All good things must come to an end....I only say this because it's been a LONG Winter!! But an exciting one....
My kids Hockey House league is coming to an end this weekend and all THREE of them are playing in the final games!
My youngest child's team was pretty much last all year BUT these kids turned around and have developed into such great players! Let's not forget they're only 5 and 6 years old though. Last weekend was the first time I saw my youngest son come off the ice with the saddest face - it broke my heart. He said "mom, we're not going to get a trophy." He usually gets off the ice and says "do I get a treat? I listened to my coaches, I skated so hard and it was so much fun!"
Those are the THREE things I tell each of my kids before each game.
1) Listen to your coaches
2) Skate Hard
3) Have fun!
And that'll never change...
To the parents that tell their kids how great or terrible the team their up against I have to ask "what's wrong with you?" Don't you remember walking into your first interview or competing in a race feeling like you were going to lose and not get the job?
Just let these kids have fun and enjoy the experience and after the fact say "you played a great game, they were a tough team BUT you played your hardest and you did so well!" Putting fear or negativity into them isn't going to make them work harder, its going to make them give up easier!
This I have to say was the hardest year as a parent when it came to organized sports and having our kids all in hockey and both on two teams. We endured players with poor sportsmanship, parents who weren't happy with coaching, teams being stacked with all the best players, kids being granted goals/assists that they didn't get, kids that didn't play fairly and a lot of BAD attitude. Wondering where a lot of this stems from? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...
But this year we also got the opportunity to have fantastic coaches that VOLUNTEER their time, which means they take their own time to teach your kid how to play fair, skate hard, meet new parents, go away to a tournament all the way to OSHAWA as a family, my kid got a ride in a limo to her game, a medal for being "player of the game". We also won a tournament and a HUGE trophy on my husband's Birthday!!I think secretly he was the happiest kid on the team. We've had parents open their restaurant doors to our kids and families, mom's who went out frantically to buy gifts for the team and I have to say we've eaten a whole lot of crappy food in a frenzy to get to the next game while our kids fell asleep on the way to their games!!
I think the best part of this year was watching my kids skate outside of the arena on a beautiful rink built by "just dad's" having fun and doing something for their kids and their community. Half the time we weren't in an arena this winter, my kids were skating...just having fun....
So as this season comes to an end, all I can say is don't forget to Thank all your coaches for their time, team spirit, sportsmanship, teaching our kids to play as a team, respect for others and teaching them that its not all about winning but having fun and working together as a team to excel, develop and become a better team player.
I know I'll be the mom that'll be sitting in an arena for 3 back to back games this weekend cheering ALL my kids and YOURS because no matter the outcome you guys have come so far and you should be proud of yourself!!!
Skate Hard, Play Hard and have fun!!
