This U15 pilot decision is a mess. It was specifically targeted for a few large metro associations to have a place for 15 years old high school cuts to land and still play hockey. They should have just started a small U16 metro league for these players rather than make a state wide change in classification which caused some programs to lose their JV team.Nevertoomuchhockey wrote:Ok a month in, still think that?massalsa wrote:I know that she played at MN Made (Super League 1&2) for at least 2 years prior to last year (not 100% if played there last year or not).jg2112 wrote:
Skelton? She played U12A for Andover.
She is a nice kid and a great player. IMO would make 75% or more of the Varsity teams in the state.
This isn't about her specifically, but a general question - approx 7-9 games in, are the 7,8,9th grade association eligible players making a difference? In the right place? Would decisions to stay at 15s or play high school have impacted the individual performance and development of these players and teams? I know it's impossible to generalize, but that's exactly what MN Hockey will attempt to do in analyzing the 15u health and viability going forward.
The bigger problem, is that we have leadership at the state and district levels that couldn't give a dang about girls hockey and really don't think these things through. I am deeply concerned about the future of girls hockey for the following reasons:
1) Too many districts and associations are primarily focused on boys hockey and only "react" to the girls issues.
2) Not enough associations are growing girls hockey through active recruitment techniques like Girls beginner clinics
3) Short term fixes like co-ops with other girls programs (youth and high school) are pursued rather than long term fixes like growing the girls game.
4) Parents choose to put their girls in boys programs due to the inequities above, which further undermines the stability and quality of the girls program they are running away from.
There is a failure to understand that letting your girls program slowly die, does negatively impact your boys program. I know countless hockey families who's oldest athlete is a girls hockey player. Little brother watches big sister and decides, "I want to play hockey too!"
Until decisions for girls hockey in this state are decided by the true stakeholders of girls hockey, we will be subject to the further erosion of girls hockey as we know it. We peaked a few years ago, and the slide will continue if people dont start to act.