Making a personal commitment to hockey

January 17, 2011 - By Jeff Serowik

DON'T GIVE UP

Making a personal commitment to hockey, school work or achieving a goal, is a great thing for students and student athletes to think about. Hockey is a big commitment on the family as far as expense and time. I love to see kids set personal goals in the sport as well as school. I find when you actually think about the goal and make a commitment towards going for it - you will get there. Some kids aspire to make their Varsity High School team by junior year. Some kids commit to going for Varsity as a freshman. Some kids know they want to play hockey in college. Whether you aspire to play Division One or Division Three, there is a major journey in store for you with many bumps and bruises along the way. But, Don’t Give Up.

Attaining your goal is a marathon not a sprint. Commitment is necessary in bringing reality to your desires. There is a major leap from wishing to committing. It is ok if you are interested in hockey, but don’t want to make a strong commitment too. Interest is a hobby. Commitment is systematically working towards the goal until it is attained no matter how long it takes. Commitment is picking yourself up time and time again after setbacks. Don’t forget to be flexible with your commitment. No path is straight and black and white either. With that said…below are some try out tips. Don’t be defeated if you don’t make the team you are hoping for as there is something to be said for the standout child each team and being bumped up the following season. I am coaching my son’s town travel squirt team this year and have a player on the team that may have slipped through a crack in the try out process. He is an A player in my eyes. I love having him on our team as a leader and he has had an amazing year and been a stand out in the league. His parents never complained about his placement and I believe good things will happen to this young hockey player along with so many players on my team and in my camps. Be patient with your commitment to hockey. Believe me it will try your patience but hang in there.

Sincerely,