This year marks my debut as a “hockey mom” and I’m loving every minute of it so far.
When my youngest didn’t show a strong preference for any particular sport or activity, I decided to sign him up for house league hockey with the Bradford Bulldogs.
While I never played hockey myself, I grew up watching the Toronto Maple Leafs with my family. Every Saturday night, we’d gather around the television and scream our heads off, cheering for the Buds.
I’ll never forget the time my parents surprised us with tickets to a game at Maple Leaf Gardens. I remember bringing a huge sign with the words “I <3 You Felix” on it. I was a big Felix “The Cat” Potvin fan, Toronto’s goalie in the early to mid-1990s.
Felix, along with Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Mats Sundin, Tie Domi … they were all part of my favourite Leafs era.
But I digress.
My son is still learning the game. He is by no means the fastest or most skilled, but he is having fun and that’s all that matters. All the coaches have been so great helping him learn the game while being supportive and encouraging.
Last weekend, he was excited to be part of the Hockey Day in BWG at Bud Brown Park. There’s something magical about watching six- and seven-year-olds playing an outdoor game in the winter — it doesn’t get much more Canadian than that.
Watching all the parents helping the kids lace up their skates in the freezing temperatures gave me all the feels. (Although I could not feel my toes, it was well below freezing out there!)
The town did a great job of organizing the event with activities inside the Bond Head Memorial Community Centre keeping the fun going all morning. At the end of the games, each player was presented with a medal. My son was so happy, sporting his hardware all day after declaring it was “the best day ever!”
Moments like these remind me what youth sports are all about — having fun, making memories, and learning life skills like teamwork, confidence and perseverance.
Before the season started, parents were required to take an online course called ‘Respect in Sport for Parents’.
At first I laughed. Who honestly needs to read this? I thought.
But as I worked through the hour-long module, I realized just how important the message was: It’s just a game. Let the kids have fun!
The stat that stuck with me most? Only one per cent of kids in competitive sports will make it to the professional level. One per cent!
Of course, we all want our kids to do their best and be the best. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish my kid was the best one on the team, being the star of the show. But this was a good reminder to keep my competitive side in check when I am screaming from the sidelines.
At the end of the day, it’s about the love of the sport and I am fully, unapologetically embracing my sports mom era because I know it will go by way too fast.
Natasha Philpott is a Barbie-loving, cat-obsessed writer who lives in Bradford with her husband and two boys. She is also the former editor at BradfordToday and InnisfilToday, both of which are sister sites to BarrieToday.
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