Changing game to keep young athletes playing into their teens

Studies show that 70 per cent of our youth quit organized sports by age 13. Why? Many who have studied this find in most cases, the game stops being fun. Sports have addressed the situation in some interesting ways. For years soccer, baseball, lacrosse, football, curling, in fact most sports, have modified the rules and playing surface for younger players. It is all about making the initial learning phases of the game fun.

Soccer and field lacrosse use smaller nets and fields. Box lacrosse organizations start kids on half-floor games. Baseball uses T-ball and smaller diamonds and basketball introduces kids to their game with lower nets and a smaller ball. Football came up with a touch game and flag football. Curling has cordwood “rocks” and an indoor game.

Now hockey has come on board. Hockey Canada, in a directive this summer, mandates all six-yearolds and younger must play crossice. On the whole, the edict was well received. Most minor hockey organizations have had some form of this for years but now the governing body of one of Canada’s national sports, Hockey Canada, has made it official.

Even at hockey’s late arrival with modifications, there was some pushback from some organizations that have rep teams for six year olds. Many had spring tryouts with teams picked. After a major outcry because the rule change came so late for some organizations, Hockey Canada loosened the ban allowing six year olds who had earlier made full-ice teams to play this year.

Now for hockey the young beginning players will not face the imposing mass of ice with all its lines and rules. They will have two nets, in some communities’ smaller ones, a lighter puck and no ice markings to be concerned with. Scores will not be officially kept but withouta-doubt parents or grandparents will do that. The focus will be on fun and learning to skate with a stick in their hand.

There is no doubt some exceptional players will be held back to some degree with this edict. Undoubtedly, Connor McDavid was ready for full ice when he was four or five years old. But realistically less than 0.02 per cent of youngsters starting out playing hockey will go on to play the game professionally.

Years before we had top-heavy organizations dictating every aspect of minor sports, common sense prevailed with kids starting out in games. Most kids generations ago learned to skate on postage-stamp sized backyard rinks. They complemented their skills by playing road hockey in driveways, parking lots and under street lights.

Too many young hockey players have undoubtedly left the game because organizers have been slow or too obstinate at making the game more age-appropriate. It took years for hockey to ban body checking for younger age divisions. Now there are leagues of all ages with no body checking. In fact, oldtimers’ hockey took off, bringing back players long out of the game, when leagues started with no body checking or slap shots.

In a highly skilled and physical game like hockey it was folly to expect youth starting out to attempt to play the same game as the professionals they see on television.

What finally opened the eyes of hockey administers to modify the game for the beginning players? It could be declining numbers or the growing awareness of injuries in the game, especially concussions but it was more likely as simple as the increasing cost of ice time that initiated the changes.

This latest change should encourage younger players to stay with the game longer. Even if their skills are in the average range they will now have fun learning to play the game in situations closer to what their ancestors did on lakes, ponds and backyard rinks.