I'll admit that our situation was somewhat unique.

During the last two years, our regular practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays didn't begin until the 3rd week of October when the parks department rink opened. Heck, last year it didn't open until the first week of November, due to compressor problems. So, we were forced to scrounge for other practice ice leading up to that timeframe. Fridays and Sundays were the slots available at other rinks, and those times fit perfectly with football and soccer. We actually had 9 kids that played football or soccer. My estimate of 6 - 7 was off.

All of our families were very committed to hockey. Rarely was a game or practice missed, and there was never a league game missed. This past October, we played in a tournament in Canada, and the entire team was there. I can't speak for the others, but my son's football coaches were notified and aware of the hockey commitment, and they selected him for the team anyway. He missed one football game of the six played, and no hockey games were missed.

A travel coach certainly has a right to have guidelines regarding other fall sports. Our coach chose to work with the situation at hand, and make the best of it. He and others would definitely have a right to be ticked if games and practices were being missed. As I mentioned before, rarely did that happen.

I've been a travel coach for a long time. When I select a team, I expect 100% committment from the players. Anything less costs the team, which is my responsibility. There are house leagues for players who want to play 2 sports. Hockey is an expensive sport, travel hockey even more so. If I'ms short 2 or 3 players at each practice or game, it really affects the performance of the team and some of the parents will question why they paid so much for an inferior team.

I'm shocked. I think some people have taken this commitment thing too far. Don't get me wrong, my kid has played AAA hockey and I spend 30-40 week maintaining MYHockey during the season and absolutely love the game, but I think people have gone overboard here.

They are kids, let them play!!!!

After three years of playing travel soccer and living with a very hectic fall season my son has decided to give up soccer. The travel was getting as bad as hockey and the coach wanted year round commitment (even more so than hockey) so it seemed like the right time for him to give up the game. Time to pick up football. He's always wanted to play, but I wasn't going to try three concurrent sports (we kinda did that once and it didn't work). Now its still only 2 concurrent sports. Why? Because he's 11 years old and has always wanted to play football. Why not, it's not like he is going to play in the NHL. Let him enjoy his childhood.

While playing travel soccer last year, my son committed to his AAA hockey team first and missed one practice (no games) due to soccer during the season. Yes, he has typically 4-5 practices per week in the fall, but he'd be a bear to live with if he wasn't alway on the go. His nearly straight A's don't seem to be impacted by the busy practice and weekend game schedule. His time management is pretty good, but it's because he demands it. He really believes he can play three sports concurrently (two of them being travel). As parents we have drawn the line, but trust me it's not the parental push.

In just the past week my son has messed around with hockey, soccer, lacrosse, golf, football, basketball and baseball. He regularly bugs me about raquetball and tennis (sorry, no time). He's given up organized baseball, basketball and now soccer, but is picking up football and lacrosse. Hockey is #1, but he'll always be playing other sports and they will overlap with hockey. I think it's healthy. I also think it makes him a better hockey player. And I really, really think it will make him a more rounded adult (somewhere I think that's an important goal as a parent).

I know people have multiple kids (we only have two), demanding jobs and want to have lives (our lives are our kids sports activities right now, we'll do other things when they are gone) so I'm not pushing this idea, but I am strongly in favor of letting kids play. It's about them, not us. It's about having fun, learning and reaping the rewards of childhood, not about preparing for the NHL. I love hockey, but...

LET THEM PLAY OTHER SPORTS!!!

As each season passes we all gain a little more knowledge of what is important. Hindsight being 20/20 I would have have found the time to let my kid play fall sports at 8-12 years old. It is and should be the coaches decision for players to miss some games and or practices but the coach needs to set these expectations before a team is picked and communicate to the entire team what is happening. With that said I do not believe any of us would let a first or second liner not play on your team because they were going to miss a handful of practices and a game or two.

This is one of the reasons my son excited about prep school prospects - they have three distinct trimesters and sport seasons. They have to play at least two sports.

He had played soccer before, but when he started playing travel hockey it was the soccer coach who said "it's all soccer or nothing", same thing with the football coach. I think it's something that's workable in the right circumstances. they are kids.

you obvioulsy are missing the point. Sure kids should certainly play other sports, but dont
commit to a AAA high level competitive travel program when you have no intention at all of making each and every practice, game and tournament. It is unfair to his teamates and their families. It is extremely selfish and unfair to your own kid. Let him play other sports , just use the house team or rec. league that's what they are there for.]

Great , sign my kid up for the coach that intentionally takes kids he knows have no intention of (at least trying) to make every practice and game. Either that guy had no kids to choose from or some other motive at work.
Sorry, just calling it like it is. What could be the point of trainning a kid (aon a AAA competitive team)on a squad your theoretically building for the next few years(to compete successfully at the highest level)? Why take ice away from the more serious players? See , when this kid gains ice someone losses ice.

Very interesting remarks. First off, for those that say they never encountered many conflicts, you then must not be practicing with your travel hockey team until October, or your football program is a rec program and not practicing 4-5 nights a week.?? Football is a huge committment, usually until late October, early November, perfect for hockey players who play on house leagues.

My son decided not to play football this year because of the demands the football coaches place on ATTENDANCE to practice...no practice, no game time. If you have 3-4 football practices a week, chances are that at least one hockey practice will fall on a football night.

Football coaches expect 100% committment from the players. It trickles down to the teammates, when you are not there, then they come down on you, not to mention if you are talented and miss a game, and they lose...then the parents are mad. It is a team sport and football coaches treat it that way. Seems simple enough to me. These football coaches also understand the risk of injury in dualing sports. The body needs rest and so does the mind.

Yes, even the little guys with all that energy needs time to rest and just be a kid. Besides, kids get to thinking the family orbits around him and his activity schedule, forgetting the rest of the family.