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:26 am

Wayzata or Edina.

Judgeandjury · Post by **Judgeandjury** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:39 pm

flattop wrote:What has happened to playing for the old home town? I am all in flavor of if you leave,your gone. Why come back when it is time for high school and take a spot from a kid who is loyal to the program. You left because the talent at home wasn't good enough for your kid but now they are...hum. Edina will be Edina and Wayzata will be Wayzata, they are bigger and alway will be. Isn't that part of the fun when you can knock off the big guys? Is nice to see the Rosemounts and Farmingtons this year giving the big guys a run for their money. GO HOMETOWNS.

Flattop- You're right! Edina is Edina. They're a great association. So great in fact that they have plenty of kids that are playing with the Fire and at Minnesota made.
You know what? Every one of these kids will be back playing for Edina some time soon. Why? Because association hockey is nothing more than recreational hockey in Mites and Squirts. Once the kids get to be peewee age or higher = more practices and more games.
Wayzata? Sure they have a good association. Once they ever do anything in high school let me know we can talk. Oh yah! I forgot just like every other high school the kids bail to attend private schools. I guess there goes your loyalty to the association and community theory.

There are no rules that players cannot take a leave of absence for a few years. I'm so sick of hearing people from our association say how good our high school team would be if we had all the kids that left for private schools. WAKE UP! Kids and families should do what's best for their situation. I'm not sure why others are so worried about it?

itsjustkidshockey · Post by **itsjustkidshockey** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:18 pm

Judgeandjury wrote:
flattop wrote:What has happened to playing for the old home town? I am all in flavor of if you leave,your gone. Why come back when it is time for high school and take a spot from a kid who is loyal to the program. You left because the talent at home wasn't good enough for your kid but now they are...hum. Edina will be Edina and Wayzata will be Wayzata, they are bigger and alway will be. Isn't that part of the fun when you can knock off the big guys? Is nice to see the Rosemounts and Farmingtons this year giving the big guys a run for their money. GO HOMETOWNS.
Flattop- You're right! Edina is Edina. They're a great association. So great in fact that they have plenty of kids that are playing with the Fire and at Minnesota made.
You know what? Every one of these kids will be back playing for Edina some time soon. Why? Because association hockey is nothing more than recreational hockey in Mites and Squirts. Once the kids get to be peewee age or higher = more practices and more games.
Wayzata? Sure they have a good association. Once they ever do anything in high school let me know we can talk. Oh yah! I forgot just like every other high school the kids bail to attend private schools. I guess there goes your loyalty to the association and community theory.

There are no rules that players cannot take a leave of absence for a few years. I'm so sick of hearing people from our association say how good our high school team would be if we had all the kids that left for private schools. WAKE UP! Kids and families should do what's best for their situation. I'm not sure why others are so worried about it?

I think what you're missing out on J&J is pride in your community. Something that used to exist when hockey was more focused on developing skills and local camaraderie among athletes instead of fathers egos and vicarious existence through their children. MN Made, AAA, WI Fire all the way up to forfeiting a Sr. year for juniors are all examples of tremendous parental egos who think they are doing the best for their child, when in reality they are doing it to say to their friends that their son is skating for the this team or that team when in reality the kid just wants to skate with his friends.

Bottom line is that there is no perfect solution and there are no rules to developing skills and prohibiting "taking a couple years off to play elsewhere" - although I wish there was. Until then I wish the parents who choose to control what's best for their situation would keep their kids out of association hockey forever - It's not fair to bring them back when they get passed up with their Elite programs. Either play association hockey or stay away forever. As the saying goes in Edina, you can't have your cake and eat it to.

muckandgrind · Post by **muckandgrind** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:23 pm

itsjustkidshockey wrote:
Judgeandjury wrote:
flattop wrote:What has happened to playing for the old home town? I am all in flavor of if you leave,your gone. Why come back when it is time for high school and take a spot from a kid who is loyal to the program. You left because the talent at home wasn't good enough for your kid but now they are...hum. Edina will be Edina and Wayzata will be Wayzata, they are bigger and alway will be. Isn't that part of the fun when you can knock off the big guys? Is nice to see the Rosemounts and Farmingtons this year giving the big guys a run for their money. GO HOMETOWNS.
Flattop- You're right! Edina is Edina. They're a great association. So great in fact that they have plenty of kids that are playing with the Fire and at Minnesota made.
You know what? Every one of these kids will be back playing for Edina some time soon. Why? Because association hockey is nothing more than recreational hockey in Mites and Squirts. Once the kids get to be peewee age or higher = more practices and more games.
Wayzata? Sure they have a good association. Once they ever do anything in high school let me know we can talk. Oh yah! I forgot just like every other high school the kids bail to attend private schools. I guess there goes your loyalty to the association and community theory.

