Dear Families,

Happy New Year! The schedule in TeamSnap has been updated with the practices and game schedules for the next little while. There’s about 4 weeks left in the regular season. After that, we have playoffs consisting of 3 weeks of round-robin and 2 weeks of eliminations.

1. This weekend

There is a practice and a game this weekend (January 7 and 8). Looking forward to seeing everyone. We could use a goalie.

2. Goalie

If your child hasn’t played goalie yet or has played only once, the next four weeks is a great opportunity. We are looking for 2 players to be goalie more regularly as we head into the playoffs. We’d like them to be in net more consistently, so they have a chance to get comfortable and build up their skills.

3. Expectations for players

We are continuing our expectations from the fall.

• Put on equipment independently.
• Arrive 20 minutes before the start of a game
• Take off equipment independently.

Thanks to everyone who has been able to do this. Let’s keep it up. Practices and games work really smoothly when this happens.

4. Lost and found

I have a white practice jersey and a neck guard. I will put these into the lost and found at Oriole, if they are not claimed.

5. Humble winners and gracious losers

We spend a lot of time talking about how to be a good sport when we lose a game, because it’s an important life lesson. Kids need to show themselves grace and appreciate the effort that they put in. They also can practice resilience and grit by coming back and trying again.

We don’t spend as much time talking about how to be a humble winner. Our team is in first place and some of our wins have been lop-sided. I don’t know how the rest of the season will turn out, but there’s a chance we will win another game. So here are a few things that humble w

• Acknowledge the other team as worthy opponents. If they didn’t show up, there would be no game. Thank them for their play and, if appropriate, shake hands with them after the game. In house league, the team that you are on is a matter of chance. Any of our children could have been on the last place team.
• Thank people that helped the team succeed. Hockey is a team sport. Many players, coaches, and parents had to pitch in for the win to happen. You can never go wrong by thanking someone.
• Don’t trash talk teams or players. Our kids watch a lot of YouTube, which normalizes negative talk about losing or players with less skill. It would serve our children better to be able to empathize with their peers.

Thanks, everyone. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend.

Best,
Susan