What better time to talk about hockey than in August? Even though it’s the heat of summer, many kids are cooling off on the ice and VolunteerSpot’s simple online sign up sheets provide a terrific tool for coordinating snacks and parent helpers for all kinds of youth sports teams and tournaments. (Make sure to check out our free eBook: Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids on Teams for fresh ideas on team snacks!) In that vein, please welcome hockey mom and guest blogger, Judi Cogen. Judi cools down the dog days of summer for us as she shares tips on how to make hockey season a success. Thanks Judi!
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Top Ten Tips for Surviving Hockey Season
By Judi Cogen
Hockey moms are tough. We sit in bitter cold
arenas watching opposing teams try to damage our children. We invest in
cars the size of Canada to lug equipment bigger than the child from
rink to rink. We endure frostbite and penalty calls equally. Mostly, we
say a silent prayer of thanks each time the child comes off the ice
with most important bodily parts intact.
Here are my Top Ten Tips for Surviving Hockey Season as the parent of a player.
With a special bonus Top Ten Hints for Surviving as a Player.
Tips For Parents:
1. Wear the same kinds of outfits as the guys who climb Kilimanjaro. Then bring a blankets (preferably one to sit on and one to cover your legs). Don't forget the little chemical packets that warm up when you smack them.
2. Invest in an industrial size bottle of Fabreeze. Better yet, make it a case. I thought soccer bags got a little ripe, but soccer bags have nothing on stinky boy hockey stuff.
3. Find a portable hobby. What with the kid having to be there over an hour before the game starts and then the showering and packing up after the game, there is a fair amount of wait time. Do your waiting in the area outside the rink where it will only be very chilly rather than stupid cold. Bringing something to entertain yourself (and any small children you may have brought with you) goes a long way toward making the time more enjoyable.
4. Hockey has often been defined as a fight in which an occasional game breaks out. Fortunately, it is not nearly as vicious in High School-except in the stands. Seriously? These are kids. Back off and enjoy the game.
5. If you haven't already learned it, figure out the best way to get from your rink to the Emergency room. Be nice to the doctors, as over the next few years you are likely to be there more than once. (Corollary: If you are there so often they know you by name, you might consider encouraging the kid to switch to a nice safe sport, like boxing.)
6. Hockey rink food is pretty bad. And generally all you can say for the coffee is that it is more or less hot. Plan accordingly.
7. Many High School hockey teams have a variety of players. Don't say "But you're a GIRL!" when you meet Chris the Goalie.
8. Turns out, much to my surprise, that referees are human too. They make mistakes. Shouldn't happen, but it does. Disparaging their eyesight or casting aspersions on their ancestry is annoying, rude, and teaches our kids the wrong things. Kindly remember that there are siblings in the stands.
9. Cheering for your team is good. Booing the opponents is bad. Cow bells are fine. Fog horns should earn you a one-way ticket to the penalty box (these are not professional size arenas, folks!).
10. The most difficult position in hockey is MotherOfTheGoalie and she might be sitting near you. Try to remember that if the puck gets to the net, someone else on the team either didn't do their job or got beaten. Phrases like, "Oh, come ON, you gotta get those!" are neither useful nor informative. Guaranteed the goalie did not let the puck in on purpose.
Reminders for Players:
1. Looking at the latest in NHL level equipment is not a substitute for getting your homework done.
2. The front hallway is not an acceptable storage area for hockey equipment. And stacking your equipment neatly so that it conveniently blocks the front door is not helpful.
3. I bought you a case of Fabreeze. Please use at least some of it.
4. Watching an NHL hockey game on tv is not-under any circumstances-"studying."
5. Your sister has gone to all of your hockey games. Yes, you have to go to her dance recital.
6. I don't care how big you are or how effective you are on the ice rink. I'm still your mother, and I make the rules.
7. Hockey pucks do not belong in the house. Especially when there is a hockey stick in your hand. No amount of "I promise I won't hit anything!" changes this rule. Just as no amount of "I didn't mean to" will repair Great Aunt Sophie's vase.
8. "I have to re-tape my stick" is not a reasonable excuse for not doing school work. Nor is it a reason for us to invest in enough tape to mummify the entire western hemisphere. Sorry, extra tape is on your own dime.
9. We are only half-way though the season and so far this sport has cost us the equivalent of the national debt of a medium-sized nation. Try to act grateful occasionally. Or at least not sullen.
10. The floor, the chair, the banister, inside your hockey bag - NONE of these are considered appropriate places for your wet towel.
Hockey is a great (albeit chilly) sport. Let's enjoy the season, OK?
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Judi Cogen is a Principal with J Grace Consulting and an expert in reducing unwanted organizational turnover. Her Selection Strategist Program helps companies reduce turnover and take the guesswork out of hiring by using proven conative testing and company specific analytics to select the right person for the right position. J Grace Consulting also offers Youth Strategist, a program to help 10 to 17 year old kids understand their conative attributes for more success in life and school.
Learn more about Selection Strategist and Youth Strategist at http://JGraceConsulting.net.
You can read Judi's blog at http://JudiCogen.wordpress.com or follow her on Twitter at @JudiCogen.
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Are you a team mom or dad? Check out VolunteerSpot's free eBook for fresh snack ideas, perfect for hockey, soccer, swim team, or any youth sport:
Free eBook: Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids on Teams
