silentbutdeadly3139 wrote:What is an ADM rep
I admit I'm not an expert or long seasoned veteran but thats appears to be the problem : some are rules others are recommendations and people are confusing them. You can see it with the comments on this and other threads, people are saying, thinking or hoping things like RW&B are rules and going by the letter of the rule.
http://www.admkids.com/regionalManagers.php
Your ADM rep is Guy Gosselin. These folks are charged with spreading the word. Ours is often in our state, showing kids, parents, coaches, and hockey directors the benefits of incorporating RW&B hockey into their curriculum.
1/2 of Colorado, most of New York, parts of Massachusetts, and possibly some other areas have adopted an "all in" approach. We have not. I posted the phase-in Pittsburgh plan in another thread. My impression is that Minnesota has been slow to change, and I don't mean that in a bad way at all.
Using a mega-association like Edina as an example, their Termite program was basically clinic style and the first two years of Mites relied heavily on crossice or half-ice games. Do they really need to change alot when they are most of the way there?
A topic of discussion at the USA Hockey Winter Meeting two weeks ago was parents taking players outside of an affiliate as a way to get around the hardline ADM mandate chosen by some areas. (I call this "Mite flight") Minnesota doesn't have flight issues because of the residency requirement. I suppose a St. Paul area kid could enroll in Hudson, but doesn't Wisconsin have residency requirements for many of their levels? (I know their Tier I runs differently.)
If Guy Gosselin is anything like Scott Paluch, our ADM rep, I think you'll find him supportive of any and all ideas that are incorporating these principles. Swing the pendulum in the other direction and you won't be able to count on his support.
For those that haven't seen it, the newest RW&B hockey brochure is beyond outstanding. I can't seem to find a copy online. Also, the brochure covering all the ADM is quite good too.
http://www.admkids.com/pdf/ADMGuide_2011.pdf
It is recommended that people watch the Dr. Norris video.
http://www.admkids.com/media.php
Only when people (parents, coaches, hockey directors) get a shared understanding of what USA Hockey is trying to do can we begin to have an intelligent discussion. When exchanges often go like this...
Guy A: I don't like it.
Guy #2: What don't you like about it?
A: I dunno. I just don't like it. Why change?
...you can see there is a lot of work to be done.
Sometimes Guy A says, "I watched a Mite game the other day and the kids had no trouble with *fillintheblank*." This is true. I see those games all the time. First, there is nothing wrong with the oldest and most experienced playing some big-boy hockey in my book. My guess is it won't die. Even for the strict adherents like Colorado, who's to say there won't be a Spring option that lets the kids play a half-dozen games? Second, while there may be nothing wrong with it, what if the goal is to have a wave of Americans that are better than Parise, Pavelski, Kane, and whoever else? My suspicion is that we have to train the brain to make faster decisions from a very young age. I don't see how full ice games for 6 and 7-year-olds do that.
I don't see Minnesota having a mandate. Interesting that the affiliate presidents voted overwhelmingly to have a nationwide mandate from USA Hockey. (It was just a straw poll to gauge interest, nothing more.) Affiliates don't like getting caught in the middle. They'd rather have more concrete direction from above.
Be kind. Rewind.
