Letter to the Editor
Youth hockey
Published Thursday, November 20, 2008
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To the editor:
There is something rotten in youth hockey in Fairbanks. What is it? It’s the stench of resentment that arises from the indolent leadership of an old organization that sees its hockey monopoly disappearing. Interior Youth Hockey Association is a new association born to make hockey affordable for low-income youth. Our goal is to provide excellent, competitive-level coaching to kids who’ve never had the opportunity to excel in hockey, due to economics and other reasons.
It is an awesome success. The kids are getting excellent coaching, their skills are improving weekly and, most importantly, they are having a blast!
But IYHA kids face a serious problem — the leadership of the other Fairbanks recreational hockey organization is disallowing their teams from playing ours, defying the intent of the Alaska State Hockey Association’s “open competition clause.” Is that what youth sports are about? Their Bantam Tier 3 coach is standing up to them and scheduling games with our Bantam Tier 3 team anyway, and I applaud him, but their Bantam Tier 4 coaches will not. That means our Tier 4 kids don’t get to play a game unless we drive to Delta Junction or Healy.
ASHA’s president did convince this organization to uphold the clause to a limited extent; thus, they have scheduled two games with our kids in December, while refusing our invitations for games in November.
What is the purpose of youth sports? Is it to feed egos of adults who have never excelled in sports and hope to attain glory through their kids? Should we adults allow our personal vendettas and animosities to get in the way of kids having fun under the guise of running a youth association? Is that what youth sports are about? Perhaps it is in the minds of the leadership of the old organization (which may explain the appalling decline in the number of kids playing hockey in Fairbanks). We disagree.
We believe that youth sports are for kids to learn skills, stay fit, learn cooperation, to work hard, and most importantly, to have fun! If only the other recreational hockey organization in town agreed.
Community Discussion
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Is this apt to evolve into another hockey fight?? If so, I'm not buying a ticket...
But more seriously, if what the writer says is true, then shame on those who assert territorial closed-mindedness where kids' sports are concerned.
I guess it could be viewed as another example of adults setting a commendable standard of fairness for the kids to live up to, right? ..... Or not...
I can not wait until the Palin hater's respond to this one from another hockey mom. Ms. Maier put on some lipstick and fight them like a pit bull.
I've noticed this too and I don't even have kids who play youth hockey. It seems like it's gotten WAY serious and the fun is just taken out of it for most youth hockey.
Perhaps someone who has been involved from the periphery but knows both of the founders of this group can make a comment. I have no idea what the situation is presently regarding who will play whom, but the reason this new organization was started was because both of these mothers had caused so much grief in both longstanding hockey organizations that their boys had nowhere to play hockey. One of the kids had been kicked off teams because of his attitude and actions. To help kids of low income be able to play is honorable, but with fewer and fewer kids playing hockey, to separate this group even more by starting another organization under a false pretense, is not the answer. Maybe accepting the fact that your kid, as well as the mother, is the problem and then moving on to something else is the answer.
Also, FreeDarfur, I love Sarah Palin. I just dislike.... head in the sand.... "Its not my kids fault" mothers.
This does not surprise me one bit. I've worked at both major hockey venues in town, and its my observation that hockey, at all levels, is a very snobish sport in Fairbanks. When you consider it costs about 5 grand a year for a kid to play youth hockey, it's to be expected that there are several instances of noses being turned up upon another.
fbksak, put on your lipstick and fight like a pit bull. Great idea for a fund raisers, Pitbull Hockey Moms Gone Wild.
fbksak - you are exactly correct. This organization was formed simply for a place for their kids to play hockey. The founders of that organization have had issues with the other organizations in Fairbanks (comp and non-comp). The one kid was suspended for his actions. They chose to quit the team because of the "It's not my kids fault" mentality. Another kid was pulled from one team and placed on another due team to a conflict and a third was removed from a team for the actions of the parents, not the player. Three different teams, three different issues but it's always someone elses fault. The ego issue that is mentioned above seems to be that of the "it's not my kids fault" parents that started this organization.
Want to keep prices down? Stop spreading things thinner and thinner just because you can't comply to established rules. What is the writer teaching their kids when they make a whole other organization because they can't abide by established rules? What's next, their own school? Their own roads with the speeds they want to travel?
