With our teams heading into playoffs over the next few weeks, it's an opportune time to reflect about the important role that parents/grandparents play in the experience of their young hockey players. Lakers hockey is a large time commitment and occasionally that comes with very high expectations. We need to temper these expectations with a dose of reality. Lakers Secretary Helen Dowd provided a few helpful "rules" and other comments that are important for us all to remember. Here's Helen's comments...
What I know for sure about the LAKERS...
Rule # 1
Your child's team will not WIN every game, NOR will they lose every game.
Rule # 2
You will never agree with EVERY decision "the bench" makes, EVERY call the refs make or EVERY motion the Executive approves - however without the above combination, your child is not playing for the LAKERS and you find yourself with a startling amount of free time (and besides you are welcome to apply for any of those positions annually!)
Rule # 3
The ONLY thing you have 100% complete control over is YOU... your thoughts, your words and your actions!
When we don our LAKERS apparel and walk into an arena, in any town, anywhere, WE ARE the LAKERS.
Focus on the POSITIVE, choose not to dwell on the negative.
Be SUPPORTIVE of your child and "the bench", rather than a distraction.
The world is not PERFECT, neither are the LAKERS, but it is who we are and every day we must STRIVE to become MORE than we were yesterday.
Yours in Hockey,
Helen Dowd
Lakers Parent
2007 - 201?