Youth Spring/Summer Hockey is a Waste of Time/Money!

[ulfie]

Spring/Summer hockey teams/leagues/camps are nothing but a scam by coaches/GM's. Why pay huge $$$ to play spring/summer hockey when kids are sick of hockey after the year and are dying for a break?

Promises of development/exposure from summer hockey teams/camps is a joke - they provide nothing but $$$ in the coaches/GM's pockets and develop kids that hate going to the rink!

Kids should be playing different sports to develop as athletes - not forced to play in some rediculously overpriced, unnecessary tournament in Toronto or here in MN in order to keep up with the neighbor kid.

Let your kid take a break this year to have fun and play a different sport. You'll be amazed how fresh and fired up they'll be when it is time to put the skates on next fall...

[O-townClown]

I think you are using some pretty strong language. Everything is good in moderation.

At some point kids will have diminishing returns. Until then there is benefit to skating. Mites and Squirts may not have played enough games depending on the program.

I want to agree with your sentiment but it is just too heavy-handed to say I'm on board. I'm sure many kids are energized for joining an all-star team to play a few games.

[Bruins]

How is it a scam? Huge $$$, Minnesota AAA hockey is one of the best bargains in the country, just ask the teams in California, out East, Florida, and Texas. I have never heard of a team promising anything. Almost all of the kids play other sports. I have yet to meet a kid that was forced to play. Show me a kid that does not want to play a tournament in Toronto against some of the best competition in North America. Minnesota AAA hockey is a bargain and we are home to some of North Americas top teams. Ask some of the top players and they will say association hockey just keeps them loose until the AAA season. The top AAA teams have to turn away players and many new teams are starting up. Sounds like the kids really hate this stuff, wait, the parents are forcing them to play.

[tomASS]

wait, the parents are forcing them to play.

I would say (in a WAG) , I bet about 20-25% of players, if polled privately get the speeches from their parents and feel pressure to play and would do something else if given the ultimate say. IMO

[My_Kid_Loves_Hockey]

Spring/Summer hockey teams/leagues/camps are nothing but a scam by coaches/GM's. Why pay huge $$$ to play spring/summer hockey when kids are sick of hockey after the year and are dying for a break?

Promises of development/exposure from summer hockey teams/camps is a joke - they provide nothing but $$$ in the coaches/GM's pockets and develop kids that hate going to the rink!


Kids should be playing different sports to develop as athletes - not forced to play in some rediculously overpriced, unnecessary tournament in Toronto or here in MN in order to keep up with the neighbor kid.

Let your kid take a break this year to have fun and play a different sport. You'll be amazed how fresh and fired up they'll be when it is time to put the skates on next fall...

Did you have a bad experience with a non association hockey entity? Pretty broad statement to make, but i assume that you have some proof to back it up.

If you are unhappy that you didn't get what you paid for, then move on and don't use them again.

[Tenoverpar]

Your rant is not even close to the truth for MANY players around the country. The summer circuit, and it is a circuit at this point, is for many players the marquee season for them. They get a chance to be surrounded by players as good or better than them and in turn have the chance to play tournament games against teams loaded with talent from top to bottom that far outweighs 90% of their regular season games.

The trick in the spring is to work your AAA schedule around your spring sport. Lacrosse, for my boys, is their spring sport. They play Lacrosse first and foremost and then hockey second. It's a very doable option. If your kid plays baseball, in my experience, baseball wants to overwhelm your life with 3 hour practices and 2+ hour games. Tryouts for baseball are held in the fall, almost 7 months before the season...tell me hockey is overzealous and I'll show you examples of basketball year round and baseball year round to compare apples. The problem in general is that youth sports as a whole is becoming or has become a parent trap instead of a game.

Shining moment/family fight this year...son who plays goalie says he wants to play out as a player next year. Mom says, no way, you're a goalie if you play player you'll be on a C team. Kid says "I don't care, I just want to play hockey!". Love that kid.

[mnhockeyrocks]

As far as I am concerned, association hockey only keeps kids in shape for the more competitive hockey played during spring and summer. If a child is FORCED to play hockey, SHAME ON THE PARENTS! A parent needs to support their children, not make them live the dream they missed out on.

There are many natural talented players but don't dismiss many kids that have the heart and the drive. Not all kids develope at 9 or 10 years old.

[GR3343]

Simply stated, as has been done in many other similar threads, if you don't like it, don't do it. No one has a gun to your head making you pay and making your kids skate in the summer. Don't bash the programs out there. Most if not all of the kids that play in the summer want to be there. If there's parents out there making their kids skate, then shame on them. But I will guarantee that that type of behavior is an exception, not a rule. Again, if you don't want your kid to play in the summer, don't sign him up, but don't bash others who allow their children to go with their passions.

[hockeymom1965]

I agree with Gr, most of the kids that play are those that LOVE to play hockey. I have a child that plays year round hockey. (Association hockey and AAA hockey.) He also plays traveling baseball and football. If he came to me tonight as said, "Mom, I don't want to play hockey any more." I, as a parent would support his decision. (my wallet would be doing the happy dance!)

I am getting a sense that either your child wants to play and you do not want to fork out the money or he hasn't made a team YOU think he should. Are you one of those parents that complain because your child didn't make a team higher than he should have?

Our kids live in a different world of competitive sports than we did. Some kids just want to play the game, others have a higher competitive drive and want to excel at it. Both should be applauded for their contribution.

[HockeyDadMN]

My son looks forward to non-association hockey. It's more important to him than winter hockey and he also gets more ice time in the off-season than during the winter season. If there was a winter option, besides association play, that let him play more hockey, he would take it in a minute.

He plays other summer sports, but wants to play hockey all year long and can't seem to get enough ice time to make him happy.

Now, he has hockey friends all over the world, he met playing summer hockey and there is no way he would have played with European or Canadian players in his association.

[GR3343]

My son looks forward to non-association hockey. It's more important to him than winter hockey and he also gets more ice time in the off-season than during the winter season. If there was a winter option, besides association play, that let him play more hockey, he would take it in a minute.

He plays other summer sports, but wants to play hockey all year long and can't seem to get enough ice time to make him happy.

Now, he has hockey friends all over the world, he met playing summer hockey and there is no way he would have played with European or Canadian players in his association.

Another good point. My son is now a high school player and has made great friends throughout the state. Just yesterday, he played against a friend from Anoka whom he never would have met through association hockey. He has many more from teams he's played on the past few summers that all keep in touch. As parents, my wife and I have made lifelong friends with people we never would have met. AAA hockey is what you and your player makes it. It can be as serious or as casual as you choose. Some choose just a couple of pick up tournaments, others choose the summer long commitment. Some choose none at all. To each his own, let it be what it is.