More Hockey Time

Okay, I have to confess, as much as I love watching N play hockey, this schedule is wreaking havoc on our lives, especially with the market et al. I have zero reservations about it, and want N to move to the next level (if he wishes it) because he’s good and he loves it, but man is hockey a time commitment. It really demands a lot of the kids and parents alike, but maybe that’s the only way they make it to the NHL.

The camp starts out at 8:30, but as I mentioned, people are there way before that. Some of them have to drive an hour to get there. When 8:30 rolls around the kids are suited up and ready to hit the ice. Once the camp starts, they don’t mess around, and are working hard from the get-go. They really teach them the cold hard facts, and you can see where all the skills come in because they really work out there. They get a couple of breaks, and by the end, the kids are pretty worked out. I can see N is sweating and tired, but man does he look good out there, and he’s having a blast. Then A&N want to do the free skate, which takes up another 1.5 hours. By the end, the day is pretty much done, and then we often have activities in the afternoon. Life is crazy for the modern parent, especially once you get into the hockey scene.

The first few days were pretty easy going with the a small group of kids and parents. The coaches even said that the class would grow on Wednesday because that’s when certain schools got out. I later learned that these were the Hanover and Norwich schools, where the kids don’t mess around, or should I say, the parents don’t mess around.

On Wednesday’s camp, the rest of the kids showed up, and I can’t even begin to tell you how good some of these kids were. They were amazing, skating like pros. It was pretty impressive, if not a little disconcerting. Clearly these kids have been in the program for some time. I’m sure you see a lot of the same kids on the ski racing teams, along with their intense but supportive parents.

Once they took the ice, there was no competing with them. They grouped the kids according to skill levels, which was good because N could be with kids more his speed. I think he may be the only one out there who is playing hockey for the first time. I came to this conclusion after talking to the other parents, and got the impression that all of them have prior hockey experience. As I mentioned, N has some catching up to do, but he’s doing great.

The coaches are very encouraging, and I’d like to investigate getting him into a league in the Fall. I think he could do well, but am not sure we want him to be as intense as some of these big city pros. They really are on the program, and it shows in their level of play. Also, like skiing, you see why Ivy Leagues schools have such great hockey programs, because hockey is expensive, and to get to the upper echelons, it takes a considerable financial commitment on the part of mom and dad. This is not as much of a problem in Hanover/Norwich or Woodstock.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Mario Alberto Magallanes Trejo for the pic.