The Regular Season Begins

When last I was here, we were waiting to hear which team my son made. Also, which team would I manage? So here’s what happened. My son worked his butt off and got placed on the top team. My son’s club also switched to a birthyear system, which caused a little drama at the beginning of the season. I was NOT asked to manage the team, as the coach didn’t know me, and the person he picked is a really wonderful manager, so I’m the team treasurer. I manage the TOF (team ops fund. don’t call it a slush fund) which is much fun. But it can play havoc with your personal bank account unless you have other systems set up. Which I do. Hey, Bluevine Online Bank! (This is not an affiliate link; I just like and use them).

What a privilege it is to support my son’s hockey plans. It’s cool to see your kid work hard and improve at something. We’re not headed for the NHL or even a college team. But his best friends are on his hockey team, and my close friends are in the stands or the scorebox (did I mention I love scorekeeping? Best seat in the house).

And all this to say, it’s great to be able to get excited about the game on the ice, when the world feels a little scary. I hope your season is off to a good start!

The long road between tryouts and roster announcements

This week has been a long one. It’s the 4 days between the last of the tryouts and the roster announcement. Last year, I happened to be up when the rosters went out at 12:15 am. I was the first to know that my son had made the 3rd team, and his best friend had made the 2nd team. It sucked. We waited 24 hours, and then sent an email to the hockey director. Who kindly and gently told us that our son would stay right where he was. It was a major learning moment for all of us. We ended up with a good team, as our club got a bunch of new players from other teams that didn’t make the tryout so they couldn’t be on a higher team. Our club is known for being well organized and supportive, and they came to us because of bad experiences elsewhere.

My son worked really hard in the spring. During the spring season he had a game where he scored 7 of the 8 goals. He voluntarily got up at 5:30 to skate. He did hockey camps, learned what it sounds like when his skates are moving fast. He lost his temper and learned how not to lose a championship. (By that I mean, he lost, didn’t handle it well, and learned the consequences of being an asshole. That’s a blog post for later).

So I’m here, and I should go to bed. Last year I knew about his team placement. I waited until after school the following day to tell him. I didn’t want him to find out before school and have a crappy day. We think he’ll either be on the 1st or 2nd team. He worked hard. He tried hard. He wants to be on the ice. I just hope the coaches see his passion, and love of the game. His best friends in the whole world are at the rink. I’ve already submitted my manager application to the club, as I’ll want to be involved regardless of the team he’s on.

I’ve decided to head to bed. The roster will be the same whether I read it tonight or tomorrow.

Welcome. I’m Heather and here’s my hockey manager blog.

My alarm went off at 5:45 am for an optional practice at our home rink. My son slept in his hockey unders. Not once during the regular season did I ever get up this early. Well, except when we went to the airport to try and fly out of Nashville at the end of tournament weekend in a snowstorm. That’s another post.

Hi, I’m Heather. I am a hockey mom, hockey manager, hockey player. And I do want to be clear. My kid is awesome and is in no way going to play pro (or even college) hockey. But we are a hockey family.

I believe in the amazing lessons that sports teach our kids. It can also be rough on everyone. My son is a PeeWee (12U) and all that comes with middle school kids and their developing social skills.

I’ve started this site as a way to share the knowledge I’ve picked up at the rink. I’ve been frustrated by the lack of good info out there on how to make this work. That somehow, you just have to KNOW. This is me helping you know.

Welcome to the rink! I’m sure you’ll be the Manager of the Year for your team (if they talk you into it. . .😉)