“Thank You and Yes, I can give more.”

An OPEN Letter from PCYH ACE Coordinator – Paul Kirby

Last Tuesday I may have grumbled under my breath a bit as I walked in to the rink to serve my shift. Instead of watching the Varsity game on home ice, I spent the evening slinging coffee, nachos and popcorn out of the concessions stand with the President of our local bank. As a coach of two youth teams and a member of our Association Board of Directors, I do not need the volunteer dibs. I was starting a pity party and ready to complain. However, I was served up a perfect dose of “humble pie” as my co-worker happily dished out pizza and popcorn with the zest of a teenager trying to hold a job.

Mr. Berube worked in his khakis and loafers, obviously coming straight from work without taking the time to change in to recreation clothes. However, it wasn’t so much the clothes that I noticed but was more of his overall demeanor. He was the life of the party - smiling and laughing and throwing out hot cocoa and coffee as quick as he could make it. I’m sure the President of a bank has got some serious responsibilities to match his presidential income. In my mind, I questioned why he wouldn’t just write a check and shirk those volunteer dibs but it was obvious that Corey was loving the opportunity to give.

That’s it….just give. You can always give more. We can always give more. And we don’t have to ask what we’d get in return. Sometimes it’s OK to just give.

Our Association needs more people like Mr. Berube. Endless enthusiasm, total optimism, a contagious smile. Spend some time with Corey and I’m sure you’ll come away feeling like it was time well spent. That’s him along the boards, ushering out our pre-game flag bearers. Although his eldest has graduated, you can find him in the stands rooting on the Varsity. Last I saw him, he was in the Penalty Box at the last PeeWee game, volunteering again.

Thanks Corey – I can give more.

***

On another note, I’d like to take this opportunity to say “Thank You” to all of the Coaches and Managers in our association. These people have accepted the responsibility, took the necessary training, and committed loads of time to their children and more importantly, other people’s children. These folks have dedicated their skill-set to making sure that the youth hockey experience is an enjoyable one for as many children as possible.

I coach for a number of reasons. One is that my children play. But can you even imagine the level of commitment it would take for someone to coach youth hockey without having a direct relationship to someone on the team? I admire those in our association that are true givers. Those that come to the rink for “the love of the game”. They come to the rink because they love kids and they love what hockey can do for kids. To those Coaches a very special and heartfelt “Thank You”.

***

Throughout our Association, we are experiencing the Highs and Lows of a long and grueling Hockey Season. Frustrations are mounting, as some teams are not meeting the adult expectations placed on a child’s game.

Somewhere in between a plate of nachos and another cup of coffee – Mr. Berube turned to me in a serious tone and said, “Coach, are they getting better?” – our sons play together on a winless PeeWee team. Without hesitation, I responded, “Yes.”

He smiled and then said, “And are they having fun?” Again, I came back with another, “Yes.”

“Then that’s all the matters,” the wise old banker said to me.

***

Everyone please take a moment to put things in perspective.

What do we want our children to take away from the journey of youth hockey?

My answer to that is this – I want my children to be able to take the skills learned through sports and be able to transfer those skills into non-sport situations and the skills of life.

Sure I want to win just as much as the next guy…but sometimes we have to re-focus on what’s important now and what’s important in the long term. Trust those coaches. Let them coach and cheer your butts off from the stands. Have a hot chocolate and if you’re lucky, maybe Mr. Berube will be in there with service and smile.

Forecheck, Backcheck, Paycheck

Coach Kirby – Bantam B1 and PeeWee B2

Michele’s Husband ; Emma and Logan’s Dad.

“Re-Defining Winning”

As coaches, as parents, and as sports administrators, we need to move away from tracking wins and losses against our opponents.  If a kid regularly loses, eventually they will lose motivation and quit. However, if we shift to wins and losses based on personal and team goals, we can still develop an intense, burning competitive spirit AND we develop a human that wants to continually improve.

We will always be competitive, and we will not do away with the desire to win. We just need to change the definition of win to better support the long-term development of these young human beings.

Author: Geoff Lenahan

Director, For the Love of the Game