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Post by Rusty on Aug 25, 2002 0:17:02 GMT -5
;D
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Post by Leafs_Pam on Aug 25, 2002 19:28:14 GMT -5
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Post by tyorke on Sept 19, 2002 3:51:31 GMT -5
Capital Leafy makes a good point.
If any of you that reads this lives in Toronto, you'll know that in downtown T.O. there's a horrible place called Regent Park and its surroundings like Queen & Sherbourne area. I truly believe that's where the city dumps its 'garbage'.
But in that very same corner there's a local hockey rink: Moss Park Arena. The LAST free minor league in Toronto (incredible isn't it? with all the money there is in this supposedly great city)
It's discouraging but at the same time admirable to see some parents, who at times, they're clearly strung out on something (not uncommon in this neighbourhood) bring in their kids every Saturday morning to play hockey. That's as far as the admirable part goes.
What's discouraging is seeing these kids use some beat up equipment to play because daddy spent the last welfare cheque on booze.
Also, like people have already mentioned, some of these kids are really really good. Good enough to go a lot further than playing up to the age limit. To play in more advanced leagues requires money, sadly; and some of these kids simply can't afford $400 in registration fees plus new equipment. Not in this neighbourhood anyway.
Not all hope is lost however. Me and my friend coach one of these teams called the Rangers and at the end of the year we both chip in $400 each ($800 total) out of our own pockets to send one kid, our team's MVP to further develop himself by playing in elite leagues.
We all have to start taking action and send those financially deprived children up the hockey ladder. I truly believe that next Wayne Grezky is one of those kids who can't afford a new pair of skates but we may never get to see him because we've suddenly lost focus on what are rights and priviledges. For example, hockey should be a right, not a luxury.
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Post by freshwind on Sept 19, 2002 5:21:15 GMT -5
I agree that there has to be changes. I have coached a couple of kids over the last few years that come from families that don't have the $$ to consider AAA hockey.
We've been kind of pushing them to work at school, stay in great shape, and there are people around who can help you with a potential scholarship. Hockey can still pay off for some of these kids. One of them I truly believe is going to do it. He's one of those kids you coach in peewee and you see him as a major midget and he smiles and still calls you coach. It makes those early mornings worthwhile if as you say, thay one or 2 kids get that shot.
How do we ensure more do?
We need the game changed from the very top echelons. I know 4 kids who played AAA hockey that are 1st year midgets and have quit because they are burned out. Their school habits aren't very good because the schedule took up most of your time. My 2 kids in high school arre honour students, and if they played rep sports(they both turned down invites for hockey and basketball respectively) I think their marks would suffer big time.
A friend at work's son is playing his 5th year of rep. He's in grade 8. His schedule the last 2 weeks?
Monday - practice
Tuesday - game
Wednesday - game
Thursday - day off
Friday - miss school / travel for tourney
Saturday Sunday - games -5
Monday - day off
Tuesday Wednesday - practice
Thursday - game
Friday - off
Saturday - game
Sunday - game
Anyone that believes this is healthy for a kid in grade 8, preparing for high school has me scratching my head. Add in the average of $300-350 per month they spend on hockey and we sure don't seem to get it do we?
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Post by cranapple on Jan 4, 2003 12:08:14 GMT -5
I am familiar with moss park as a housing project that T.O. established many year.s ago but didn't know they had an arena in fact, going back to the early 70s, they where not on our ref. circuit. Question, are you now seeing 2nd generation kids in that area now? I do not know of a hockey assoc. that has a hockey moms group who will not help kids with equip. in fact I know a group in London who loan goalie pads . Now F.W., here we go. I think I mentioned that I once pulled my son out of a real big high school tourney because of bad marks in a certain class and going to the tourney he would have missed a couple of classes in the one that he got the fail mark in. Now he was in 11 at the time. A good hockey player but in 11, was still not set in a position on the team but took a reg. shift. The coach was mad at me as well as his "buds" but I felt for his own good at that time in his education that it was necesary. Now, we have already gone through the 3 A stuff by this time. I really knew that he was limited because of size , 5' 9 and around 160 so he was looking at jr."D"( offered already) and maybe "B" but that was it so the education thing was paramount, now it really was a time thing, a 3 A player in grade 8 to-day is a pretty good player. A parent has to take a look at what the future holds, like a class room , if he is good at math, lets look at business courses, but he is real good at hockey, and at grade 8 (13 or14?) you sure as hell can tell if you have a good one especially if he is already playing 3 A and should hockey be treated as another course and should the player be given the opportunity to work at it.Money well spent, just like a college course. Staying academically sound and still treating it as a sport is hard for a parent and will "shake out" by the time the boy hits 15. He will know by his body size and hockey progression(draft and coaches calling plus invites,) if he should be allowed to go that extra step at the same time maintaining a decent scholastic standing which has to be preached. The decisions are hard to make especially for the narrow minded parent but will happen . All we as parents can do is make it available . Getting back to T.O. , when I was around there ,there where so many player starved teams that no matter where a player was , if a coach heard about him , he would go and look at him. Brings to mind a "D" from scarborough that was hustled by a team in halton and his home team wouldn't let him go so his parents boarded him and that still didn't work so they turned him into a jr. at ,I think , 14 so he could stay in halton. I still can't figure out why because he had the same at home . I would guess it was a parent/ assoc. clash but don't know.
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