We're finishing up the spring mini-season and will be starting the summer 3 on 3 cross ice season. That should take us into August and finish up just in time for fall limited travel evaluations.
Now, I've been thinking about this quite a bit. The whole limited travel business. That's what it is, a business. We knew going in that hockey is an expensive sport for both watching and playing. Here's a bit of math. In our limited travel we will be required to travel as far as 45 miles to the farthest rink in our system. Not too bad. That's about an hour each way. Add that to a seven o'clock game time (potentially) and we're looking at leaving the house as early as just a shade before six AM. Ugh! Little did I know that this youth hockey was not just going to cost me a lot of money but a lot of sleep as well! That's still a little way off though for me to worry about it yet.
The rewards are huge though. The sense of team that my child and I will experience will far outweigh the slight inconvenience of losing sleep. I am reminded of an article I read in a hockey magazine. It was about the village that raises a hockey team. The parents of all the kids join together to cheer the team on, watch the siblings, make the game and the whole experience enjoyable for everyone! I can't wait to learn this first hand.
1 comment:
If I may suggest: Don't do the actual math. It will force you to decide between retiring in comfort and feeding your boy's frenzy. I did it once and tore up the paperwork... it took several bottles of wine and a few days to purge it from my mind. Lack of sleep, accumulated mileage, credit card bills, nights in hotels, equipment and season fees/ice time all add up.
But, as you say, the return on investment - in the form of friendships, life lessons, teamwork, compromise, adaptability, and sacrifice (for kids and parents) is worth every minute and every dime!
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