Minnesota Hockey

High school girls' hockey practices in late October every year. As players are informed of their placement on the varsity or JV teams, there will be girls who are 15 and under who will have a choice to make if they do not make the varsity team. How many girls will elect to stay on the JV team (if their school has a team) and how many will go back to their amateur program in their local association?

This is a difficult decision for the 7th, 8th and 9th graders who are still eligible to participate in the 15 and under amateur programs with Minnesota Hockey. It is even more difficult for the local associations who have been organizing since September trying to formulate teams, order uniforms, schedule ice and league games, and make preparations for the 2000-01 season for all their programs.

Unfortunately, the local associations have little control over the situation, unless they have an excellent partnership with their high school coach and have been advised that the younger players will be left to develop their skills on their youth team. And even then once the high school season begins, coaches have been known to change their minds and take 7th, 8th and 9th graders if talented players appear at the tryouts. This can be a frustrating time for organizers, parents and players.

Do these 7th, 8th and 9th graders really belong in the high school program, or should they participate in their amateur program until they are a high school student and not a middle or intermediate school student? Is the age difference so great and the maturity level so disparate that it could create significant issues for the player, coach, team and school?

A twelve or thirteen year old playing on the same team with an eighteen year old can be difficult because not only does it involve as much as a six year difference in age, it involves social, academic and intellectual contrasts. Not to say that it can't work out, but it puts additional pressure on the coach to supervise the situation and see that it is handled correctly by everyone.

The decision lies within each school as to whether or not they will allow individuals to participate who are not students (7th, 8th or 9th graders). Parents must petition their school board to make any changes in the rules of non-student players participating in athletic programs. Any decisions made by the school board would probably affect all sports, not just hockey.

The pros and cons of this issue have been discussed at length over the past six years. High school coaches have had differing opinions on this issue. On one hand you have the talented athlete who deserves to play in a higher skilled, structured program and who can excel because her maturity level is compatible with the players on the team. On the other hand you have the twelve year old who may have the talent to play up, but is still not ready to enter the world of the high school locker room. Every player and situation is different and should be viewed separately on it own merits. I don't think a blanket statement can be made that no student outside the high school should not be allowed to play.

But I also believe that unless a 7th, 8th or 9th grade player is going to make the first or second line of a varsity program (where a JV program is not provided) she would be better served by staying in her local association playing on a team with her peers and progressing through the program together with her friends. What is the big hurry today in pushing girls into high school programs?

Parents have a huge impact on where their daughter will play. The parent should be flexible and realize the advantages to staying in their local amateur program. These girls will skate together as a group for many years and have a distinct advantage in knowing each other and a hockey system when they are old enough to play on the high school team. The high school will benefit from a quality amateur program as well.

High school coaches should be concerned about developing a feeder program at the local level to complement their high school program. The high school program will benefit from allowing the players to stay and play together for a number of years, enjoying the friendships and team skills learned through playing in an amateur program together, and experiencing the thrill of participating in a Minnesota Hockey Regional or State Tournament. Consistently removing the most skilled players who could be terrific mentors and role models for the girls defeats the purpose of a feeder program.

If it is a numbers game that would mean a high school program will not be viable without adding 7th and 8th graders, then that should be taken into consideration. But if you destroy the 15 and under program, where will your players come from in the future? Your existence will be threatened in future years if you don't have players or teams in your local association.

Is it fair to cut an 11th or 12th grader to bring in a 7th or 8th grader who is not even a high school student? Views differ on this issue also. What is the objective for a school to provide extracurricular activities for students? Is it the opportunity to participate with other high school students (whether it be hockey, debate, or the school play) to learn new skills, discover how to work as a team, acquire leadership skills, and have fun together. How does having a 7th or 8th grader on the team impact that opportunity for an 11th or 12th grader who is cut from the program?

Coaches have stated that some of the 11th and 12th graders don't have the desire to commit themselves totally to the program after being on the team for two or three years. Their focus is no longer on hockey but has been changed by other social and economic influences: jobs, academics, and boyfriends. Is it fair to the team to keep a player who is not committed or as skilled as a 7th, 8th or 9th grader who is not a high school student?

Another worry of the high school coach is that they will lose their job if they don't win games. Is winning everything today? I hope that every school's objective is to provide an opportunity for students to participate in athletic programs. The teams winning for that school add the icing on the cake.

Would a frank discussion between the coach and the athletic director about plans to develop a local community program to help the high school program exist in the future solidify a job? If plans are made at the amateur level to provide a program that encourages girls to participate and teaches the necessary skill development, the high school coaches will reap the benefits down the road.

High school hockey for girls was officially sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League during the 1995-96 season. That year there were 24 high school teams participating at the varsity level. John Bartz from the MSHSL advises me that there are no official records kept of participation in junior varsity programs.

Minnesota Hockey (formerly Minnesota Amateur Hockey Association) registered about 50 youth teams in the same year. Since that 1995-96 season both high school and amateur programs have prospered and flourished.

During the 1999-2000 season 113 girls high school varsity teams participated throughout the state. In addition there were probably at least half or 60 high school programs that had a junior varsity team. At the same time, the girls' amateur program registered 235 teams.

Both programs have quadrupled the number of teams in a five year period of time. Considering the fact that the high school teams do not register with Minnesota Hockey, the increase in the girls' amateur program is astounding. Following the inaugural 1995-96 season, teams left the amateur program to move up to high school hockey, yet the amateur numbers have never declined.

With the large number of players participating in 2000-2001, we would hope that eventually there will be enough players in the high school programs to allow 11th and 12th graders to comprise the varsity team, with 9th and 10th graders playing on the JV team. That would leave the 7th and 8th graders in their local amateur programs creating feeder programs for the high school. It is a goal that we should set our sights on and hope that it occurs in the next few years.