Goalies & Parents at the Grade 9 & 10 Age Group

[The Wall33]

I'm writing this as a request for some insights as to why some goalies (specifically at the Bantam AAA and Minor Midget AAA level - grade 9 & 10 in Ontario) start to lose their mental focus at this age?

I have seen a disturbing trend over the past several years, although I'm sure it's nothing new. Goalies that have been serviceable AAA 'tenders thru Atom, Peewee and Minor Bantam suddenly start crapping the bed when they get to Major Bantam and Minor Midget.

I have some 'pet theories' which include the pressure of transitioning into high school (Grade 9) from a lower school (the 'minor-niner' syndrome); pressure related to the draft year (minor midget / grade 10) and the simple fact that girls, booze and drugs become more seductive.

In step with those outside pressures, the shooters are getting better and the 'drop, block and pray' style that they could get away with when younger no longer works.

From the point of view that this is just a way of 'culling the herd', separating the men from the boyz, the average from the strong, I realize this is natural and necessary. What I'm looking for are some thoughts from parents with competitive goalies at this age or goalies at this age who can maybe shed some light on things. Is there something I'm missing here?

The end game for me is to try and gain a psychological edge with these goalies, to try and connect with them, push the right buttons and try save/resurrect their 'careers'. I'm not convinced it's actually possible since I believe the drive must come internally, but I would welcome any thoughts on the topic.

Wellsie

[Goaliedad]

When they enter high school they suddenly find themselves in a new world with new social expectations and pressures. This is the age when they get interested in cars, girls, and earning money. Money equals freedom. This is happening at the same time as the hormones start kicking in. Also it's a time when they start becoming independent from their parents. Some stop talking to parents altogether. In the case of athletes, some stop sports or lose interest while some who have never played sports suddenly become interested. Some kids this age will go through drastic body and mind changes getting much taller and putting on weight and or muscles while others seem to stay the same. I believe the loss of focus you are seeing is the distraction that comes with the physical, mental, emotional, and social changes happening. What I find to be a tragedy is that an athlete's success in sports relies heavily on this period of his development. Only a small percentage of athletes do well during this period and put on their adult size and growth so what happens is that most athletes come into their own in their late teens and early 20's. Consequently many great athletes never get a chance. Also many kids at this age become a bit rebellious and quit because of politics or coaching styles. I have seen top players at 16/17 walk out of tournaments or quit teams because they didn't agree with the coach. The end result is many great athletes are lost during this right of passage. There is also a big problem with 18 to 20 year old's playing in college and juniors. They get it in their heads that they are hot shot super stars and start doing crazy stuff like playing high or racing cars.Next thing they are out of the sport. Some even die.

[sloth2946]

USA Hockey studied this a few years back.

The conclusion they came to was the fact that at the age of 14 there was a 50% attrition rate in hockey. The reasons for the attrition rate varied greatly from just about everything you could imagine.

One of the biggest factors was simply...to focus on another sport. And cross referencing other sports, they all have the same problems too. At issue is kids who played a couple sports growing up are just simply focusing on the one they like the best or are the best at. It is safe to say that the days of the kid in HS who lettered in 4 sports every year is going the way of the do-do.

[c0nquistad0rian]

I never understood why Canadians say "grade 9" instead of "9th grade." Do you say "street 9" or Wayne Gretzky is "hockey player 1" on all the NHL's all time scoring lists?

[The Wall33]

Originally Posted by c0nquistad0rian

I never understood why Canadians say "grade 9" instead of "9th grade." Do you say "street 9" or Wayne Gretzky is "hockey player 1" on all the NHL's all time scoring lists?

Someone has too much time on their hands...

[madcow]

I noticed that to, alot of kids feel:

-to much pressure, they want to go and party, and not feel underconstant pressure
-rare case but schoiol work is lacking
-politics push kids out, example not getting ice or making a team, around that age people just seem to quite, I had a period that i wanted to
-lack of interest
-other sports
-stress
-family life.

