Transfers 2013?

[Jusanothermember]

Stay with the school you grew up in - play there.

[U10Father]

I tend to agree.

Unless it's for religious or academic reasons, I think you should stay home. The school season is so short, and apart from a few schools (most notably the Lake Conference schools), precious little development takes place at the HS level. Some coaches are much better at assembling talent than developing it. Coaches don't get that much practice time, and they spend most of it installing systems and drilling on game situations. The 9 months spent in summer hockey programs and the time spent in training facilities far outweighs what schools put in place for the 4 1/2 month HS season. Parents should not believe coaches when they say they want to develop young players. It's just not true. Some schools won't even carry 4 lines and 6 D at the varsity level. What kind of development plan is that? You can't even PRACTICE with 4 lines?

And if a coach is promising your girl playing time, rest assured that he/she's also promised it to other girls, too. There's loyalty only to a point. Hook your top player up in a good AAA program and let her go to HS with her friends and who knows, maybe you'll start something in your hometown.

[royals dad]

I tend to agree.

Unless it's for religious or academic reasons, I think you should stay home. The school season is so short, and apart from a few schools (most notably the Lake Conference schools), precious little development takes place at the HS level. Some coaches are much better at assembling talent than developing it. Coaches don't get that much practice time, and they spend most of it installing systems and drilling on game situations. The 9 months spent in summer hockey programs and the time spent in training facilities far outweighs what schools put in place for the 4 1/2 month HS season. Parents should not believe coaches when they say they want to develop young players. It's just not true. Some schools won't even carry 4 lines and 6 D at the varsity level. What kind of development plan is that? You can't even PRACTICE with 4 lines?

And if a coach is promising your girl playing time, rest assured that he/she's also promised it to other girls, too. There's loyalty only to a point. Hook your top player up in a good AAA program and let her go to HS with her friends and who knows, maybe you'll start something in your hometown.

Not sure what HS program you are in but you might want to transfer. Between the summer program, lifting/workouts, captains practice, and the winter practice/game schedule we see HS programs that develop talent all over the metro (sorry don't know much about outstate programs). You are correct that there are some bad programs where coaches don't do much to develop players, the good coaches end up making about .02 cents and hour with all the time they put in. AAA programs that chase summer tourney trophies or that do all star showcases, don't always develop more than a sucking sound coming from your check book. A lot of the USA/Reebok stuff is more about evaluation than development. Not that they are all bad, my kids have loved summer hockey and we have found some great camps, clinics, teams, and friends. Skating for their HS is what really matters to them most. Frankly I am surprised more kids don't transfer to some of the HS programs with great coaches.

Bottom line, it is not simple, there are changes in peoples lives (financial, family situation, employment, academic, social...) that make a transfer make sense. If it is just to win more hockey games or get more ice time then it is really a sad situation. I don't think its really fair to imply or guess at motives or reasons on the forum.

[U10Father]

I don't think we're disagreeing that much here. There are a few schools that develop talent well, but I have heard parental stories about schools who recruited but didn't develop. If that Royals is Hopkins, I would agree that your school does a great job (one of the best).

[MNHockeyFan]

I heard that SSP is losing a goalie. Another kid recruited, fed a bunch of BS, then benched because the other recruited kid was better.

I'm wondering how she gets "benched" before the season even starts?

[hockeywild7]

I would definitely agree with Royals dad, If anyone attempts develops the talent it's the HS coaches. The summer programs are the benefactors of this. Bottom line is the best players ultimately develop themselves. Coaches can definitely help but it really comes down to the individual player dedicating themselves to their development. Parents like to blame coaches if their player doesn't make it to the level they dream for their kids. Coaches can give guidelines, suggestions and impart their knowledge but again it ultimately comes down to the individual player to make the commitment not how much commitment the coach has.

