After One Year of Mite Hockey

Salt Lake County has a great MITE Hockey program. This is the 5-8 year olds. We skipped the first year and my son really settled in for the his first year but second year of eligibility. We've learned a great deal. The following are the tips we can provide:

• Get a skating coach outside of practice. Twice per week for a half hour each session is invaluable and greatly increases the childs skill level and confidence in his/her skating ability.
• Attend every practice even if scheduling is difficult. Find a way. The ice time is too important and the the drills / coordination if also extremely valuable.
• Make sure it stays "fun". I always ask if my son wants to continue because sometimes I get a feeling he is tired of playing or not having fun.
• Get the best equipment you can find. Skates and helmets are the most important single pieces of equipment you can own. Make sure the skates fit properly and buy the best you can afford. Even if you have to buy new one's every 8-10 months due to growth. The skates will allow your child to progress more quickly if they fit right and are not destroyed by some prior user if used.
• Force the child to use the correct length of hockey stick. My son prefers a longer stick, but he what he gains in reach, he gives up in coordination. Get the stick to the right size.
• Get practice socks and jersey's. The gear stinks after practice and games. You need the extra gear for practices so you have plenty of time to get them cleaned on those days with back-to-back games and practice.
• Even though your team is being crushed or delivering serious goal action, keep in mind, there are other parents in the stands feeling the opposite of you and instigating something with your reckless cheers or jeers can be bad form.
• Make sure your coach knows what he is doing. Some coaches waste a large amount of practice time with the kids standing around. This is wasted time. Don't let it happen. I don't have advice on preventing this, except to confront the coach.
• Be prepared to spend more money that you want. All the extra ice time and coaches, clinics, camps, equipment, etc. costs lots of bucks. Be prepared for it.
• Think about what your childs steps should be as they progress in skill level. Travel teams are very pretigious but expensive. This may not be the best method to get your child exposure. Think about alternatives. We are exploring playing on two teams in two separate counties.