Sun Belt development: What would you do?

[O-townClown]

Okay, if I still lived in the Twin Cities it would be easy. Skate at the park, go to the Mite league when old enough, and see if little Johnny is good enough to play for the travel team. If he's really good he might be able to make the HS squad.

That's not my reality. Here goes:

* Florida resident, where there are just 17 facilities for 18,000,000 people.
* Father of a 5-year-old that LOVES hockey, even though I NEVER introduced him to the sport.
* Of the belief that hockey is the most enjoyable team sport, far superior to football (no fun to practice and too easy to get hurt), basketball (way too much of a premium on genetics/height), or baseball (BORING slow no exercise).

We made a deal. My son was bugging me to play on a team this year so I told him he could if he learned how to skate. He spent his summer working hard and became proficient. No better place to spend the day when it is mid-90s and humid with an afternoon thundershower! Now he plays in a U9 house league despite being born in 2002 - he's two years away from being a Mite.

Absolutely loves it. Because they have the older/better kids playing against each other 1st shift, he's more than holding his own against kids two years older on the 2nd. We're having a great time as parents. It really is fun to watch.

So what does the future hold? If a kid in Florida is any good it causes problems because they have such a hard time finding equal competition. Anyone who can skate well is a travel player in Mites, and travel means travel - not like the suburbs where a team may go from Burnsville to Apple Valley one day and Lakeville the next. Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale. Real travel.

If a kid is real good in his teens they often have to move away. Programs like Shattuck or a Canadian AAA Midget program are examples. They can stay and possibly play Jr. B as a high schooler - the state now has ONE team at that level after moving up from Jr. C last year. (Junior C National Champs! Who knew there was such a level?)

Like Phoenix, Dallas, or Los Angeles-based teams, the best travel teams leave the state in Bantams to play in Canada, Detroit, or Chicago. A commitment to hockey isn't for the faint of heart.

I want to do the right thing, but what is it?

* just keep taking my kid periodically to his hockey and let him be the guide
* look for things he can do to fuel his desire for this great game (example - there are some area roller hockey rinks outdoors where I could drive 30-minutes to get a "pond hockey" experience
* move because it is just too difficult to pursue hockey where you live
* Other

Despite my passion for the sport I couldn't even make my HS junior varsity team. I don't have designs on him playing college or professional hockey, so I'm not delusional. I just want him to have fun playing. Turns out you have to work pretty hard to even have a chance for that if you live here. We drive 41 miles each way to his weekly practice and weekend game. There's a high price of admission here, unlike Minnesota where a lot of kids can dabble by just getting a pair of skates and a stick.

I'm curious to hear the thoughts of others. Outsiders sometimes see things much differently than those caught up in the situation. (An example from this board are the numerous threads on Bernie McBain and his Minnesota Made program.)

I can provide more specifics if needed, but you have the gist. What should I do? Only child and money isn't really anything that is holding us back. Not wealthy, but I can afford to buy his equipment and pay for the icetime.

[goldy313]

He's 5.
Tomorrow hockey may be the furthest thing from his mind as something new comes in. As long as he is having fun right now enjoy it together, the key is "I just want him to have fun playing" that's the right attitude. Cross the bridge of what next later, there is no rush at his age.

I have 4 boys all of whom played hockey at age 5; 1 played through high school, 2 quit and became wrestlers their freshmen years, and 1 quit because he'd rather be hunting or ice fishing. I am glad all played but each kid will find their own way, all you can do is give them that opportunity. When my first boy quit hockey and turned to wrestling I was disapointed and a little angry after all I had spent all this time and money on developing a hockey player and knew little about wrestling and he'd never wrestled. That was selfish and I learned a lesson, kids are kids and my goals aren't theirs.

In a nutshell do everything you can, within reason, to support him and let him develop as long as he's having fun. If the day comes when he's no longer having fun support him then too. I don't think it's fair or right to look 10 years into the future and make decisions based on that. Just my experiance though.

[really?]

I agree with the post above. Don't fool yourself either - other kids will catch up with him - guaranteed... Enjoy it while it's an option and when it's not, it's not. And remember that roller-blade hockey is a great sport!

[O-townClown]

Goldy, really: Good advice, but I do want to point out one difference. Where you live (Minnesota, I assume) your sons' friends also play hockey and it can be a "this is what we do" mindset. Here my son will only talk to people about hockey if they are his hockey friends.

