Featured Blog: Busting Youth Hockey Myth #8 - Your Player Will Skate!

School buses are running their routes, the leaves are beginning to turn and the State Fair has come and gone. All signs that summer is also coming to a conclusion and that winter will soon be here.

The Roseville Area Hockey Association will be holding its annual registration on Sunday Sept. 9 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday Sept. 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 pp.m. The event will happen in the Olympic room of the Roseville Ice Arena. More detailed information can be found at www.rosevillehockey.org.

There is little in life quite as rewarding as introducing a kid to something they will love for the rest of their lives. Hockey is one of those joys.  But as a board member, and as a parent that has always been approachable, I hear a lot of questions about hockey – “Why should their kid sign up, what is the cost” etc.  I have learned that there is one consistent – there is a lot of misinformation about youth hockey. In the days leading to registration, I will list and debunk the top 10 myths of youth hockey.

Hockey is a great sport. Don’t let bad information keep you from enjoying it!

Today’s myth “#8 My Kid is not very good, and will never skate as the good players who get all the ice time."

Baloney!

RAYHA actually has a “Fair Play” policy.  Specifically speaking, The Roseville Area Youth Hockey Association Handbook reads “RAYHA Board policy is for all players to play as evenly as possible…. Lines should be rotated so there are no set first, second and third lines.”  In real life, that translates to meaning that at the end of the game kids should have seen approximately the same amount of ice time, same opportunities etc.

There are a couple of reasons for this. One is the most accomplished skater’s parents, and the least accomplished skater’s parents paid the same amount to see their little shaver play.

More importantly than the cash equity factor is that every kid develops at a different rate. If a kid never gets to play, how can she/he develop into a stronger player? If the top kids get all the ice time, by the end of the season the talent gap only widens, and it is not a fun time for anyone.

Not every association follows a policy like “Fair Play.”  Roseville is a leader in developing every player. Ironically, Minnesota Coach-In-Chief Hal Tearse just published an article on the very same topic, title “Cold Dry Hands”. It is worth a read - http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0030/7281/Cold_Dry_Hands.pdf

So your player regardless of ability will get a lot of playing time. The neat thing is that the more ice time they get, the more their skills get developed, the better it is for everyone involved!

It is a lot of fun to watch your child learn and grow. Don’t miss it!