[MN_Bowhunter]

[quote="MNHockeyFan"

I'm wondering how she gets "benched" before the season even starts?[/quote]

I'll spell it out. In 2010 SSP graduates a senior goalie. They have very little in the pipeline for goaltending. Then, fall of 11, not one but two goalies transfer in. What a stroke of good fortune. Spring of 13, one of those goalies quits, presumably because she has barely played the last 2 years.

My point is I bet she wishes she had stayed in whatever town she left.

Coaches are allowed to scout U12s constantly, coach summer programs, contact families on the ruse of joining a summer program, in reality it's all so they can recruit. The NCAA does a better job of protecting young men and women than our HS league does of protecting children. These kids are 13 or 14 years old and many of them are being misled, if not outright lied to, and there is no oversight or disclosure of any kind. The only rule the league feels compelled to enforce is the one forcing a kid to sit out a year if they decide to switch schools after they figure out they were lied to by a predatory coach. The kid either gets punished, or the league loads the gun while the coach holds it to her head and forces her to stay in a bad situation that the league created.

[MammaLlama]

The goalie isn’t leaving SSP, she’s leaving hockey. She’s my daughter and I support her decision.

Due to our family situation, she had an opportunity to transfer schools as a freshman. She transferred to SSP for the IB program, and the hockey was a bonus at the time. It’s a great academic program and she plans on graduating with honors in two years and hopefully with 1+ years of college credits completed also.

After 2 years of hockey at SSP, she’s lost her passion for the game…we can all speculate what made her lose the passion, I’m sure false hopes and sitting on the bench didn’t help it. But I give my daughter the option to make her own choices and not force her to play a sport that causes tears, anxiety and lack of confidence. As a parent, that’s my job.

We’ve been a hockey family for nearly a decade…two daughters who played goalie. Sadly, due to injuries (concussions) one daughter wasn’t able to play the sport for the last 2 years of HS. This was LIFE CHANGING! She commented earlier this week as she was swimming in the pool … “I wish I had joined the swim team”…but she had been a 1-sport athlete and focused all her time on hockey year-round. Now, due to family wisdom and lessons learned, my younger daughter has been encouraged to try other sports and found she really enjoys golf and tennis…two LIFELONG sports. Its so exciting to see her passion light up again!

She wasn’t going to be a professional hockey player and probably won’t play in the US Open either. But her intelligence and self-esteem will be important to succeed in life and so its time to be in environments that nurture those traits and not kill them.

Take a step back and look at the big picture. It’s very enlightening to wake up and realize there’s more to life than hockey…both as a parent and as a child.

[MN_Bowhunter]

Thank you Mamma for clarifying. I'm sorry that your daughter had such a poor experience playing a sport that we all love. I'm sure with a supportive parent like you she will succeed at whatever she decides to do.

I hope it didn't come off that I was taking shots at your daughter, my beef is partly with coaches and mostly with the league that allows coaches to create the situations and environments that you described.

[hockeychopper]

We need more perspective like MammaLlama! These are the issues kids today have to deal with that weren't around years ago. All these different AAA teams, rankings from 20 different publications, the ranking of kids as young as 10 years old, where does it stop. There are many kids that choose to open enroll at schools outside of their home district. Some do it for the athletics but some do it for the academics or religion. Playing a sport or any extra-curricular activity is a privilege. There are many families and kids that don't have the opportunity to participate in sports. Whether it's financial or physical, they don't have that option. We have to remember the sport of hockey is a game, end of story. For those of us that have healthy kids, be grateful for that every day. Enjoy the kids and enjoy the game! It doesn't last forever.

[cigar]

hockeychopper,

we need more perspective?

how about we need TRUTH, not a bunch of idiot adults guessing as to why kids transfer.....

the SSP IB program has drawn in a lot of transfers from all over the state, some from the best academic programs in the cities... the private elementary schools in SSP draw in kids from the surrounding cities and some of these kids elect to attend SSP high school with their school friends...

and when some of these kids happen to play hockey a bunch of idiots on this boards "perspective" is that they were recruited....

the SSP coach is very respected and probably should be, but that doesn't mean all the kids that play for him like/respect him... and some, unfortunantly have very good reasons...

