Fundraising 101

Ok, Tony Robbins, help me out, I’m a lousy salesperson.  As every hockey parent knows, the fall season brings us all back to the hockey arena as well as the showground of Team Fundraising.  Three cheques x 3 kids totals an already considerable sum, yet this will only cover their ice schedule (practices and games), jersey use or rental, tournament entry fees, trainers and team equipment (first aid kids, pucks, pylons, etc).  Most team budgets cannot cover the cost of team activities, team meals during tournaments or any other semi-hockey-related-event without hitting the pavement, knocking on doors and rubbing elbows (have I missed any clichés?) in order to do some fundraising for the teams.

This seasonal event is not without anxiety as I have now lived in the same neighbourhood for 10 years, married to the same man for 18 years, and been part of the same family for 46 years:  my network of new suckers is not growing.

Each year, I have a number of options open to me.  In addition to volunteering 4 hours of my Saturday morning staffing a local bingo hall with 3 other hockey parents, I may also be asked to participate in neighbourhood bottle drives collecting someone else’s old beer and wine bottles.  Over the years, I have been asked to sell Christmas wreaths, cookie dough, gift cards, JrA hockey tickets or programs and numerous raffle tickets.  I will solicit participation in hockey pools and post practice Gatorade sales.  I may be asked to attend or organize parties and dances or purchase tickets to these events.  As many times as I’ve put out my requests, I’ve also received as many in return from the various fundraising events of my friends and their kids’ teams.  Nine years in hockey and I’ve probably doled out as much cash for other teams as I’ve raked in for ours! 

When I receive another incoming email about a team fundraiser, I have the best intentions of really doing a good job.  Truth is, I suck.   My kids are waaaaay better at selling.  Just to lay credit where it is due, they do often participate in the fundraising activities sponsored by their team -  as well they should since they are the ones who benefit directly from the effort!   Who can say no to a cute 9-year old with big blue eyes sporting a hockey jersey that goes down to her knees?  Not many, is the correct answer by the way

On that note, I have beautiful real evergreen Christmas wreaths for your festive door and loads of cookie and muffin batter for your freezer.  If you’re not busy next Saturday night, and up for a great night of euchre (and drinking) in rural Ottawa, let me know!

Reliability is Job#1

There is a new Honda ad running on TV, shown mostly during HNIC but during other family time slots as well.  First pan lots of early morning hockey parents getting their kids out of bed to get to the hockey arena, zoom in on Zamboni operators preparing the ice, close-up of the canteen man making a pot of coffee, biting cold picturesque winter mornings, that’s the scenery.  The tag line?  Honda:  as reliable as the people who drive them.  The commercial is so very touching, I am ready to shed a tear.  Truth is, I’m pretty sure my kids, and Honda for that matter, might take my reliability for granted.  

Think about this:  with 3 kids in minor hockey, I am juggling the where-and-when-abouts of roughly 80 league games alongside a couple hundred practice times, dry land training sessions, developmental clinics, fundraising events and at least 12 tournaments (not to mention the pre-season tryouts too) over the course of seven months.  No wonder hockey parents are poor and crazy.  Statistically, there’s lots of room for error: at least once during the hockey season, I send my husband and player to the wrong arena.  “Hey I’m here at KRC and I can’t find any of the team.”  Oops. Check the calendar:  “Ummm, maybe that’s because you’re supposed to be at GRC, honey.”  Occasionally I am tripped up by the team and arena names:  I almost took my daughter to OttawaU1 last weekend but in fact her opponent was Ottawa1 but the arena was not OttawaU1.  Who can blame me for that mix up?   Most arenas in the Ottawa area are now known to me (or at least my GPS) but not without learning the hard way that Earl Armstrong arena is not on Earl Armstrong Road, Leitrim arena also goes by the name Fred Barrett arena and there’s a Sportsplex and a Sensplex.  My list of probable mix-ups can go on forever.   I would love to automatically download each of my three online hockey team calendars right into my Outlook calendar.  Hey, is there an ap for that??!!

Finally, don’t be fooled by the charming imagery of the canteen man making his early morning first pot of coffee either. There ain’t no Starbucks in hockeyville and I never witnessed a canteen open for business at any of the 6am practices I’ve dragged myself and my superstar out of bed for. 

Nevertheless, despite our shortcomings and occasional screw-ups and the fact that not all of us own a Honda, hockey parents do manage to get their kids to games and practices whether tired, sick, hungry, or yes, occasionally hung over. For that, we can be applauded. 

Score another one for the ad world.

Hearty Minestrone

Here is another delicious, nutritious slow-cooker soup to complement the busy mom’s recipe book!