There are no rules that players cannot take a leave of absence for a few years. I'm so sick of hearing people from our association say how good our high school team would be if we had all the kids that left for private schools. WAKE UP! Kids and families should do what's best for their situation. I'm not sure why others are so worried about it?
I think what you're missing out on J&J is pride in your community. Something that used to exist when hockey was more focused on developing skills and local camaraderie among athletes instead of fathers egos and vicarious existence through their children. MN Made, AAA, WI Fire all the way up to forfeiting a Sr. year for juniors are all examples of tremendous parental egos who think they are doing the best for their child, when in reality they are doing it to say to their friends that their son is skating for the this team or that team when in reality the kid just wants to skate with his friends.

Bottom line is that there is no perfect solution and there are no rules to developing skills and prohibiting "taking a couple years off to play elsewhere" - although I wish there was. Until then I wish the parents who choose to control what's best for their situation would keep their kids out of association hockey forever - It's not fair to bring them back when they get passed up with their Elite programs. Either play association hockey or stay away forever. As the saying goes in Edina, you can't have your cake and eat it to.

There are so many things wrong with this post, I don't even know where to begin. Maybe it's how judgemental you come off as, maybe it's how pretentious you seem, I'm not sure. But it's people like you who love to pass judgement on eithers and claim that you know best what is for their kids that makes me sick. If a kid wants to play elsewhere, good for them. If he or she wants to come back, good for them. You worry about you and yours and let others worry about them and theirs. It's not always about the parent's ego, as you claim. There could be a myriad of reasons why these decisions are made.

We live in a free and open society and families should be allowed to decide where they want their kids playing hockey, just as they can decide which high school to send their kids.

You need to get off the high horse.

itsjustkidshockey · Post by **itsjustkidshockey** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:54 pm

muckandgrind wrote:
itsjustkidshockey wrote:
Judgeandjury wrote: Flattop- You're right! Edina is Edina. They're a great association. So great in fact that they have plenty of kids that are playing with the Fire and at Minnesota made.
You know what? Every one of these kids will be back playing for Edina some time soon. Why? Because association hockey is nothing more than recreational hockey in Mites and Squirts. Once the kids get to be peewee age or higher = more practices and more games.
Wayzata? Sure they have a good association. Once they ever do anything in high school let me know we can talk. Oh yah! I forgot just like every other high school the kids bail to attend private schools. I guess there goes your loyalty to the association and community theory.

There are no rules that players cannot take a leave of absence for a few years. I'm so sick of hearing people from our association say how good our high school team would be if we had all the kids that left for private schools. WAKE UP! Kids and families should do what's best for their situation. I'm not sure why others are so worried about it?
I think what you're missing out on J&J is pride in your community. Something that used to exist when hockey was more focused on developing skills and local camaraderie among athletes instead of fathers egos and vicarious existence through their children. MN Made, AAA, WI Fire all the way up to forfeiting a Sr. year for juniors are all examples of tremendous parental egos who think they are doing the best for their child, when in reality they are doing it to say to their friends that their son is skating for the this team or that team when in reality the kid just wants to skate with his friends.

Bottom line is that there is no perfect solution and there are no rules to developing skills and prohibiting "taking a couple years off to play elsewhere" - although I wish there was. Until then I wish the parents who choose to control what's best for their situation would keep their kids out of association hockey forever - It's not fair to bring them back when they get passed up with their Elite programs. Either play association hockey or stay away forever. As the saying goes in Edina, you can't have your cake and eat it to.
There are so many things wrong with this post, I don't even know where to begin. Maybe it's how judgemental you are, maybe it's how pretentious you are, I'm not sure. But it's people like you who love to pass judgement on eithers and claim that you know best what is for their kids that makes me sick. If a kid wants to play elsewhere, good for them. If he or she wants to come back, good for them. You worry about you and yours and let others worry about them and theirs. It's not always about the parent's ego, as you claim. There could be a myriad of reasons why these decisions are made.

We live in a free and open society and families should be allowed to decide where they want their kids playing hockey, just as they can decide which high school to send their kids.

You need to get off the high horse.

M&G I've been reading your posts for some time now and my horse in no where near as high as yours.

My post has nothing to do with being pretentious, it has everything to do with the kids. I want you to convince me with specifics how it's beneficial at the Squirt level to pull kids from their friends and community to put them in another program rather than site generalities like we live in a free country. You and I both know it's not about the kids - it's about the parents. That's not passing judgement, it's called reality. Parents pay the bills, parents push the kids, parents push the coach, parents aren't happy - parents leave until they find the grass is not greener on the other side and then want to come back.

I want to add that I have no problem if a "family" chooses in our free society to have their child play elsewhere then good for them. Commit to that until they get to high school since it's so much better for the the "family" than the association.

And unlike youth hockey, you can't choose what high school you play for unless the parents are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the "family" and move to the district in which they want their child play. High school rules mandate that a player sit out one year when transferring schools unless they move to within school boundaries.

My point was simple - when our association plays a high profile team or one of our close rivals, the kids can take pride in playing for the hometown with their friends and classmates. Develop the community and these kids grow together.

I agree with flattop - Go Hometown.

thunderwolf · Post by **thunderwolf** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:08 am

How did the Fargo predictions thread become another association vs independent program discussion.

