Elite athletes get lots of help

RE: FROM BULLDOG PUPS TO THE CUP (MAY 17)

I’d like to thank Scott Radley for a marvellous story featuring the Hamilton area players competing for the Memorial Cup. The story put a very human face on Canada’s game. I had the privilege of being associated with that ’98 Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs Minor Midget AAA team mentioned in Scott’s article. What was dispelled in this article was this notion that high level sports is an impersonal conveyor belt that spits out pro-ready athletes at the end. Scott’s article pointed out that these young men get plenty of help along the way.

At the competitive levels in hockey, the athletic ability is usually obvious from the start. What good coaches do is take that natural ability and mould it and inject the discipline required for success. Young hockey players need to be encouraged to work hard, develop individual and team skills, respect their teammates and coaches, learn to execute the game plan, and be offensively creative and defensively responsible at the same time. This last point can be a cause of friction between parents and coaches. Parents frequently prioritize individual stats, where the coaches look for a balance between personal success and team success.

To reach the level of success these talented young men have achieved, those lessons were obviously well-learned. All good coaches get immense satisfaction from the success of their former players. They’re your players for life! George Naylor, Hamilton