 

 

 

1 T       olive oil
1          lg onion, chopped
3          cloves garlic, minced
2          bay leaves
½ t      salt and pepper
1          can tomato paste – 5.5 oz/156ml
1           smoked ham hock (1lb/500g)
1          piece Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
8 c       water
1          large potato, peeled and cubed
1          sweet red pepper, diced
1          small zucchini, sliced or chopped
1 c       dried pasta
1 c       each rinsed and drained canned red and white kidney beans

Cook pasta before adding otherwise it will be too mushy.
Fry onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper and scrape into slow cooker.
Stir in tomato paste, ham hock, parmesan rind, potato, red and white beans and water.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until ham can be easily pulled off the bone.
Discard bay leaves, parmesan rind and ham bone.
Increase heat to high and stir in red pepper, zucchini for 20 more minutes.
Add cooked pasta.

Enjoy!

From Canadian Living’s Comfort Cooking, Winter 2007

Speak Out!

With nothing better to do on Friday evening, I participated in Hockey Canada’s Speak Out! clinic, a 4-hour workshop aimed at promoting positive hockey experiences.  Any volunteer who has any contact with minor hockey players (coaches, trainers, managers, den moms, other volunteers, etc) must take this workshop.  I had some misgivings about having to take this workshop, giving 4 hours of my Friday evening, but in the end found it extremely worthwhile.  Seriously, I had nothing better to do on a Friday evening.

Over ten years ago, Hockey Canada developed the Speak Out! program, in response to the Sheldon Kennedy sexual abuse scandal.  The program aims to educate and prevent bullying, harassment and abuse in hockey programs all across Canada.  While we all know that bullying, harassment and abuse is not exclusive to hockey, Hockey Canada is credited for developing and delivering the most comprehensive training, education and awareness programs in sports today.

I’m an ordinary hockey volunteer – why did I have to go?

The first statistic proved revealing:  Too many kids will not disclose abuse at all, but 96% of youth who have been bullied, harassed or abused will disclose this information to two people:  either their teacher or their sports coach.  When you think that 578,000 kids play minor hockey in Canada this year, it’s essential that all the volunteers have a good understanding of identifying and responding to bullying, harassment and abuse.

I have an immediate flashback to a couple of weeks ago when, during a mandatory association Team Managers meeting I attended, one team manager of Midget-aged girls (15 and 16-year olds) expressed concern that she could not find a single parent volunteer for the role of Den Mom (this girls’ association’s rule that there always have to be two adult females in the dressing room whenever players are present – the Two Deep rule).  Evidently girls can be loud, rude and disrespectful to grown-ups at this age and the moms want no part of it.  The President went on to explain that the Den Moms play the most significant role at that age in preventing bullying, inappropriate photo taking (and potentially transmitted via texting) and drug abuse.  After consoling and reassuring the Team Managers of Novice  aged girls (7 and 8-year olds), he went on to suggest that a meeting take place between parents and players – as games could be forfeited and teams folded if this rule could not be adhered.

Yikes. 

Back to the workshop.  Most of the discussion was common sense but common sense often gets distorted in a competitive environment and close knit social group where lots of individuals are put in a position of power of another.  After teaching us about the differences between bullying, harassment and abuse we went through hundreds of examples of how this behaviour can manifest itself in a team sport environment.  The videos were extremely sensitive, occasionally distressing and one was entirely disturbing. 

I came away with a new found respect for the role coaches play in minor sports (in fact for all sports volunteers) and a renewed awareness for the dangers in this type of environment.  Having exchanged a Friday evening for it, I am now a proud, card-carrying certified Speak Out! participant.  Kudos, Hockey Canada.

Romans Rock! pII

 

On the way to the arena yesterday, I jokingly mentioned to my middle son Goalie1:  “Not to put any pressure on you, but you do realize that our family is 2-0 for season-openers…”.  My eldest won his match 5-0 and my daughter won hers 2-1.  “I’ll make that 3-0, no problem”, he replied without missing a beat.

Well, the game ended in a scoreless tie.  A win was not to be, but that was not Goalie1’s battle as he did his job that evening.  As far as we are concerned, our family had an amazing hockey week and remain undefeated.

Hi, my name is aig63 and I’m a Goalie Mom

I am a mother of three hockey stars as many of you know.  Two of them are goalies, accounting for my frequent admissions to substance abuse programs.  Other hockey moms often say to me, “Oh, I could never be a goalie mom”.  They rest their hand on my shoulder in solemn condolence, “Oh, you poor dear”.  These ongoing reassurances have been a great help through my therapy and I am now able to stand up at accept my fate:  I am a goalie mom.

 As I work through this acceptance phase, it’s important for me to not dwell on the negatives of being a goalie mom but acknowledge and celebrate the positives: 

1.  In addition to wearing the most amount of protective gear of any player on the ice, my goalie child is protected by all team mates.  NO ONE TOUCHES THE GOALIE and lives.
   
