$200: the final straw for this Gopher alum & lifelong fan

[GopherGrit]

Money and the fact that you have to start young are the main limitations to hockey. You can’t pluck the most athletic kid in middle school and turn him into a great HS player.

Not sure outside the metro, but in the metro I feel like hockey is a game for rich folks. Damn expensive equipment. Have to pay for ice time at a limited number of facilities, so guessing you pay top dollar for a decent time or you take a terrible time. If you don't start early, you have no chance at making a competitive team. Then if you want your kid to be good it's year round plus you're probably paying for separate training (dry land/weights, as well as hockey specific).

Maybe it's more subsidized (in some cases) than I'm imagining.

 

[upnorthkid]

Not sure outside the metro, but in the metro I feel like hockey is a game for rich folks. Damn expensive equipment. Have to pay for ice time at a limited number of facilities, so guessing you pay top dollar for a decent time or you take a terrible time. If you don't start early, you have no chance at making a competitive team. Then if you want your kid to be good it's year round plus you're probably paying for separate training (dry land/weights, as well as hockey specific).

Maybe it's more subsidized (in some cases) than I'm imagining.

Depends on the “level” you want them to play at. If you’re envisioning high school, unless they’re a super good athlete at baseline (think someone like Mason West) then yes you’re absolutely correct and personally I think it’s kind of shit what hockey has turned into.

Playing peanut hockey and stuff not as big a deal if you just want them to have a Taste of the sport and there are clubs that do equipment share. Small towns have varying levels of support for equipment and other things as well.

 

[SeaBee_Gopher]

Money and the fact that you have to start young are the main limitations to hockey. You can’t pluck the most athletic kid in middle school and turn him into a great HS player.

Right! I was told being a hockey parent is basically a lifestyle choice and, when my sons were young, I didn't want that lifestyle. I knew I just had to keep them away from it past early elementary school. One son did eventually ask me about playing and I was like so sad too LATE!

 

[BleedGopher]

Shooter chimes in:

— It’s astounding that the publicly-supported University of Minnesota has gotten away with charging regular students this year a $200 fee to help pay the school’s athletes.

Charley Walters: Don’t expect J.J. McCarthy to star from the start

A little birdie says baseball commissioner Rob Manfred wasn’t happy with the Pohlad family’s announcement that it had decided to retain ownership of the Twins, Walters writes.

www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[State of Football]

Right! I was told being a hockey parent is basically a lifestyle choice and, when my sons were young, I didn't want that lifestyle. I knew I just had to keep them away from it past early elementary school. One son did eventually ask me about playing and I was like so sad too LATE!

You’re behind if you don’t start by age 5

 

[State of Football]

Not sure outside the metro, but in the metro I feel like hockey is a game for rich folks. Damn expensive equipment. Have to pay for ice time at a limited number of facilities, so guessing you pay top dollar for a decent time or you take a terrible time. If you don't start early, you have no chance at making a competitive team. Then if you want your kid to be good it's year round plus you're probably paying for separate training (dry land/weights, as well as hockey specific).

Maybe it's more subsidized (in some cases) than I'm imagining.

It is definitely an exclusive sport. I played for 18 years and both my kids were done. by age 15. Both fell in love with baseball. Only one left playing baseball and football. I believe it was the adults culture in youth hockey that caused them to lose interest. It’s pretty gross.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

Shooter chimes in:

— It’s astounding that the publicly-supported University of Minnesota has gotten away with charging regular students this year a $200 fee to help pay the school’s athletes.

Charley Walters: Don’t expect J.J. McCarthy to star from the start

A little birdie says baseball commissioner Rob Manfred wasn’t happy with the Pohlad family’s announcement that it had decided to retain ownership of the Twins, Walters writes.

www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!

I wonder if Shooter heard about the Lindbergh baby.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

You’re behind if you don’t start by age 5

Having never played, and barely able to even skate, can you mention why this is? Is it just too hard to get used to skating if you don't do it early? Or is it handling the puck that you can't get down later in life? Or....

