Parent Development

As parents we are determined to give our children every opportunity for success. In this portal you
will find stories, book ideas and other information all with the intent to provide insightful ideas during 
the process of your athletes development. 

HOW PARENTS CAN PREPARE FOR TRYOUTS



                             

                               "PLAYOFFS"

Grande Prairie Minor Hockey families, its playoff season! This is the time of year excitement builds as each and every shift becomes that much more important. Our focus gets shifted to the win/lose column and this type of atmosphere can bring both the best and worst out of us. Please remember that we need to keep the games in perspective and ensure our children have the best experience possible in a safe and comfortable environment. The amount of pressure the kids already put on themselves is hard enough and can have devastating consequences to their hockey experience. Let’s make this playoff season enjoyable for everyone involved and let the kids have FUN!

Note: The referees are human and feel the same pressure and stress as the athletes during playoff games. Please remember they too deserve a safe and comfortable environment where they can perform and gain experience in a positive manner.


Please see attached Blog from former NCAA and professional hockey player Jamie McKinven on 10 tips to help parents keep the right things in perspective.






HOCKEY PARENT: 10 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR SANITY 




Hot-Button Issue: Playing Time Peewee/Atom

Sometimes as Parents we can forget that this is a process and the way we act at the 
rink can have a serious effect on our child's experience. Please let your kids play! Let them 
make mistakes and allow them to learn on their own. If given the chance to learn on 
their own they will have a better chance at retaining that skill and will also allow them 
the capacity to want to learn new skills. Can you imagine if someone was behind you at
work all day critiquing and giving a play by play on everything you do, you would ether 
quit or start to hate your job real quick. Check out this video on a interesting way to bring light
to this subject. 









KIDS' SPORTS SHOULDN'T IMITATE THE PROS'

Tom Renney explains his experiences in the game and his vision moving forward  




"Letter from a Volunteer Coach" 





"How to Raise the Next Sidney Crosby"





"Raise a Sports Champion", by The New Zealand Herald (rugby perspective)  






"Sports Parenting in 10 sentences"