2. I can enjoy half the season’s games completely stress-free since my child is sitting on the bench every other game.
3. It is not necessary for me to keep a firm grasp on reality because it is evidently socially acceptable for me to be crazy.  If I have a particularly lucid moment, heck, I come out looking like Einstein.
4. No one on the bleachers bats an eye when I reach for my flask at 9am.
5. While it is entirely my prerogative to call the visiting goalie a sieve, it is punishable by hot pokers in your eyes should you ever call mine such or any other name in my presence.And the most positive aspect of being a goalie mom…
   
6. No one questions my commitment when I leave the arena when it’s a tie game.  They all know I am going to the parking lot to score some valium.

I feel so much better now…

On tap for this weekend:  One team Ice Breaker party tonight, three exhibition games and a practice tomorrow, two practices and a goalie clinic on Sunday…

We’re in the RED.

That is the colour I choose for recording all hockey-related activities on our VERY LARGE kitchen calendar.  I have been asked why these details are not simply logged into my Outlook calendar or iCal.  While I am keeper of the master hockey schedule in this household, I am not always at the same computer when receiving or relaying the updated family hockey commitments.  Therefore, everything is transcribed from multiple team managers to the Master calendar in RED.  Anyone who casually passed by the calendar this weekend would have noticed 9 markings in red between Friday October 2^nd  and Sunday October 4^th:  

1. Team Ice Breaker Party (most hockey teams party at the drop of the hat – or should I say puck – so why not start the season and the weekend off right?) – Friday evening 6:30pm – bring appetizer
2. Atom team practice – Saturday 8am at Ottawa U.
3. PeeWee Exhibition Game#1 – Saturday October 3^rd at 1:30p at Osgoode Arena
4. PeeWee Exhibition Game#2  – Saturday October 3^rd at 4pm at Blackburn Arena
5. Minor Bantam Exhibition Game – Saturday Oct 3, 8pm, at Leitrim Arena
6. Minor Bantam Team Practic – Sunday October 4^th at Osgoode Arena
7. Atom Team Practice – Sunday October 4^th , 1:30pm at Bell Arena
8. PeeWee and Bantan – Goalie Clinic – Sunday October 4^th, 2:15pm at Minto Arena
9. PeeWee Team Practice – Sunday October 4^th, 4:30pm at Osgoode Arena

I am neither belligerent nor boastful about this schedule.  Any family with 3 kids can, no doubt, insert any sport or activity into the above schedule.  I am grateful in fact that my kids are interested in sports and I am happy that I keep up with them even if just as a spectator. 

Most likely the real reason I like our hockey schedule is because it gives me license to get absolutely nothing done for an entire 7 months!   My lasting excuse for a messy house the entire winter is “I was at the arena”.  What looks like a dead mouse under the kitchen table is likely just 3 days accumulated dog hair (I won’t lie though, it might be a dead mouse).  The evening’s amazing play-by-plays are traced into the dust on the coffee table.  All travel is suspended and invitations for family gatherings are tentative.   If the cost of hockey equipment doesn’t deliver us penniless, last minute travel and the cost of gas most certainly will as we often require two vehicles for one trip.  I have a standing excuse:  “I have to be at the arena”.   My workout schedule takes a beating as I rearrange running and fitness classes around practices and games… because “I will be at the arena”.   Hey, we all know that extra winter blubber is as Canadian as hockey!  My dedication to their schedule is always dependable, though I am not always popular with family and non-hockey friends. When we are home, no one is in much of a mood for anything but eating nd sleeping – my only other guaranteed supplementary winter activities!    It goes with out saying that during this chaotic hibernation period, the dust bunnies assemble, and future blogs are born!

Give thanks! Play Hockey!

The makings for a perfect family weekend:  The gathering of the clan, sharing of great food, the splash of great wine, the clatter of constant movement of dishware, the orchestration of vehicles and car buddies for mass family outings, the sizzle of the vibrant conversation …and what else?  Oh, a hockey game or two, of course!  My family gathers from all parts each Thanksgiving to the best of our financial, geographical and timetabled ability.  By stroke of genius, our school board even tacked on a PA Day on the Friday before Thanksgiving making for an extra long, well deserved 4-day weekend.  Traffic was as steady as the rain on our voyage west.  Excitement was in the air though:  the anticipation of late nights with cousins and the thrill of an out-of-town hockey tournament. 

This would mark the first time I see my Goalie1 in tournament play this season – and he made me proud.  Despite a 6-2 loss in his first game, I could see the frustration of his opponents with having only achieved 6 goals in 34 shots on net.  His second game delivered their team a 4-1 victory, and their only victory in this tournament as other two games ended in ties. 