 

[FredCoxRocks]

Me, right after my then–6-year-old son said he had no interest in playing youth hockey:

 

[upnorthkid]

Having never played, and barely able to even skate, can you mention why this is? Is it just too hard to get used to skating if you don't do it early? Or is it handling the puck that you can't get down later in life? Or....

It is slightly hyperbolic but mostly because of what hockey has become. Becoming less and less common people just play youth hockey seasonally long term (like where you would suit up in winter, maybe play inhouse) and has moved more year round, even from a very young age. So if you wait until they’re 8/9/10, the kids they’re playing with are much further along, the game is less fun for the kid, and there are just not as many leagues/groups looking to serve the “casual” hockey parent anymore. Many winter groups are now looking for people who are going to play/participate year round and travel (and when I say travel, I mean cross state/flying even only modestly into the higher levels). The stamkos NHL commercial about his kid with Hedman unfortunately isn’t too far off with how many people who decide to be hockey parents feel

Your kid could start later, but it just sets you way behind the eight ball if you’re trying to track them to play competitively, even at the high school level, with how insane the schedule has gotten. Think this is massively to hockeys detriment long term but that is the way almost all sports are going more and more (I’ll avoid the society rant regarding this)

 

[MNPete]

So this post prompted me to actually look at my kids fall charges at Arizona State. Her statement is full of fees. In addition to the $17,007 out of state tuition and $5,313 room charges to stay at her sorority house (no meal plans included in this), the following fees were noted:

Undergraduate college fee - $1,065
Tuition surcharge - $175
RL res college fee - $124
Student athletics fee - $100
Student services facility fee - $100
Health and wellness fee - $80
Financial aid trust fee - $59
Student programs fee - $35
Recreation fee -$28

Kind of incredible if you ask me!

 

[gopherbadgerman]

So this post prompted me to actually look at my kids fall charges at Arizona State. Her statement is full of fees. In addition to the $17,007 out of state tuition and $5,313 room charges to stay at her sorority house (no meal plans included in this), the following fees were noted:

Undergraduate college fee - $1,065
Tuition surcharge - $175
RL res college fee - $124
Student athletics fee - $100
Student services facility fee - $100
Health and wellness fee - $80
Financial aid trust fee - $59
Student programs fee - $35
Recreation fee -$28

Kind of incredible if you ask me!

Mine just started at Grand Canyon. I’m actually there now dropping her off. I’m going to check those fees too…

 

[Gold Vision]

Youth Hockey in Minnesota is an absolute blast and extremely well organized at the association level. There are 5 levels of competition for AA, A, B1, B2, and C leagues across the state. Districts do a good job of policing teams who take advantage of stacking teams.

Multiple levels of play means there are no cuts, and there are plenty of opportunities for kids to play at the B and C levels without being dedicated to playing year round on AAA traveling/club teams. There are tons of local tournaments, and it really is a ton of fun for the kids and families. It’s busy during the winter, but I found it to be 100% worth it.

It’s a great sport, and Minnesota does youth association hockey right. Kids play with their school/area associations, not random all-star clubs. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to get young kids into it.

If your goal is to play at the HS Varsity level, you’re going to need to skate a lot more and put in off season work starting around Middle School. With the exception of Football, that’s unfortunately the case for most sports these days. Competitive soccer, basketball, volleyball and lacrosse are all year round club commitments and extremely expensive year round sports. Baseball and Softball now have year round training.

The issue with most of those sports is there is no real opportunity to play in High School if you’re not making the JV/Varsity team. The great thing about MN hockey is the Junior Gold leagues that run through the High School ages. There are multiple levels to play all the way through and no cuts.

It also doesn’t preclude a kid from playing football. My kid has played football since 2nd grade and is playing high school football as a sophomore this year. He loves to hit kids on their ass equally between the sports as a 15-year old!