[sinbin]

There are many different opinions and many different individual stories and, in the end, I think that all parents do what they believe is best for their children, whether that's to transfer (vs. stay put), transfer for hockey reasons (vs. transfer for academic or religious reasons with hockey as a nice bonus), play hockey exclusively (vs. play other sports), work out off-season (vs. put in no extra work), etc. Most times things work out rather as they should, with some nice surprises along the way for some and some harsh lessons learned for others. Sometimes you get what you deserve when you go shopping for the best program or school or team and it doesn't work out for you, since the grass is always greener somewhere else. Remember, these are still kids were talking about, so I hope that the number who suffer for the sins of their parents is minimal.

I suppose an interesting question would be to ask the transfers into BSM if they are happy with their decision or if they regret it. Not to pick on BSM, but 3 sectional final losses in a row to Tonka certainly hurts. I would wager that almost all are happy with their decision based on religious, academic, or other reasons and the fact that almost all of them wouldn't have played on a hockey team of BSM's caliber in the first place had they not transferred, so they ended up having for the most part a positive hockey experience, too. It would seem that the overall experience would still be a very positive one for just about everyone and that seems to be telling a very good story.

Again, I'm sure that there are exceptions to every rule.

[rwb1351]

hockeychopper,

we need more perspective?

how about we need TRUTH, not a bunch of idiot adults guessing as to why kids transfer.....

the SSP IB program has drawn in a lot of transfers from all over the state, some from the best academic programs in the cities... the private elementary schools in SSP draw in kids from the surrounding cities and some of these kids elect to attend SSP high school with their school friends...

and when some of these kids happen to play hockey a bunch of idiots on this boards "perspective" is that they were recruited....

the SSP coach is very respected and probably should be, but that doesn't mean all the kids that play for him like/respect him... and some, unfortunantly have very good reasons...

This would be great and all, except for that fact that I've heard numerous 1st hand stories of kids being directly recruited from neighboring programs by said respected coach as early as U12s.

[tarasov]

The real question is why does anybody care if a kid transfers to another school? And, why should it matter what the reason is? It is their personal and family choice. Who cares? Let them transfer and let them enjoy their new school for whatever reasons they chose it. Big deal!

[cigar]

tarasov,

the US used to be a place where there was actual freedom to make these choices...

all has changed, now kids get penalized. not sure why someone in band doesn't get penalized too?

the US is no longer the US, that is the sad fact here. loss of freedom because a bunch of whiners can't stand the fact that people choose to attend a school for several reasons and if it involves anything to do with sports it needs to be penalized.

welcome to the ussa....

[rwb1351]

exactly what is wrong with this generation. If life isn't going exactly how you think you deserve it to go, just beg mommy & daddy to let you go to a different school.

[observer]

I agree rwb except I think it's often the parents that dream this shix up.

Have her do it before 9th grade or she plays JV this year.

[Tigers33]

I think it's both the kid and the parents. And he is correct...all it is doing is teaching a kid that there is an easier route to success. It doesn't always work that way in the real world, after hs or college.

There was a kid that transferred from centennial to Roseville...you really think she transferred for academics? Look at the kid that left north wright county for Minnetonka. Must have been the vending machines in the high school...huh? Coon rapids best kid left for Blaine last year.

95 percent of the time it's for hockey!!

[U10Father]

The real question is why does anybody care if a kid transfers to another school? And, why should it matter what the reason is? It is their personal and family choice. Who cares? Let them transfer and let them enjoy their new school for whatever reasons they chose it. Big deal!

Okay, I'm old-fashioned. It used to mean something to play for your local high school. It was a source of community pride 20 years ago to say your community had the best hockey team. All that has to be thrown out the window if you can just switch teams whenever you want.

Maybe it just doesn't matter anymore. It sure seems to matter less and less as we grow up in a hockey world where kids jump teams every year seeking out the best of the best. And I get why, I don't need it explained. It's just kind of a shame.

