Snap Shot

College Commitments: http://collegehockeyinc.com/commitments.php Please keep in mind that NCAA D1 has limits on the # of scholarships that can be given, so some of the players do not receive a "full ride".

I'd suggest finding another sport (if he/she doesn't already play one) and then supplementing that with a weekly or twice weekly clinic or skating session. All of the research out there shows the value in non-specialization at younger ages. I've also heard of some players working with a "speed coach" that work on developing the "fast twitch" muscles in an off-ice environment.

I know that tournaments and tournament directors use it to group teams into proper divisions when teams register for tournaments or to make sure that the teams that are entering are registered in a division that fits with the level they've played throughout the season. For example, not allowing a team that has played all season at A Major enter a tournament at a B level. Its a tool to help with competitive balance.

Well that escalated quickly...

You are also correct. This is where the expectations of the players, coaches, and parents all come into play. Some of these people are simply happy that there son or daughter is playing a sport and having fun, while others (normally the more skilled players) are looking for more. These players only have a few options depending on the size of the program they are participating in: 1) hope that there are enough like skilled players with parents and coaches that are going to demand a commitment so that there is enough to field a team with the same high expectations and skill level. or 2) go to another organization which supplies what they are looking for. People on this board need to stop placing the blame on parents and players, and start looking at the organizations, coaches, and hockey directors that are not doing enough to adequately serve this portion of their "customer base". As with any other business or service, if a customer isn't getting what they want, they have the right to look elsewhere. Successful businesses don't blame the customer for leaving, they try to find out why they are leaving and make changes to address what the cause is. If organizations within PAHL began taking this approach, there is a chance that we could be looking at stronger teams at the AA level but until people in the hockey community start to look at what is causing players and parents to look for other options instead of jumping to the "they think their kid is the next Crosby" argument we are going to be forever stuck in this cycle. As for the "trickle down" where there's the perception that there are players on a higher level team that shouldn't be there because player's A and B went to another organization to play, the answer to that problem is simple... The players who are moving up into those spots need to simply get better.

Ynot02 is 100% correct and because we are focused on hockey doesn't mean this isn't happening across other sports as well, baseball and soccer jump to my mind first. If you look at youth travel sports in general, there are the "top programs" and then there are the programs that were formed to fill a void in the market to make parents/players happy. A parent making the choice to spend their time and money in that way should be no ones business but their own. If a player has an opportunity to play on what he/she perceives to be a better team or one that provides better experiences, then go and do it. If it doesn't work out for that person moving forward, then there are always other options and other players/parents will be more than willing to fill that players spot. Why are we not happy that we even have players participating in the sport, especially with the sedentary lifestyle more and more kids are leading now? Just because it is not for you, or you object to it on some other level, doesn't mean that you are any more correct than the person making the choice to play on those teams are wrong.

No clue who the group is that actually owns the rink. This was passed on to me via people who are pretty tied into the rink and what's been going on down there.

I was referring to age groups, not birth year teams.

The current model is going to work for a few birth years, but won't be sustainable in the long term without some kind of development at the 8U and 10U levels. All I heard was the ownership of the rink was not happy with how he was running the place, and he chose to resign.

My understanding is that there were large numbers for that tryout due to the 8U "Elite" program they started last year. They are going to practice through the summer and then divide the teams up. They wanted more time to see that group of kids.

I might be incorrect, but I believe that this is invite only and the invites go out through USA Hockey in April.

HockeyDad23, the "driver" is different for everybody. Some of it is parents pushing their kids, some of it is the kids pushing themselves and looking to play with and against a better level of competition. As far as kids "making it", it seems like PPE has players each year commit to D1 programs in both their boys and girls programs. That's not to say that those players were playing for PPE when they were in the younger age groups, it just shows that those players were members of the program when they made their commitment.