This season marked Megan's 4th year on the ice in hockey gear (only her 2nd as part of an actual team) She officially has the hockey big...she loves it! She plays for Adrian Youth Hockey Association AYHA and we have had nothing but a fun, supportive time with them. They really focus on having the kids learn the fundamentals of hockey before trying to push them into going out there to win...a perfect philosophy! Megan continues to learn and grow her skills on the ice, this season was no different. It was a great season, here is the quick version...seriously, hockey season is LONG from Sept - March with every Saturday having a 7:30 practice, but I wouldn't want it any other way!
Having played 6U last year, Megan kind of knew what she needed to do during her games. This year on 8U, she was young for the team and needed to find the confidence to play with kids that have a full year of more experience than she had. (Trust me, and extra year of hockey at this young level, makes a difference!) She held her own and continued to learn and grow throughout the season.
Love this...needs to be in every rink!!!
Megan's official hockey picture!
This year, in an attempt to get more girls interested in hockey AYHA was awarded a grant to help fund 6 Girls Only hockey clinics. They were fun, but what was really interesting to see was how ALL of the girls that were currently playing hockey...ALL of them were SO much more confident on the ice! The played harder, skated faster and just looked like different players. Now, don't get me wrong, all of those same girls kick butt on the ice while playing on their co-ed teams, but there was something different when they skated with just girls.
Another fun addition to this season, the 8U team was able to work with a few Adrian College coaches during a few on-ice clinics at the start of the season. Not only did the coaches share tips to our kids, but they continued to support our kids throughout the season. Again, this goes back to being part of the "hockey family" everyone supports everyone!
Action shot!
Hey look, my Jr. Bulldog is using my Big Bulldog's locker!
Our kids get to play in some pretty fun places. On NYE our kids got to play at the Huntington Center in Toledo.
Slowly, becoming more aggressive...slowly.
For as "non-confrontational" as Megan is during games...she does has a little competitiveness in her. During practices, I loved watching her push herself to beat someone, or skate faster than she did in the last drill. She has the fundamentals down, now to get her confidence up.
Ready to skate in another game at the Huntington Center!
Best buddies, enjoying their Bulldog hockey cookies on Valentine's Day.
Another fun thing I was asked to help with was Team Manager, AKA the person to wash jerseys and fill water bottles :) But in reality, I had a few more things to do to help keep the season running smoothly. Honestly, I loved it! I loved doing things that help support our kids, I loved getting to know the parents, I loved being apart of the association. Lugging stinky hockey jerseys back home after a game...well at least at the 8U level they didn't smell too bad!
So it is no secret that I love doing things to make other smile...Megan's last big hockey exchange was right after Valentine's Day. I didn't do anything for Megan's class at school, because honestly, kids just see sugar, they don't care what it looks like. But I am so proud of all the 8U kids, that I just had to do something for them. They all got goodie bags with a granola bar, orange and a personalized "hockey puck" (ding-dong) plus a fun quote about hockey. Because of my team manager position, I knew these kids, I knew their parents and I was proud of them all this season!
As the season was coming to an end, a couple coaches had a fun idea of mixing up some 10U players with our 8U team for a scrimmage. You know what...our 8U kids held their own. It was a fun game, with lots of trash talking to the referee (the AYHA president) It was a fun way to end the season.
Mark and I grew up playing sports and both of us feel that being part of a team teaches kids a lot of different things. From learning to be a team player, learning time management, learning what it means to make a commitment etc. etc. Towards the end of the season, Megan made both of these signs. Our little girl, that didn't have the confidence to read out loud to her class at the start of school, is now writing motivational letters! The letter on the right was proudly displayed front and center in the hallway at school. We are beyond proud that Megan views herself in such a positive way! I know that she is an excellent student...but not going to lie, in the back of my head, I know her confidence came from being part of a positive team playing hockey.
Seriously, look at her smile...she LOVES this sport! She might not be the fastest and she might not be the toughest player, but she has the heart of a hockey player and we can not wait to see how she will grow on the ice.
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