I think the rule is that each team of the same age level and team level (A,B,C,D) have to play the other teams of the same level at least once. If other organizations are doing this in December the problem is that it's not when these people want it? Maybe they'll make a second organization so the first organization has someone to play within the rules the first organization set to benefit themselves. You know that will just make the second organization make a third so they won't have to comply with the first organizations rules LOL. Pretty soon every kid will have their own orgaization.
my parents used to shell out anywhere from 6-10 grand a season for me to play AAA and AA (also known as A and B, or tier 1 and tier 2) and high school hockey for the arctic lions and my school. i think the IYHA sounds like a fantastic and less expensive alternative to what most hockey playing kids in our town end doing! and it's fantastic they are getting serious coaching at the tier's 3 and 4 levels (both of which i played in my younger days). it's a shame these attitudes are keeping kids from playing hockey and just having a good time
ok, let me see if I've got this right by breaking it down further-
I went to Annie's house to play with Annie and a bunch of other kids but I didn't like following the rules Annie's mom set.
I then went to Suzy's house to play with Suzy and a bunch of other kids but I didn't like following the rules Suzy's mom set.
I then went back to my house and am now mad because I couldn't play by their rules and no one will come here to play with me and play by my rules????
Doesn't seem like rocket science to me. They didn't play well with other long standing organizations at multiple levels and are now mad that others won't stop the fun their currently having to go have fun with her at her house when she says they have to.
Stop it....you're killing me here.
sourdoughdiablo and majast2211 - AA and AAA are going to cost due to the amount of ice and travel involved. Both the Arctic Lions (including NAHA) and Fairbanks Amatuer hockey (including NK, IBs, and House) do extremely well with the programs they run. Each has it's own venue and costs associated with the road they go down. You pay more to play comp, it's to be expected. More ice and more travel costs more money. The thing is that it's the parents choice (and kids desire and skill level) that decide if they go comp or not.
My kids play on House teams and don't pay even a portion of the figures you mentioned and are having a great time and learning a ton. The coaches are great and my kids get up every day wanting to play hockey. That does not mean that they wouldn't have a great time with the AL's or NK's, it just isn't what they were meant to do. Not everyone can play comp, not everyone will go any further than H.S. teams. Seems the letter writer just couldn't play well with others.
We WOULD have been a hockey parents, but we could not afford the $$. So we became soccer parents instead. It had NOTHING to do with attitudes and everything to do with Money. It still does.
I have two kids skating in FAHA, I personally think that the article above is so one sided. How can anyone just spew vemon to the community at large. As a hockey parent I see the coaches working hard and I personally know that several coaches help out with more than one team. It seems to me that we have a small amount of parents are volunteering to trying to make things better and then we have a whiner who wants to just point out what makes her unhappy. Does everything go perfectly, no I doubt it does in any sports organization around town. Just because you don't get your way isn't an excuse to try and tear down others would are proving that they are willing to step up and help out.
I know the coaches that Ms Maier referred to in the article above and I personally know that 2 of them are helping out a multiple age levels. The other coach doesn't even have a kids playing he just really loves the game of hockey and wants to help kids out. These are the coaches that Ms. Maier is trying to make look bad. These guys put alot of effort, time and personal money into helping the youth of our community.
THANK YOU COACHES.
dukit22 - when ice is $200 to $400 per sheet per hour, it's going to get expensive as compared to soccer. I wish they would have played soccer and I had all the money I've spent over the years but it would never replace the smiles I currently see. So, for us it's worth it, just like soccer is to your kids.
Hockey is still cheaper than lawyers and rehab. Kids need sports, especially boys.
If the hockey associations here would work together, like faha doing house and the Lions concentrating on comp, Fairbanks teams might have a chance at competing with the better Anchorage teams.
SportsMom - you hit the nail on the head. Thanks to all of you out there that volunteer for the kids and have to put up with letters like the one above just because someone didn't get their way, exactly when they wanted it, how they wanted it. The letter contradicts itself
"Fairbanks recreational hockey organization is disallowing their teams from playing ours" yet in the same letter she says "they have scheduled two games with our kids in December". Umm - hello....that means they are not "disallowing" anything and are playing. If I use my simplified statement above that means something along the line of - I want Annie to play with me right now instead of next week. Well, sometimes Ms. Maier, it doesn't work that way. Get over it. You took your ball and went home because you couldn't play well with others. My mom would have told me to be happy that someone was coming over at all if I acted that way. Good advise.
roadtrip I think your right but the last thing needed is another hockey organization. We need another hockey organization like we need another McDonalds or Pizza Hut. Let's have the Ice Dogs or Nanooks split up and make two teams. Yea, that will work - not. Anchorage has a ton more kids trying out than Fairbanks does. The last thing needed is to split it up even more, especially over false pretenses.
There are always two sides to every story and Ms. Maier veiws are extremely left winged and self serving. As my mother always told me you can't fix STUPID or CRAZY people, you can only send them packing and that is what the other Hockey Clubs did end of story.
You made this bed, the sad part is your children are paying the price for your STUPID and CRAZY actions.