 

[GopherTheJugular]

It is slightly hyperbolic but mostly because of what hockey has become. Becoming less and less common people just play youth hockey seasonally long term (like where you would suit up in winter, maybe play inhouse) and has moved more year round, even from a very young age. So if you wait until they’re 8/9/10, the kids they’re playing with are much further along, the game is less fun for the kid, and there are just not as many leagues/groups looking to serve the “casual” hockey parent anymore. Many winter groups are now looking for people who are going to play/participate year round and travel (and when I say travel, I mean cross state/flying even only modestly into the higher levels). The stamkos NHL commercial about his kid with Hedman unfortunately isn’t too far off with how many people who decide to be hockey parents feel

Your kid could start later, but it just sets you way behind the eight ball if you’re trying to track them to play competitively, even at the high school level, with how insane the schedule has gotten. Think this is massively to hockeys detriment long term but that is the way almost all sports are going more and more (I’ll avoid the society rant regarding this)

Thanks, that makes sense. And yeah, I'll avoid the rant too, but as others have said, we miss the three sport athlete days.

 

[Schnauzer]

We were non-hockey people but had a GREAT experience with hockey and youth hockey. No, it isn't cheap but there are other expensive activities as well. I don't think we ever did an exact comparison but I think it was a similar investment to get our daughter all the way through her senior year in competitive dance compared to our son, who advanced all the way through HS hockey. Our third kid played football and track and yeah, that was a lot le$$.

I agree with what Gold Vision said above. Hockey in MN is great because kids find their way with the level of their interest and skill and there is always a place for them. Our son stumbled around at the "C" level when he was little but still had a blast playing on C level teams and being involved with the team, tournaments, parties, etc. It wasn't expensive. He enjoyed it enough that he started to focus on it and invest his time on his own and the "C's" started to change to "B's" and finally "A" by the time he was a bantam, and then he made HS varsity as a sophomore.

It definitely got more expensive considering all the clinics, shoulder season leagues, etc. but by the time that money started to hit, it was pretty clear he was going to "make it" at the high school level. Given the way it worked out, it felt like a good investment as opposed to just throwing money at the sport. He very well could have just stayed playing hockey for fun when he was at the "C" level and worked his way toward Junior Gold for a fraction of the $$.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about hockey where people think the investment is off the charts under any circumstances, and that just isn't the case.

 

[Mr. 131]

Not sure outside the metro, but in the metro I feel like hockey is a game for rich folks. Damn expensive equipment. Have to pay for ice time at a limited number of facilities, so guessing you pay top dollar for a decent time or you take a terrible time. If you don't start early, you have no chance at making a competitive team. Then if you want your kid to be good it's year round plus you're probably paying for separate training (dry land/weights, as well as hockey specific).

Maybe it's more subsidized (in some cases) than I'm imagining.

It has 1000% become a rich kids game.
Everyone tries to act like city hockey died simply due to demographic changes, but that's not the whole story.
- A St. Paul east sider at heart.

 

[MirandaB]

We were non-hockey people but had a GREAT experience with hockey and youth hockey. No, it isn't cheap but there are other expensive activities as well. I don't think we ever did an exact comparison but I think it was a similar investment to get our daughter all the way through her senior year in competitive dance compared to our son, who advanced all the way through HS hockey. Our third kid played football and track and yeah, that was a lot le$$.

I agree with what Gold Vision said above. Hockey in MN is great because kids find their way with the level of their interest and skill and there is always a place for them. Our son stumbled around at the "C" level when he was little but still had a blast playing on C level teams and being involved with the team, tournaments, parties, etc. It wasn't expensive. He enjoyed it enough that he started to focus on it and invest his time on his own and the "C's" started to change to "B's" and finally "A" by the time he was a bantam, and then he made HS varsity as a sophomore.

It definitely got more expensive considering all the clinics, shoulder season leagues, etc. but by the time that money started to hit, it was pretty clear he was going to "make it" at the high school level. Given the way it worked out, it felt like a good investment as opposed to just throwing money at the sport. He very well could have just stayed playing hockey for fun when he was at the "C" level and worked his way toward Junior Gold for a fraction of the $$.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about hockey where people think the investment is off the charts under any circumstances, and that just isn't the case.

We've had very parallel paths, except son stopped hockey in high school and started running cc and track. Competitive dance is easily as costly and time consuming as hockey.