How have teams from further states traditionally done in this tournament?

muckandgrind · Post by **muckandgrind** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 6:53 am

itsjustkidshockey wrote:
muckandgrind wrote:
itsjustkidshockey wrote: I think what you're missing out on J&J is pride in your community. Something that used to exist when hockey was more focused on developing skills and local camaraderie among athletes instead of fathers egos and vicarious existence through their children. MN Made, AAA, WI Fire all the way up to forfeiting a Sr. year for juniors are all examples of tremendous parental egos who think they are doing the best for their child, when in reality they are doing it to say to their friends that their son is skating for the this team or that team when in reality the kid just wants to skate with his friends.

Bottom line is that there is no perfect solution and there are no rules to developing skills and prohibiting "taking a couple years off to play elsewhere" - although I wish there was. Until then I wish the parents who choose to control what's best for their situation would keep their kids out of association hockey forever - It's not fair to bring them back when they get passed up with their Elite programs. Either play association hockey or stay away forever. As the saying goes in Edina, you can't have your cake and eat it to.
There are so many things wrong with this post, I don't even know where to begin. Maybe it's how judgemental you are, maybe it's how pretentious you are, I'm not sure. But it's people like you who love to pass judgement on eithers and claim that you know best what is for their kids that makes me sick. If a kid wants to play elsewhere, good for them. If he or she wants to come back, good for them. You worry about you and yours and let others worry about them and theirs. It's not always about the parent's ego, as you claim. There could be a myriad of reasons why these decisions are made.

We live in a free and open society and families should be allowed to decide where they want their kids playing hockey, just as they can decide which high school to send their kids.

You need to get off the high horse.
M&G I've been reading your posts for some time now and my horse in no where near as high as yours.

My post has nothing to do with being pretentious, it has everything to do with the kids. I want you to convince me with specifics how it's beneficial at the Squirt level to pull kids from their friends and community to put them in another program rather than site generalities like we live in a free country. You and I both know it's not about the kids - it's about the parents. That's not passing judgement, it's called reality. Parents pay the bills, parents push the kids, parents push the coach, parents aren't happy - parents leave until they find the grass is not greener on the other side and then want to come back.

I want to add that I have no problem if a "family" chooses in our free society to have their child play elsewhere then good for them. Commit to that until they get to high school since it's so much better for the the "family" than the association.

And unlike youth hockey, you can't choose what high school you play for unless the parents are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the "family" and move to the district in which they want their child play. High school rules mandate that a player sit out one year when transferring schools unless they move to within school boundaries.

My point was simple - when our association plays a high profile team or one of our close rivals, the kids can take pride in playing for the hometown with their friends and classmates. Develop the community and these kids grow together.

I agree with flattop - Go Hometown.

Once again, you're wrong. You don't have to sit out a year UNLESS you transfer high schools AFTER your freshmen year. Even if you transfer during or after your freshman year, you can still play JV during that year because that rule is for varsity players only. But you can enroll in any high school in this state before your freshman year and not have to sit out due to OPEN ENROLLMENT.

I want you to convince me with specifics how it's beneficial at the Squirt level to pull kids from their friends and community to put them in another program

I disagree with your premise here. Who says kids are being pulled from their friends? What if they have few, if any, friends who play in the local association? What if the kid has friends who play for the other program instead? What if the kid would like to make new friends as well? Besides, I don't have to convince you of anything. Personally, I don't care. If a family wants to send their child to play for the Fire or wherever, I say "it's their decision" and I leave it at that. I won't pass judgement on them and feed them a baloney line like "what they are doing will damage their son or daughter in ways they don't even know".

You say it's "everything about the kids", huh? You don't call THAT pretentious?

(Excuse me while I vomit all over my keyboard, but that little saying ("it's about the kids") is probably one of the most overused cliches in youth hockey.) How can you possibly claim that you know what is best for other people's kids? How do you know these kids who go to the Fire don't have friends on those teams as well? Are you saying that they can ONLY have friends that have the same zip code as they do? Also, have you considered that some kids don't go to school in their own community and don't have that same pull to play for the local association that you claim they must have? How abou the kids who go to private schools outside of their local school districts, so naturally most of their friends ALSO live outside of their local hockey association boundaries?

Following your logic, I suppose it's also your opinion that ALL kids must show loyalty and attend local schools even if the education is inferior to another school outside the district, because it should be ALL about "hometown" and attending school with your local buddies, huh?

If it's "all about the kids" as you say, and if it's the evil parents making them play hockey elsewhere, as you claim....then answer me this question, why would you propose that a rule be enacted that would prevent these kids from returning to their associations if they come to realize that their parents weren't acting in their best interests (as you also claim)? Isn't that kind of like punishing the child twice for a "crime" they didn't commit? If it's the parent's fault, why would you bar the child from playing? Isn't it supposed "to be about the kids"??? I would love to see you answer that question.

Me on the proverbial high horse? Nah, unlike you, I'm not going to pass judgement on others for the family decisions they make.

Back to the topic....when are the brackets for this tournament due to be released? Or have they already?

HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

FARGO PREDICTIONS

Wayzata Or Edina