Grow up and move on
As far as the monetary aspect of this writer's complaint goes, correct me if I'm wrong but don't these hockey players get the opportunity to do fundraising and obtain sponsorship? My exhusband's kids were into comp hockey and I can remember them delivering phone books, selling 50/50 tickets, and working in the snack bar in an effort to help reduce the cost to their parents. Every sport is expensive. Hockey is probably the most expensive sport but there are ways to reduce the cost if you want it bad enough.
As for the other portion of your complaint, sure, there are bad apples in every sport at every level - from spectator all the way up to board members. And I also agree that some sports need a serious makeover but starting a whole new league sounds pretty extreme and, quite frankly, it doesn't sound like you thought this through completely.
I coach a different sport. I also sponsor teams. I serve as a board member of that sport. And my child plays. So, from every level I see all the dynamics that must be considered when dealing with youth sports. Rather than getting angry and starting your own association, maybe you should have put your efforts into the current association and worked with them to make the changes you were seeking. If enough parents agree with you then together you all should be able to produced results. It's not an easy process but at least you wouldn't have been starting from scratch.
As it stands, it looks like you are getting nowhere fast. These hockey associations have a lot of support. Granted, it may be from people who are snobbish, or whatever, but if that's the reason you aren't letting your kid play with them then maybe it's YOUR ego that is at issue here, not theirs.
LSmith - Well said!
Well I see nothing has changed in the years since I was a hockey parent. Parents are usually the problem. When little Johnny doesn't get enough ice time the whining starts. Game times aren't what you like? More whining. Squabbles between parents when it comes to fundraising, so and so isn't putting in as much time as we are, yada yada yada. Little Johnny gets suspended or kicked off a team, and the fur starts flying again.
What a great example is being set for the kids, who simply want to play hockey, without the drama and their parents making fools of themselves.
The organizations and coaches, as well as ice time schedulers, etc. face a lot of obstacles to running their programs, can't we all get along?
LSmith very well put, today so many people look to blame all of their problems on other people. But if this parent has participated in the other well established hockey organizations in town and isn't happy maybe it isn't all the organization's fault. At some point you need to look at the common denominator and realize it is you. Generally the world isn't out to get you.
With the nasty political season of negative ads, etc now behind us. Why can’t Shalen and Julie just go away too? Fairbanks doesn’t need these two negative cancerous ladies around. Please stop for the Kids sake. They say it’s about the Kids, well prove it ladies.
LSmith - thanks for the postive support :o)
Ms. Maier, my initial one word reply is – nonsense! This is a simple case of I got mad and went home, expecting others to follow. They didn’t and quite frankly you shouldn’t be surprised. Yes, I was in the stands when your player was removed from a team because of YOUR actions, not his. It wasn’t the players fault, it was yours. I watched as you made your player sit in the stands while the others played and you banged on the glass screaming at that coach, making a fool out of yourself. This is far from the only instance. Remember the locker room issue? I’m fully aware of the destruction you did to your young player’s previous team. This is the reason I’ve decided to reply. You have been your own worst enemy!
You have and do bad mouth every organization out there. You are also quick to bad mouth anyone that doesn’t conform to your beliefs or desires. Instead of helping to make things better all you did was complain and make a spectacle of yourself and everyone around you. Yes, you are well known for your antics in the Fairbanks hockey community.
You took your ball and went home as some have said and now want to complain that others didn’t follow you. No one let those kids down except you, and the others with you, because YOU didn’t have a plan. You thought, yet again, that you could force others to comply with what you wanted and again it is failing. The parents are paying and kids aren’t playing primarily because of your failure to plan and your current antics. Shame on you! I have no doubt that you are waving your signs of anger stating that it’s the fault of everyone else. The founders of your organization have had issues with every organization, and every level your players have played on. Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror Ms. Maier. Everyone else isn’t wrong all the time. Maybe if you take an honest look, the problem is YOU.
Other organizations have a plan and are executing their plans. Every other organization is playing by the rules of the Alaska State Hockey Association yet you don’t like it. If they weren’t, ASHA would make them. They should do more because you said so? I don’t think so! No Ms. Maier, you and your partners failed those kids due to poor planning. It’s sad they are made to suffer because of inaccurate information you provided to the parents, players, and now... our community. Let's try getting off the high horse shall we? You'll get further and the kids will benefit in the end.
Other organizations should not have to bend over to benefit you. IF they do, it’s because of the kids you let down not because of letters like the one above. Every organization should play by the established rules of competition and they are. You don’t like it…too bad. You should have thought of that before you took your ball home! It’s good to be a pitbull Ms. Maier but people tend to stay away from the rabid ones that make bad decisions.