skip navigation

Embracing the Moment

By Touchpoint Media, 02/01/16, 4:30PM CST

Share

Mitchell Mattson guesses he was 4 or 5 years old when he scored his first hockey goal. Since then, he’s tallied hundreds more throughout his budding career.

While you can easily access and replay Mattson’s more recent goals, you won’t find his most memorable first goal on YouTube. Mattson, a highly touted prospect and projected second-round selection in this summer’s 2016 NHL Entry Draft, would rather remember it personally anyway.

“I’m not too crazy with social media,” admits Mattson, who leads Grand Rapids in scoring this season. “I tweet things once in awhile, and I’m on Twitter about two times a day just checking it, but I think for a lot of kids it takes over their lives.”

In a society where social media reigns king for news, notes and entertainment, Mattson said some of his best hockey memories aren’t documented on the Internet. It’s those moments in youth hockey where the primary attention is on your friends, the on-ice action and fun as opposed to the tweets and posts happening off the ice.

“When you’re a kid, you don’t care much about anything else other than just playing the game you love with your friends,” he said. “You don’t care about the social media hype it’s going to bring, or the YouTube clip views, you’re just playing for the love of the game.”

Here are three reasons to put down the phone and focus on that love of the game in real-time.

Remove the Online Pressure

“What a snipe – that’s going on YouTube!”

“Did you see what Billy tweeted before yesterday’s game? He really fired up the other team with that one.”

These phrases are heard more and more often at the rink. Sure, it’s exciting to continue the discussion of that game-winning goal online after the final buzzer; it also can add pressure on kids to perform better in order to be featured in that YouTube highlight reel or Instagram photo op.

Mattson called it a “social media pressure” which can add stress on kids, especially at the younger levels. By not worrying about those outside social media “fans” and instead centering the attention on the game, it removes a child’s pressure to perform for the camera.

“(When you focus on your game), there’s no outside pressure to do this, or get recognized for that,” he said. “You’re just playing because you love to and you love playing with your friends. It can’t get much better than that.”

Parents, Pay Attention

Social media and cellphone overuse aren’t just problems for players. Parents might be in the bleachers at the game, but sometimes the social media bug bites them, too. The downside: kids will definitely take note when they’re not paying attention.

According to Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate kinesiology professor at the University of Minnesota, when that happens, it can affect the time that their child is having on the ice.

“(Kids) want parents there, off their cellphones and to be supportive of not only their team, but the opponents, too,” said Wiese-Bjornstal. “They want mom and dad to pay attention and not be checking emails, Facebook or Twitter. When they see that, it can affect the way they play and the level of enjoyment they are having.”

Parents should absolutely be ready to get Johnny or Jill in all of their hockey glory – especially if you manage to get a great pass or goal on film. But don’t forget that sometimes the best view of the game is not on a five-inch screen.

Embraceable Moments

The biggest reason to put the phone down is so you don’t miss the important moments of your hockey career. Your first goal, your first clean pass or your first team win or championship – those are things to celebrate and cherish as you continue to grow in the game.

There are plenty of positives to social media, and taking a few photos for Facebook isn’t going to mean you missed out on making a memory. But while you’re doing that, also remember to put the phone down and get a mental screenshot, too. The social media accounts may go away, but the memories playing hockey with your friends will last forever.

“You play hockey in large part because of your buddies,” said Mattson. “The real ones, the ones that are there, not the ones that you have as followers online.”

Most Popular

Mitchell Mattson guesses he was 4 or 5 years old when he scored his first hockey goal. Since then, he’s tallied hundreds more throughout his budding career.

While you can easily access and replay Mattson’s more recent goals, you won’t find his most memorable first goal on YouTube. Mattson, a highly touted prospect and projected second-round selection in this summer’s 2016 NHL Entry Draft, would rather remember it personally anyway.

“I’m not too crazy with social media,” admits Mattson, who leads Grand Rapids in scoring this season. “I tweet things once in awhile, and I’m on Twitter about two times a day just checking it, but I think for a lot of kids it takes over their lives.”

In a society where social media reigns king for news, notes and entertainment, Mattson said some of his best hockey memories aren’t documented on the Internet. It’s those moments in youth hockey where the primary attention is on your friends, the on-ice action and fun as opposed to the tweets and posts happening off the ice.

“When you’re a kid, you don’t care much about anything else other than just playing the game you love with your friends,” he said. “You don’t care about the social media hype it’s going to bring, or the YouTube clip views, you’re just playing for the love of the game.”

Here are three reasons to put down the phone and focus on that love of the game in real-time.

Remove the Online Pressure

“What a snipe – that’s going on YouTube!”

“Did you see what Billy tweeted before yesterday’s game? He really fired up the other team with that one.”

These phrases are heard more and more often at the rink. Sure, it’s exciting to continue the discussion of that game-winning goal online after the final buzzer; it also can add pressure on kids to perform better in order to be featured in that YouTube highlight reel or Instagram photo op.

Mattson called it a “social media pressure” which can add stress on kids, especially at the younger levels. By not worrying about those outside social media “fans” and instead centering the attention on the game, it removes a child’s pressure to perform for the camera.

“(When you focus on your game), there’s no outside pressure to do this, or get recognized for that,” he said. “You’re just playing because you love to and you love playing with your friends. It can’t get much better than that.”

Parents, Pay Attention

Social media and cellphone overuse aren’t just problems for players. Parents might be in the bleachers at the game, but sometimes the social media bug bites them, too. The downside: kids will definitely take note when they’re not paying attention.

According to Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate kinesiology professor at the University of Minnesota, when that happens, it can affect the time that their child is having on the ice.

“(Kids) want parents there, off their cellphones and to be supportive of not only their team, but the opponents, too,” said Wiese-Bjornstal. “They want mom and dad to pay attention and not be checking emails, Facebook or Twitter. When they see that, it can affect the way they play and the level of enjoyment they are having.”

Parents should absolutely be ready to get Johnny or Jill in all of their hockey glory – especially if you manage to get a great pass or goal on film. But don’t forget that sometimes the best view of the game is not on a five-inch screen.

Embraceable Moments

The biggest reason to put the phone down is so you don’t miss the important moments of your hockey career. Your first goal, your first clean pass or your first team win or championship – those are things to celebrate and cherish as you continue to grow in the game.

There are plenty of positives to social media, and taking a few photos for Facebook isn’t going to mean you missed out on making a memory. But while you’re doing that, also remember to put the phone down and get a mental screenshot, too. The social media accounts may go away, but the memories playing hockey with your friends will last forever.

“You play hockey in large part because of your buddies,” said Mattson. “The real ones, the ones that are there, not the ones that you have as followers online.”

Most Popular