I am just going along with the ride for now, but unlike Minnesota where the 'path of progression' is clearly defined... not so much here. If he wants to play when he's 10 that means travel hockey and a big time commitment - which is fine with us. (If you want to see what happens when you put a kid that can skate well in house league, punch "Swalina" into a YouTube search and watch a kid from Fort Lauderdale. Then watch the video a second time and you'll see a ton of kids that can barely stand up.)

I began this thread with a pretty good idea of what we'd do, but I was curious to get ideas from others. My idea is right in line with yours. I'm hoping he goes along with the idea of taking the Winter season off and then returning in the summer for various clinics and some cross-ice hockey.

Thanks for your two cents.

[goldy313]

Actually I live outside Rochester, in my kids school maybe 3 kids played hockey outside of our family in the whole town. The kind of town where half the marching band is wearing their football uniforms during halftimes on Friday nights. We went back and forth between Rochester and Austin for youth hockey depending on the kid and the year, either one is about 30 miles away. Most of their friends played other sports so that's where they gravitated. To play in high school meant open enrolling to a district with hockey or moving and leaving our home school, it's a big decision.

I can relate with you though the distances and talent disparity aren't as great.

[O-townClown]

Goldy, thanks for the comment. Hockey's a great sport, but when it isn't as prevalent it is a real challenge just to participate.

The US NTDP has players from Florida, Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, and more. I say that not to imply that it is a goal for our family, but just to ponder the question, "what the heck did the family have to go through to turn out a great player from Sun Valley or Dallas?"

I know what the future holds for my son. I was passed over physically when everyone hit puberty and went from being very good to average - through no fault of my own. That said, for every friend that "made it" - whether HS, college, minors, or even NHL - their fate was the same as mine. Despite their love of the game they hit a point where they weren't good enough.

It ends the same way for just about everyone. The only difference is the level.

Since you are from an area near Rochester, ponder this. Darrell Thompson had a brother (George?) that was an excellent volleyball player. There is no male VB in the state so he regularly travelled to Southern California to hook up with a club team for training. Yikes!

[Marty McSorely]

Get the hell out of that Crappy state and move north to Hockey Country. You'll go broke paying for all the options you can possibly imagine.

In all seriousness....Enjoy the ride, the others will catch up at about age 13.

[Charliedog]

Clown...

There was a kid from California who played hockey for the U of Minnesota. I cannot for the life of me think of his name, but I believe if was a few years back. Anyway....all his life he played "pond" roller hockey with his California buddies and then at the age of 16 decided to make the switch to ice hockey. The point is that a)it can be done b)most of the roller hockey skills will transfer to ice and c)he had a great time with the "pond" roller hockey experience which allowed him to play with kids of all levels and he learned to try new things.

If the passion is there he will find a way, but in the meantime just keep doing what you are doing. Provide him with the opportunities and support him no matter what he choses. Good luck

[O-townClown]

Charlie, sadly I don't think there's too much roller hockey here. I'm going to drive by the outdoor rink in Orlando to see what they have.

Speaking of California... a Pee Wee team in about 1980 did very well in the USA Hockey tournament. I think they finished third. You can look all these names up on www.hockeydb.com.

Rob Mendel & Charlie Henrich - moved to Edina in Fall of 1983 as 10th graders, made Varsity, and skated regular shifts as defensemen on the 1984 state champs. As seniors they were #1 ranked for much of the year and didn't get out of sections. Henrich played at little at Michigan Tech and Mendel played a lot at Madison - including a National Championship.

Mike O'Hara - their goalie moved to Minnesota a year later and played at Hill-Murray as a junior, splitting time with Ricky Horvath and then transferred to Edina to be with Mendel and Henrich where he split time with Andy Walser. Later played USHL and then at St. Cloud.

Eric Lamarque - a year younger, he didn't come to Minnesota and chose a different path. Played at Northern Michigan. More recently was involved in a horrible accident hiking or skiing or something where he was left out in the snow for days and needed his legs amputated once found. It made the crawl on ESPN a couple years ago.

My point is only that hockey in California isn't new, despite what they implied in the movie "In the Crease" or in press accounts of how a kid was taken in the 1st Round of the NHL Draft.

It can be done. I'm not worried about it for my little guy, I just want it to be fun. However, it isn't a mainstream, accessible sport so we'll have to work a little harder.

The nice thing about your pond-roller suggestion is that I can play with him. Great family time.

[justletemplay]

Up in the North we have a problem with develpoing baseball players VS kids from the south. The weather is the culprit getting kids to play ball year round. So we may have the advantage with hockey, but baseball lags behind. Either way just let him go where he wants, guide him from a short distance but dont you be in the lead. If hockey becomes that important for him (in due time) you can move or send him somewhere then, for now just enjoy it.