[profly_coach]

Simple answer: Hormones.
When a child reaches puberty his testosterone (estrogen and progesterone in females) release rate goes way up. These sex hormones hit the frontal lobe of the brain 7 times a day.
The frontal lobe is the area responsible for judgment and anger. It's not fully developed until age 21.
Anyone who has raised a teenager will tell you that teenagers tend to make bad decisions and communicate via anger.
Older men (70 +) have a similar issue except that the lack of testosterone causes a deterioration of the frontal lobe. As a result, they also tend to communicate through anger and make poor judgements.
Lucky me: I'm raising two teenagers (my son quit playing hockey this season) and my dad is 82

[newgoalie1993]

Originally Posted by c0nquistad0rian

I never understood why Canadians say "grade 9" instead of "9th grade." Do you say "street 9" or Wayne Gretzky is "hockey player 1" on all the NHL's all time scoring lists?

Its all about laziness. "Jimmy is in grade 9" is only 4 words and 1 number, or 6 syllables. "Jimmy is in the 9th grade" is an extra word, and extra syllable. You can't do it with "9th street" because "The" doesnt come before it in a sentence. The Wayne Gretzky one doesn't apply, because you just say "Wayne Gretzky is number 1 on all the NHL's all time scoring lists"

On topic: I'm not sure what the reason is, but most teenagers areound the age of 14~16 lost interest. I almost quit playing hockey, and I know a lot of people that wanted to, or did quit this season.

[Goaliedad]

To pick up on what Sloth is saying about specializing early. What is happening in the U.S. is that children are starting in sports so early and playing so much sports that when they hit 14 and start to think for themselves and develop as an individual they decide to get off the sports treadmill. Parents and coaches can't understand this but just think, at 14 many kids have been playing a sport(s) for 10 years. 10 years is longer than most adults work at the same job. Many decide they want to do something else. Many teenagers just want to sleep. Puberty takes a heavy physical toll. On the other hand some kids just sail through it.

[HeadSave38]

I think you've all got it dead on. I'm 16 and a Junior in high school. I've only played for about a year and a half, while the other goalie on my team has been playing for about 8 years. My life revolves around hockey and I'll do whatever it takes to gain my coach's respect, but the other kid doesn't want to play. He actually said the other day "I hate hockey" . I couldn't fathom even the most miniscule dislike for the game, yet somehow he hates playing. Now, I think it might be that his dad is making him play, so there may be some credit to his not wanting to play. His dad is our assistant coach and all 3 of his sons play goal (the oldest playing juniors). I was never an athlete, but I knew i wanted to play hockey, so when i started at 14 I caught the bug late and it's stuck.
I'm not an overly social person beyond my one group of friends at school and my team, and I'm not one to go out and party on friday night. I'd rather chill at home and watch any hockey game that might be on tv while I browse the internet for info on anything that might improve my game. Don't even try to talk to me when the Flyers are on. Drinking, partying, etc. just isn't my thing, so maybe I have an advantage over others that may be more susceptible to that pressure.
As for cars and girls, I know i'll be driving my brother's old truck in january when I get my license, so I'm not worried about that. Also, I don't currently have a girlfriend, because I do, like everyone, enjoy having money. I do have a job, but the only thing I really ever want money for is hockey equipment!
Politics is the only thing that's ever gotten me down, because before my sophomore year I tried out for my high school team and they cut me because I was the only extra and the kids I was better than, one was a junior and the other had played for them the year before. It didn't turn me off though, because that was my drive to come back the next year and play for another team and make them regret that decision. In an ironic twist, my coach now was a coach for my HS when that happened.

The kids that stop playing may be talented, but the ones that keep playing are the ones that are truly committed to the game and getting better so they can play their best.

[oldgoalie]

I have to agree with much of what has been said, especially the variety of new influences including girls, cars and vices (and guitars in my son's case)

There are other interests, school now taxes their organizational skills and the focus for most is simply not there. Those that are truly committed and into the game and being at their best will continue to do so, but as you noted Wellsie, this culls the herd somewhat.

There will be a percentage who along with the attitude and hormones will figure they know it all at this point and are no longer receptive to coaching and learning and then stop improving or in some cases get worse. I have seen a couple cases of this personally.

Other sports is definitely a factor too. WHY? Because (at least here in Canada or the GTA anyway) there is SO much pressure from the parents and expectations of getting better and making the grade that by the time many approach their draft year, (15 or M Midget) they are burnt out or figure they ain't getting the call and simply pack it in. This is a downfall or our whole philosophy in our kids playing hockey, no one has reasonable expectations and the reason to play is the brass ring rather than instilling a love for the game itself and encouiragement for them to play at the level they can play at and continue to play throughout their lives.

