In this week's episode of "The Ride to the Rink," our hosts Lee, Mike, and Christie dive into the crucial phase of the hockey season where the weather starts to warm up, and distractions abound. They discuss the importance of commitment to hockey, balancing multiple sports, and strategies for staying focused both on and off the ice.
Key Highlights:
Commitment to Hockey: The hosts emphasize the importance of fulfilling commitments to your hockey team, even as the season winds down and other sports or outdoor activities become tempting. They remind listeners that being part of a team means seeing your commitment through to the end.
Balancing Multiple Sports: Recognizing that many hockey players are multi-sport athletes, Mike shares his insights on the benefits of playing various sports for overall skill development. However, he stresses the importance of communication with coaches and careful scheduling to avoid burnout and injuries.
Staying Focused: The episode touches on the challenges of maintaining focus during the latter part of the season, especially as the weather improves and the desire to be outdoors increases. The hosts offer practical advice for integrating outdoor activities without sacrificing hockey skills or team responsibilities.
Injury Prevention and Health: With the increase in activities, the hosts discuss the importance of pacing oneself to prevent injuries. They underscore the need for athletes to listen to their bodies, communicate with coaches and parents, and ensure they're not overextending themselves.
Communication is Key: A recurring theme throughout the episode is the importance of open communication with coaches, parents, and teammates. Whether it's feeling burned out, needing a day off for another sport, or just balancing life's demands, the hosts encourage young athletes to speak up and seek guidance.
As the episode wraps up, the hosts circle back to the core message of commitment, focus, and balance. They encourage young athletes to enjoy the journey, make the most of their multi-sport experiences, and remember the value of their commitments to their teams and themselves.
Call to Action: Listeners are encouraged to stay engaged with their teams, communicate openly with their coaches and parents, and keep pushing through to the end of the season with the same passion and dedication they've shown all year.
Join us next time on "The Ride to the Rink" for more discussions on growing, learning, and thriving in the world of youth hockey.
Speaker 1:
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Speaker 1:
We'll talk about that a little bit later, but today we want to talk about something that's really important. We know when you're hearing this. It's the time of year, the weather is about to change, it's about to get nicer outside, the sunshine is going to pour in through the windows, the snow will melt, the spring will come and inevitably, you're going to want to get outside. You're going to want to play baseball, you're going to play lacrosse, soccer, whatever sport it is that you play at, so heck, you might want to just go outside, because you've been in a rink and you've been in your house all winter and we're here to tell you a few things.
Speaker 1:
Number one we want you to go outside, we want you to play other sports, we want you to enjoy that, but we also want to remind you as coaches and this is something that can be hard to realize or be conscious of this time of year that if you made a commitment to your hockey team, you have to finish that commitment. You have to stay focused when you are at the rink, you have to stay focused when you are with your team and just see it through to the end. Again, I'm going to pass the puck over to Mike Benelli here, who's got some really great thoughts on this, both from the coaching aspect, but also keeping in mind what this part of the season can mean for you, mike Benelli.
Speaker 2:
Ladies and gentlemen, yeah, and again, it's not just snow, right? I mean, if you're in Arizona or Florida or the nice weather states that have these great hockey programs where you walk into practice with flip flops.
Speaker 1:
It's all snow here where I'm at. Yeah, that's it. Well, it's like.
Speaker 2:
I see a little bit of grass every now and then popping through, but I think that's just if somebody stepped on the snow with a big, big, big boot. But I think, if it's, we're in a place as coaches both sport coaches, right, most of our hockey players are multi-sport athletes and that's what we love about hockey. I mean, hockey is inherently a sport where you're going to get better if you play more sports. So we're going to abide by that and we as coaches are going to agree that we need to have that. Both the spring coaches and the in-season coaches need to understand that and respect the fact that a player is committed to a team. Most of our teams that go through.
Speaker 2:
You know, if you're a really successful team, you're going through mid-March. If you're getting to the end of your season, you're still playing until the beginning of March and you're in a place where indoor batting practice is starting, indoor wall-ball is starting. All these other sports are asking you to start working out and you have to remember that, whether you're winning every game right now or you're struggling, that you're laying the foundation for next year. So if I have a coach and sees a player is quitting on me in January, it's going to be really hard for me to accept that player again in April tryouts, knowing I can't even get this player through a season. And I think that and that really you start building up a reputation of that Right.
Speaker 2:
If you're on a team, you make that commitment. Be there with your teammates, work on the fact that when you get to the rink you're going to focus on the sport that you're in. Weather gets nice and the sun is out and it looks like a great day to go out and train in another sport. Great, do it. Go play, put in your 15, 20 minutes of wall ball or get in the batting cage. It's still going to help your hockey. But don't give up in your hockey season. Don't give up on your teammates and, more importantly, start setting the foundation for where you want to be when the new season starts, right.
Speaker 3:
And here's the thing hockey season is long, right, but all you guys have been working, and women and girls have been working all season long to develop the skills and you're now at the point where you're playing better, you're passing better, your chemistry is really good. You worked really hard to get to this point. So don't give up now. You want to finish strong, because now everything's jelling. You give up now, you're not going to see the rewards of all that hard work that you've been putting in for months and weeks.