Another negative of the weekend, on top of not advancing, was the behaviour of one of our opposing team’s head coach.  Following the 4-1 victory and a particularly oft occupied penalty box, the opposing coach would not permit his team to shake the hands of our players.  While I understand there are some who think every single hockey game is a display of immaturity, never in my 9 years of being a hockey mom have I ever seen a coach refuse this standard post-game ritual. 

Around the Thanksgiving table, we collectively and occasionally jokingly shared what we were most thankful for:  the turkey for giving his life; Justin Bieber; but all were thankful for family and good health.  Just like I said:  family weekends and hockey do mix.

Romans Rock!

It was a spectacular start Romans Minor Bantam B, as they took their season-opener with a 5-0 win.  For my Goalie31, it meant shut-out too, which is a valuable and elusive statistical victory for a goaltender.

I was informed last night of a team tradition for these victorious Romans:  should the team earn a shut-out win, they are all treated to pizza following the next practice.  My initial thought was, “Wow!  How generous!”  While it likely comes from the team budget (which means I contribute to its payment anyway), it rallies the boys.  Then my next thought was:  “Oh no!  Being a goalie mom is not nerve-racking enough, now I have pizza night on the line too!”

Since Reward Strategy is part of my professional toolkit, I am taking this exercise to heart.  I’m trying to come up with a few other “carrots” that don’t revolve around mounting more pressure on the goalie and adding to my intake of prescription Valium (because it’s simply not right that I still have stress over a 5-on-3 with 40 seconds to go when we already have a 5 goal lead).

I’ve decided to come forward and sponsor several additional player awards.  While aimed at motivating other team players, they might prove critical in the anti-aging process for me:  

 The Sweat Equity Award
Awarded to the player who sweats more than I do during a close game…. I buy the winner new UnderArmour.

 The Bubblegum Award
Awarded to the player who is most effective at making sure all my goalie has to do is stand around and chew gum for the game.  I give the Winner a big wad of DoubleBubble.

 The PingPong Award
Awarded to the defensive player who makes the best effort at keeping the puck in the opponent’s end zone and keeping it away from our end zone.  Winner gets my daily dose of Percoset and Valium (two great tastes that taste great together).

The Wrinkle Remover Award
Awarded to the player with the most penalty minutes in the game and causing the most stress to the goalie mom.  The winner must pay for my Botox.

 ….And the first star, la première étoile:

 The Hat Trick
A twist on the traditional, awarded to the player who brings up our team’s goal differential to +3 allowing this goalie mom to come up for air.  Winners get my portable oxygen tank for a couple of whiffs before the next game.

Beauties and the Beasts… Braun and Brains

 

 There was a great article in Globe Life section this week about Canada’s national Women’s Hockey Team:

//www.ctvolympics.ca/hockey/news/newsid=17394.html#he+shoots+scores

Team Canada played the Lethbridge (Alberta) Titans AAA men’s hockey team and the women won eight of nine games against these 16-to-18-year-old boys.  Aside from the clichés about boys scoring with girls, the article goes on to describe the one women’s team loss, the series in general and the insights drawn for playing hockey with the opposite gender…from both teams’ interesting perspectives.  In summary, the article suggested that both genders are equally capable of playing a very high level of hockey.  The men have incredible strength and speed adding to the sheer excitement of the game.  Women on the other hand are unbelievable skaters and passers working the game with greater creativity and finesse.  In the end, both Team Canada and the Lethbridge Titans left the ice and the series with a lot more respect for each other.

When it comes to hockey, I have no experience on the national scale; however I have been part of the minor hockey scene now for 9 years and just starting my 5^th year as a hockey mom in girls hockey.   From my perspective (in the stands) I also can take away interesting observations:

•  Both enjoy music in the dressing room, but the playlists are entirely different (though both are equally grating on the supervising parents’ nerves, but we keep quiet about it).
• Taping your stick just so is equally important for both genders but girls seek out tape colour other than black or white.
• It is not uncommon for girls to do their hair before the helmet goes on; it is decidedly less common (read: never) for a boy to coif before a game (after a game, different story)
• Girls teams often have a mascot which accompanies them on the pre-game skate and to the player bench (at the younger ages); boys would not be caught dead with a mascot unless it happens to be someone’s younger sibling whom the boys have nicknamed “Killer” or “Sport” or “Squirt”
• Both boys and girls like to win, but the girl’s post-loss dressing room is decidedly less gloomy than the boys.

My personal observations about the differences between girls and boys hockey are likely more age and maturity-related than they are gender related.  The older they get the better they get, the faster they get, the harder they shoot, the more they take it seriously and the smellier their sports bag. 

Go Team Canada Go