Scoring Goals

Points per game can make or break an athlete’s career. For those still competing in youth Michigan hockey tournaments, the word “career” does not exactly apply. The game of hockey, like any other sport or activity, is still a hobby at this point in their lives. We all know hobbies should be our fun escape from the day-to-day responsibilities in our lives. For kids, this line is typically very blurry.

The goals a young athlete should be striving to achieve should be found in their grades. Back in the day, athletes were stereotyped as the “dumb jocks”, and that is what made them cool. In today’s current competitive environment to get into school, regardless of a player’s athletic dreams and journey, the first thing a coach is looking for is a player’s GPA. A student athletes GPA is a testament to a players work ethic and time management, something that is obviously incredibly important when trying to become a student athlete at a university. At the upper levels such as Division 1, being a student at a major university is like having one full time job, and playing a sport is like having a whole other one. It is extremely difficult to manage.

A great way to help young athletes understand the importance of school, if they are struggling with that topic, is to equate it similar to hockey. Let them know their homework is just like practice, and the games are the tests. If they do not do the practice, there’s no way they will do will in the “game”. Athletes are now depended on to have both brain, and brawn. Professional athletes are some of the greatest minds out there, and their ability to mix physical strength with mental fortitude make professionals truly special.