Speaker 3:
The sun is shining, it's beautiful outside. I hope my kids would do. They'd set up the net in the driveway so instead of going to the rink, we went to our little practice right there in the driveway and they would work on their skills. They put on their rollerblades and they work outside and enjoy the sunshine and still not lose their skills and never give up on your team. It's really important, especially now. This is the time when it's really fun Because you've got the skills. You've been working all year for this moment. So you've got to put in. You're almost at the finish line. You've got to cross that finish line. I know it can be tough. It's going to be worth it.
Speaker 1:
You say I love the way you put that I want to go get my rollerblades on and go outside, but it is a little bit too cold for that.
Speaker 3:
Our coaches too, sometimes would just bring the drills outside. Hey, instead of running around the rink, we're going to go outside in the parking lot. It's all clear, it's safe. We're going to do a couple laps in the parking lot. Just get some fresh air, change the scenery and you can do some stuff outside. Kick a couple of soccer balls around in the parking lot. Just mix it up a little bit so you don't feel like you're confined in the rink 24-7 when the weather gets a little nicer.
Speaker 1:
And I can tell you, christy, that when the weather does get nicer, I look, as a coach, for opportunities to get my kids outside. I want to go outside and do team building outside Because, first off, a little vitamin D never hurt anybody, and the other thing too is just to change the scenery, the weather. We forget. We're kind of stuck in our homes, in the rinks or the car for half the year in some places. So, for the kids listening, this is what I want you to take away from the episode.
Speaker 1:
Aside from all this great stuff that Mike and Christy said, is that awareness of maybe you might feel a little burnt out and that's OK. Or maybe you want to get outside, it's OK, but be aware of how that might affect your behavior in the rink or outside of the rink. And just know you made a commitment. You got to finalize that commitment. Mike makes a great point. Evaluations do come up at the end of the season. Coaches notice a lot of stuff and I'll tell you this If you're a competitor, you're going to do that all the time, whether it's outside, inside taking out the garbage, cleaning your room, going to school, you're going to find a way to push through, especially in times you might not feel like it. That's a big separator, but fantastic advice from my two friends. Mike, did you have something else you want to say?
Speaker 3:
No no, I love it, I just think I'm just thinking.
Speaker 2:
I'm just thinking right now where we are in this time of the year and I'm thinking what am I going to do with my athletes and how much leeway and I get to give them when they say, hey, coach, I just need this one day off this week because lacrosse has started and I have six am lacrosse training and I know I have 930 at night hockey training and you know, and, by the way, I'm a student, I got to fit school in here somehow. Oh, and, by the way, I have a family and I have to eat and I have to study and I have to do. I have other things in life. So I think this is just really one of those things where you know, you just map it out, it's a balancing act. If you're a multi sport athlete, embrace that. Embrace the fact that you know you do get to play overlapping seasons and use it to your advantage.
Speaker 2:
You know you schedule it out and make sure you communicate, you know, with the other coach. You know if you have a top level baseball, if you're a top level athlete, you're playing really, really high level hockey and really high level baseball or lacrosse or whatever it is For us country. Communicate that to both coaches. If they don't respect the fact that you're training for both and you need to train for both and you want to be prepared for both, then again you may be a pick the wrong coaches, but then this situation communicate, lay it out there. Don't burn yourself out and don't just don't try to do things that you're unable to do, because ultimately, what you don't want to do in this context is injure yourself at the end of your hockey season and injure yourself where you can't play the beginning of your spring season. So just try to have that communication and figure it out and, you know, look at the grand scheme calendar and just work on that with your parents, your coaches, you know, and yourself.
Speaker 3:
Right. And but don't forget, your hockey commitment comes first, because you got to do that, because you signed up for it, you got to see it to the end, so you got to let them know, especially the other coaches, I'm committed to hockey. I got to see it through and after that then I'm fine, you know, because you don't want to do too much either, because that's when the injuries come, is you're overuse it, you're, you know you're wearing yourself out, you're going to get hurt. So remember that too. You know pace yourself.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and I think in closing, we would all agree on this that for all those of you that are listening, if you're feeling a little burnt out or you're feeling anything that doesn't feel right, you should be able to talk to your parents or your coach about it. You should be able to fully go up to them and communicate that. As Mike said, if they're not willing to hear that, maybe rethink where you're at. But you should always be able to talk to a grown up or a parent or an adult who are also grown ups, about what you're feeling Right, and a good coach will have that discussion with you and help you make plans to move forward. All great stuff to think about on your ride to the rink.
Speaker 1:
Ah, you see what I did there. It's the name of the show. All right, let's get to this episode of the ride to the rink for Christiana, cassiana Burns and Mike Vanelli. I'm Leo Elias. Remember to check out hockeysensorenacom for your $50 discount on an HL sensorina using the code Hockey Never Stops. That's very suiting for this group and we will see you on the next edition of the ride to the rink. Stayed on, everybody.