[Bandy]

Okay, I'm old-fashioned. It used to mean something to play for your local high school. It was a source of community pride 20 years ago to say your community had the best hockey team. All that has to be thrown out the window if you can just switch teams whenever you want.

Maybe it just doesn't matter anymore. It sure seems to matter less and less as we grow up in a hockey world where kids jump teams every year seeking out the best of the best. And I get why, I don't need it explained. It's just kind of a shame.

Well put.

I like the freedom of school choice, and certainly appreciate when it's done for the right reasons... like academics, or getting out of a toxic environment. But if hockey is driving the bus, it's misguided and teaches the child a warped value system. I'm for the freedom for families to make that choice, I just think they are misguided.

Plenty of great kids thrive at their local public school both in the classroom and in athletics, and in plenty of blue collar school districts, not just the rich 'burbs.

[observer]

The loss of community pride is really unfortunate. Everyone used to do what they could to make their community stronger in all aspects.

One thing that has changed is people are from all over the country now and don't feel the loyalty to the community they grew up in because it is in some other state. Or, not living today where they grew up. That's just one reason but I have a difficult time figuring out why people aren't proud of their communities and work hard to make them better places to live, work, get an education and recreate. Selfish is all I can come up with. Not good lessons for your children.

[observer]

Plenty of great kids thrive at their local public school both in the classroom and in athletics, and in plenty of blue collar school districts

No question. It's what you make it.

People that leave aren't working to make it better. That's selfish. It's not about you, it's about everyone. Life is about serving others.

[36Guy]

The loss of community pride is really unfortunate. Everyone used to do what they could to make their community stronger in all aspects.

One thing that has changed is people are from all over the country now and don't feel the loyalty to the community they grew up in because it is in some other state. Or, not living today where they grew up. That's just one reason but I have a difficult time figuring out why people aren't proud of their communities and work hard to make them better places to live, work, get an education and recreate. Selfish is all I can come up with. Not good lessons for your children.

You live in the same town you grew up in??? My family has lived in 4 great communities as life and work has moved us around. I suddenly feel inadequate. Maybe I will see if my Letter Jacket fits and I can talk my wife into moving back home.

[36Guy]

I think it's both the kid and the parents. And he is correct...all it is doing is teaching a kid that there is an easier route to success. It doesn't always work that way in the real world, after hs or college.

There was a kid that transferred from centennial to Roseville...you really think she transferred for academics? Look at the kid that left north wright county for Minnetonka. Must have been the vending machines in the high school...huh? Coon rapids best kid left for Blaine last year.

95 percent of the time it's for hockey!!

Once again Kitty Cat your ignorance shines through. You must give your opinion on this blog because I am sure no one will listen to your stupid ass in the arena. I strongly suggest you do not assume why people move again. If you would like to PM me I will be happy to fill you in. I will promise to talk real slow!

[sinbin]

I won't presume to guess reasons why kids transfer or move into districts prior to 9th grade, but I don't think it's so hockey focused as many might assume. These are all individual choices. Maybe it's even work-related as some people occasionally switch jobs and don't spend 40 years working at the plant like our fathers did. As far as moving into Tonka, it's likely the strongest academic and financially secure public school in the state, and if normalized, compares very favorably with the best private schools. I've heard that BSM, Blake, and Breck are strong academic schools, too, and some have religious rationale. I'm certain that the vast majority who move to the Tonka school district or the scores who open enroll there do so for academic reasons, and some of them happen to play hockey, some play football, some run track, some are in the theater, but almost all of them are there to hit the books. For many other schools mentioned, not all, moving to Tonka is somewhere between a medium step and a giant leap academically. That's what's driving Tonka school enrollment up, contrary to city demographics. So while I wouldn't use the exact same language as 36, I agree that unless you know the situation intimately, don't throw out assumptions online, because it makes you look pretty foolish.