Semi-OT why sports can suck

[forty_three]

So, I have my son playing house hockey in a league that is convenient to neither our home or his school because they had a reputation for evenly dividing kids and making all teams as comparable as possible.

I am pretty sure I ranted a few times on here last year about some of the other leagues that did not do the same, including a team of girls that played in the division that the youngest one of them would be in. The youngest girl was 9, so they played Squirts. Never mind that 6 of the girls were 13 and 14. No, the youngest one was 9, so they play nine year olds.

Anyway, I didn't want to expose my son in his first year of organized league hockey to that kind of junk, so we went up to this other league. Yeah, we played against the other teams and often got trounced, but every single kid on our team improved and got a chance to contribute.

So the coordinator of the league for the last 7 years decides he's going to back out and he put it in the hands of a guy who feels we should better "compete" with the other programs. As such they have five teams. 1 completely stacked with all the best. 2 more moderately stacked. Those three are the "Major" teams. And two more "minor" teams where kids move at a little bit more... methodical pace.

First of all, you cannot say that 3/5ths of all kids are above the median. It is statistically impossible. I think that if you are going to designate Major/Minor there is no way you can legitimately say the larger number is "Major".

The worst part is they did conditioning and assessments. And some kids got dropped to "minor" after 1 session. Including two goalies, my son included. And you know why? Because they were not assessed as goalies. Stickhandling and skating drills is what they were assessed on.

So we had our first scrimmages to "calibrate" the competition. Our team looks pretty good. A few kids that don't get where the blue is or what it's for but we can work on that. We had two pretty solid kids on our team. Good skaters, were standouts in Mite last year. The kind of kids you can work with. Split 'em up and put some kids who need to learn to follow the play with 'em.

So we get an email last night. The two best players are moved up to the stacked team, and we get two more. One from the other minor and a new kid who's never played before. I asked the reason and the response I got was "We had them play with the major team and they did well, so we figured we could move them".

Oh, really? You put a role player on the 80's Oilers team and they won a cup, eh?

I'm not pissed so much that he's on Minor, because honestly it's better for him. I mean he's the biggest kid in the league by a long ways and as a goalie he moves faster than the game does at that level. He's gonna get called a ringer, but whatever. It gives me the chance to work with him and the other kid on technique. In fact he had such a good scrimmage that they thought about moving him too. I said no, leave him where he is. Two neighborhood friends and one kid from his team last year are there.

It just really sucks that that's the message that is getting out about sport is to these kids. It's only worth doing if you're gonna win.

"I'm not looking for the best players, Craig. I'm looking for the right ones"
-Herb Brooks.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

So, I have my son playing house hockey in a league that is convenient to neither our home or his school because they had a reputation for evenly dividing kids and making all teams as comparable as possible.

I am pretty sure I ranted a few times on here last year about some of the other leagues that did not do the same, including a team of girls that played in the division that the youngest one of them would be in. The youngest girl was 9, so they played Squirts. Never mind that 6 of the girls were 13 and 14. No, the youngest one was 9, so they play nine year olds.

Anyway, I didn't want to expose my son in his first year of organized league hockey to that kind of junk, so we went up to this other league. Yeah, we played against the other teams and often got trounced, but every single kid on our team improved and got a chance to contribute.

So the coordinator of the league for the last 7 years decides he's going to back out and he put it in the hands of a guy who feels we should better "compete" with the other programs. As such they have five teams. 1 completely stacked with all the best. 2 more moderately stacked. Those three are the "Major" teams. And two more "minor" teams where kids move at a little bit more... methodical pace.

First of all, you cannot say that 3/5ths of all kids are above the median. It is statistically impossible. I think that if you are going to designate Major/Minor there is no way you can legitimately say the larger number is "Major".

The worst part is they did conditioning and assessments. And some kids got dropped to "minor" after 1 session. Including two goalies, my son included. And you know why? Because they were not assessed as goalies. Stickhandling and skating drills is what they were assessed on.

So we had our first scrimmages to "calibrate" the competition. Our team looks pretty good. A few kids that don't get where the blue is or what it's for but we can work on that. We had two pretty solid kids on our team. Good skaters, were standouts in Mite last year. The kind of kids you can work with. Split 'em up and put some kids who need to learn to follow the play with 'em.

So we get an email last night. The two best players are moved up to the stacked team, and we get two more. One from the other minor and a new kid who's never played before. I asked the reason and the response I got was "We had them play with the major team and they did well, so we figured we could move them".

Oh, really? You put a role player on the 80's Oilers team and they won a cup, eh?

I'm not pissed so much that he's on Minor, because honestly it's better for him. I mean he's the biggest kid in the league by a long ways and as a goalie he moves faster than the game does at that level. He's gonna get called a ringer, but whatever. It gives me the chance to work with him and the other kid on technique. In fact he had such a good scrimmage that they thought about moving him too. I said no, leave him where he is. Two neighborhood friends and one kid from his team last year are there.

It just really sucks that that's the message that is getting out about sport is to these kids. It's only worth doing if you're gonna win.

"I'm not looking for the best players, Craig. I'm looking for the right ones"
-Herb Brooks.

So you're telling that in addition to his duties with the BJs Howson is also involved in minor hockey? Where does he find the time?!?!?!?


Seriously though that is bush league. Just move up to Canada already.

 

[forty_three]

So you're telling that in addition to his duties with the BJs Howson is also involved in minor hockey? Where does he find the time?!?!?!?


Seriously though that is bush league. Just move up to Canada already.

I looked into it five years ago when I actually wound up in Columbus. Turns out that to emigrate there you kinda have to prove that they need you. Me being a techie and Canada having recently went through the Lucent implosion, they decided that they didn't need Geeks coming when so many of their geeks were out of work.

I could have come on a green card and done contracts, or switched careers. Mrs 43 would have been welcomed in with open arms. She's a teacher. Alas, was too risky and the offer in Columbus was too great.

We'll ride out this season, work with what we've got and make sure the kids have fun and understand the game. Teach 'em how to win games when outgunned and sound, positional hockey. I, of course, would love nothing more than to face a stacked team come playoffs and beat 'em.

Next year, I will put him in Pee Wee in the program nearest his school and go out for travel and selects.