I know dozens of very good players who quit in Midget year and have never played since, my own being one of them except for me dragging him to pickup. His choice was a greater passion for music and furthering his education, but I continue to hope he takes the game up again for the enjoyment and camaraderie.
I never heaped unreal expectations or pressure on my son, although he was regularly recruited to play at higher levels. In spite of this he claims to have been stressed in nearly every game he played, though he never showed it. I wonder what the kids whose mom and dad spend every waking minute believing theirs is going to the show feels like?

As for your last point Wellsie, you are absolutely right, the desire HAS to come from within them along with a willingness to continue to learn and improve. their are lots of NHL'rs that are there because of their drive and work ethic vs their talent.

oldgoalie

[handleyj]

As I have just gone through that transition 3 years ago I found that it is a combination of all that has been said.

First I think it is Drive, there are many other distractions at this age and it comes down to who wants to be great, who would give up everything else to win. At this level you are being streamlined for JRs and this is the attitude you must have to succeed.

Also the individuals who have developed early are suddenly at the same spot as their peers as most have gone through puberty and it is now more of an even playing field and true skill not just early development will shine.

[CubanPuckstoppr]

Wellsie,

I have my own theories on this issue, which most won’t accept.

While all the outside influences have/do/will pull an athlete from the sport (not just hockey), I believe that many have hit their peak at the age of 16. Mom, Dad, and Coach will say it is the player’s fault for losing focus, but that is a way of rearranging the burden of the situation.
Put yourself in the position of a 16 year old, with high demands on their time for a single sport, and realizing diminishing returns.

To echo what Sloth said in post #3 of this thread about multi-letter athletes.

From Adam Naylor

While most agree there will come a time when an athlete may need to focus his or her energies on a single sport, sport psychologists like Naylor and Lauer tell parents not to rush it. Studies indicate the sooner a child specializes in a sport, the sooner he or she is likely to reach the peak of his or her potential.

Excerpted from the following link
USA Hockey Magazine



Also this above referenced article discusses the practice to game ratio, which I believe leads to an early athletic peak.

This thread from right here at the GSBB, discusses the number of games that teams are scheduling. It is hard for me to believe that time/money allow for a 3 to 1 practice to game ratio.
Do travel team goalies have time for more than one team?

Here is another article (from your neck of the woods) that describes similar, with recognizable names involved, and discusses

From Globe and Mail 082608.

But even if a child is mentally and physically prepared for a hectic sports schedule, new research suggests throwing a kid's sports eggs in one basket can make him a worse, not better, player. York's Prof. Baker has been collecting data on athletes considered the "best of the best." "Some of the data we have shows they spent a lot more time playing at their sport in an unorganized way," he says. Fewer rules and drills appears to promote a flexibility in the way kids think about problems on the court or rink. Mr. Karpan says he's seeing this play out in the next generation of hockey players.

http://www.minnesotahockey.org/coach...%20Burnout.pdf

At times I wonder if we are coaching the creativity out of the sport.

[habs-fan]

Too many expectations in many cases. Grade 9 is when school starts to become 'real'. Thre's more homework, there's more friends, by 15-16 they want a job. The time pressure of AAA hockey is just too much. And too many parents will see playing at a lower level as failure. So the kid quits. Playing AA, A or even house league will relieve the time pressure and may keep the game fun.

And don't underestimate the kids judgement. Many know that by age 15, they won't make it. They won't wnt to give up all social life to play competitive hockey.

[sbear41mb]

I dont know if anybody as said this, but its most likely getting burned out.. and the fact of all the pressures around (girls, drinking, drugs, doing other things than practice). Im 19 and ive played hockey since i was 7. When i was in 10th grade, I was playing hockey every season, and even in the spring/summer too. I loved hockey, but i felt i needed a break from all the travel, playing everyday, etc. Next thing i know, going out friends, party, etc is put right in front of hockey. Thank god i still play hockey, and i feel like im falling in love with it as if it were day one, but i think if i didnt get into that stuff, i might have had a chance to go somewhere. it sucks, but thats life.