hockeyrube wrote:The "parent problem" seems to be a theme of late on this board - parents living vicariously thru their kids - it's kind of disgusting when you think about it. What is our hope for these young ladies - they go D1, and then what ??? There is no WNHL, and even if there were, they wouldn't be paid much. What's wrong with a kid playing HS sports for the experience and life lessons, playing some D3 or club hockey in college, while they are gaining an education that will provide them a means to make a living the rest of their lives ???
The other contributing factor to the O/E mania is AAA hockey. The high level players get to know each other thru AAA - the breeding ground for O/E. I have heard the conversations in the locker rooms at AAA events. I hope most these kids can enjoy the AAA experience, and still appreciate their hometown buddies on their HS team, even though they probably are not as skilled as the AAA teammates.
It may be worse in girls hockey than anything. Let's face it, the bar for girls hockey players is much lower than boys hockey and many other sports. Even a mere decent player's parents can entertain dreams of NDP while those in other sports and certainly in boys hockey probably cannot. Is that why many invest so heavily (emotionally and financially)? Ego? Sure. We all want success for our children. Hopefully, that's the true motivation.
Ironic isn't it, the fact we spend time on a girls HS hockey forum shows we are all guilty of being a little too obsessed doesn't it?
Also ironic that starting with AAA teams, now at U10 or younger(!), instruction/training and hi-tech equipment, one will likely spend enough on hockey to fully fund the college scholarship that is the brass ring of many.
BUT, my less cynical side knows that success in hockey, even if sometimes guided, prodded or cajoled by parents, is more often a good thing than bad for all the reasons we've come to expect. As much as we'd like to believe that all kids and locker rooms are positive, growing experiences, that is not always the case. As one can expect, unsuccessful teams might not have all players sharing the same level of effort or committment. Understand I'm not talking about unsuccessful in terms of winning/losing. My highest admiration is for coaches and players (and parents) of teams with losing records who create and maintain a positive environment.
It's understandably easier to find unity and friends in the locker room of successful teams and probably on most hand-picked AAA teams. This unity helps kids grow with positive attitudes and leadership characteristics and the higher expectations encourages them to raise their abilities further. Maybe AAA kids can bring this back to the HS locker room and use to influence others, hopefully helping their team become more successful. I have seen elite-level young players on unsucessful teams become discouraged and level off because they share little in common with many of their teammates or are not encouraged to lead; just as I've seen lessser players emerge and infuse their success to those around them. It's whatever you make of it and parents and coaches have a responsibility to channel things in the right direction. Handling it is a delicate balance. It's essential to be realistic and keep things in perspective as hockeyrube notes.
As in anything, winning makes everything easier but losing is often what teaches. Those who are given an understanding of how to help turn it around will also be in high demand later in life.
