My youngest 8-year-old brother, Matthew, has just begun playing hockey competitively on a traveling team, and I am so excited for him! After beginning and learning the game in house league during the past two years, so far, according to my parents, the transition onto a more competitive team has been positive for him. His skills and confidence are improving in leaps and bounds. I am disappointed that I cannot be at home right now to witness Matthew’s rapid progression and growth and the joy he is gaining from his new hockey experience, but I enjoy hearing about it weekly from my parents on the phone.
Based on the conversations I have had with my parents about Matthew’s hockey journey thus far this season, I think his positive experience with the sport and team is primarily being shaped by his coaches. Despite coaching a competitive traveling team, it seems as though the coaches have made it a priority to create a fun team environment focused on loving the game and fundamental skill development, rather than winning. The team’s season began at the end of August with a lot of uncertainty, as the team welcomed several new, more inexperienced players like Matthew. With many challenges and much to learn, the team lost four out of its first five games. However, as a result of the coaches’ emphasis on fun, the players are forming strong friendships with one another, are working extremely hard on the ice (the hardest working bunch of kids my parents say they’ve ever seen), and now, in fact, are rapidly improving and more consistently winning. This past weekend, the team was the finalist of a large tournament and, to reach the final game, beat a team 1-0 that they had previously lost to 5-3 – impressive improvement indeed!
I talked to my dad, a long-time hockey player who’s coached many minor league hockey teams himself before, about what he thinks the coaches are doing to make the hockey team experience fun for the kids. First of all, he said that the coaches are not ego-centered and that their attitude is “It’s all about the kids!” They are excited to be at the rink, which makes the kids excited too and intrinsically motivated to work hard. As well, he said that the coaches ensure that the players have equal playing time and also give them the opportunity to play different positions. Matthew, specifically, has greatly enjoyed being moved occasionally from his traditional defensive position to forward, and it’s made a positive difference in the development of his skills and sport-sense.
The benefit of allowing kids to play different positions in athletics can also be seen in my late-blooming 19-year-old hockey-playing brother, Paul. Paul was a left-winger most of the time growing up, but still had the opportunity to play defense occasionally. More recently, after a huge growth spurt, he has specialized at defense on his Jr. A team and is excelling. He will most likely have the opportunity to pursue an NCAA hockey scholarship beginning next year.
The success and positive experiences that my family, especially my youngest brother Matthew, is having with hockey can be attributed to coaches who promote fun and the love of the game and who care about children’s growth and personal development – coaches who adopt coaching styles consistent with the Play Like a Champion Today GROW approach. Thank you to all the youth coaches out there who adopt this style of coaching! You are truly making a positive difference in the lives of the kids you coach!
Natalie Geiger, ND 2012
Social Foundations of Coaching Class
