I came across a couple of posts over on Mihockeykid.com that I really enjoyed. The subject is "If I were king," and the author goes on to list 20 things he'd change if he were given free reign over youth hockey. Definitely worthy of a read if you have a few minutes. More after the jump.
I don't agree with all of them, but some of them resonated with me for sure. I can relate to the points about the AAA teams. Sorry to my AAA friends, but it just seems like overkill to have the kids playing AAA so young. I also liked the points about having more community based teams, and requiring coaches to talk to parents (some coaches don't???).
On the other hand, I disagree with the suggestion to not hand out C or A designations on youth teams. I would like to see those letters handed out more judiciously, based on merit. Leaders are going to lead, and those letters can be a powerful motivation to encourage desirable behavior.
How about things I would add? Here are a few off the top of my head:
- Require referees to be at least 5 years older than the kids they are officiating. If I see another 12yo ref I might just flip my lid! The players don't want to listen to an adult, let alone a kid just a few years older than they are.
- Require programs to administer and report the findings of coaches' evaluations at least once per year. I want to know what I'm getting my kids and myself into before I'm already committed.
- Assign playing divisions based on size rather than age. Why can't hockey have weight classes instead of going by birth year? Size is such a huge advantage at the really young ages and around the age of puberty when some of the kids are sprouting up faster than others. Using weight classes might help to level the playing surface and prevent some injuries too.
Read the full list here and share your thoughts below!
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