Red Wings Guy and Fangers,
You have been very,very helpful. Both suggestions have been taken to heart. I actually attended a prep school called berkshire (a long time ago ), so l know the life style. l made friends for life. At the time, l was living about 3 hours away, so it was accessible. Now, l dont know if me and Mama are prepared to see "little Johnny" leave home. When you live on the West Coast and your kid attends a east coast prep school, that might be the last time he lives with you, because the odds are good that he will attend an East Coast college..Yucks

quote:

Originally posted by mrgoaliedad:
Red Wings Guy and Fangers,
You have been very,very helpful. Both suggestions have been taken to heart. I actually attended a prep school called berkshire (a long time ago ), so l know the life style. l made friends for life. At the time, l was living about 3 hours away, so it was accessible. Now, l dont know if me and Mama are prepared to see "little Johnny" leave home. When you live on the West Coast and your kid attends a east coast prep school, that might be the last time he lives with you, because the odds are good that he will attend an East Coast college..Yucks

No problem & feel free to ask any additional questions - don't claim to know all the answers but should be able to point you in the right direction.

Berkshire is a beautiful campus and was son's #1 choice, but unfortunately the coaching staff changed over this past off season. That coupled with the opportunity to play for a MWEHL team pretty meant that preps not an option for this fall.

And I know both RWG & I can relate to the sending a kid away feeling...for my son, no telling where he may end up next year and if I'll be able to get to as many games as I have this season so far...

FYI - the links to HNIB, Chowder Cup, Pre-Prep can be found here. the EHK stuff is here

quote:

Originally posted by mrgoaliedad:
Now, l dont know if me and Mama are prepared to see "little Johnny" leave home. When you live on the West Coast and your kid attends a east coast prep school, that might be the last time he lives with you, because the odds are good that he will attend an East Coast college..Yucks

I understand how you would feel.


Seems like forever, but it was only 3 months ago when I sent my 14 year old girl away. We got to see her for a week at Thanksgiving. I'm going to drive 1050 miles to watch her play 3 games of hockey before bringing her 1050 miles home for 2 weeks at Xmas. Those will be the only 3 games I get to see this year.


And like you, I know that in 4 years, she will be off to an eastern school where I won't see her either. This is despite the fact that she could go to undergrad school here FREE based upon my employment.


The good news is that she is happier than I've ever know her to be. And she is getting a better education than she could locally.

We only have a few years with them while they are young and those go fast! However, as you know, a prep school experience is the experience of a lifetime.

Hey all, I have a question. My son is also considering the prep route. He would be entering as a junior. Will coaches make commitments to a player based on DVDs, coaches recommendations etc? How solid are the commitments? ie are players being told they'll play varsity then register for school and find in the fall they aren't on the team? Any advice?

quote:

Originally posted by philmore:
Hey all, I have a question. My son is also considering the prep route. He would be entering as a junior. Will coaches make commitments to a player based on DVDs, coaches recommendations etc? How solid are the commitments? ie are players being told they'll play varsity then register for school and find in the fall they aren't on the team? Any advice?

#1 - Be very leary of any coach who PROMISES/COMMITS any player a spot on the top team. The advice I've been given in such circumstances is - "Run. Run away fast." There may be the rare Crosby-esque player who is a no brainer, but that is very rare and odds are your son (nor my son) not in that class.

#2 - What you should be looking for is what school provides the best academic fit (at most schools, hockey is only 1/3 of the year) coupled with the best opportunity for your son to COMPETE for a spot on the top level team. Any coach worth his salt will advise you to pick a school that your son would be happy at if he wasn't able to play hockey at all (not talented enough, injury, etc.). Challenge is to find the right balance of school fit and opportunity to play.

#3 - What you should be looking for is a coach who is honest about what players they know they have coming back and who, at most, only promises/commits to your son have a fair opportunity to compete for a spot. Many players go into a school thinking they'll be on varsity - either because a coach "promised" or they thought they would be - only to find themselves on 2nd or 3rd (in some schools on 4th or 5th) level teams.

#4 - From what I understand, most coaches are willing to look at DVDs and talk to coaches, but prefer to have seen the player personally (or a member of their staff), be it at a tournament or showcase event.

#5 - Do some research on the schools. There are some schools that often use PGs (post graduates) who come in for essentially a 5th year. In many cases, these players take spots from kids already in school, so need to be aware if this is something the school has a re****tion for doing. Know how many returning players thay have at your son's position (especially if a goalie like the case for me & RWG).

#6 - If you are thinking of him entering this fall (2007), you really need to hurry since most school's initial admission's cycles end 15 or 30 Jan. If you're not among the initial applicants accepted, you are left to fill whatever openings they may have after all the intial applicants make their decisions. The pot of available financial aid (if this is an issue) will also be lower. There are always exceptions, where schools find out during the spring or summer that a player(s) not returning/coming in which leaves them a spot to fill...if your son happens to play the same position.

These two sites could help you:

Prep Hockey

New England Prep Hockey Forum

Agree with Fangers about all 6 items above.

One more thing about #6 - Most schools require a standardized test (SSAT, ISEE, or for older students the PSAT or SAT) for admissions. You will want to look today for a place where you can take the test on short notice.

I am assuming that you have a school or 2 in mind right now. I'd be contacting their coaches and admissions folks this week to get the ball rolling.

It isn't too late to get started, but you have no time to waste, especially at the more highly competitive academic schools.

If you'd like to talk more offline, please feel free to PM me.

And some schools require a visit and offical interview. A coach who really wants a player may be bale to get around that tho.

quote:

Originally posted by breakaway:
I am curious if anyone knows anything about the one hockey tournaments in Aston, Pa. My son was asked to try out for the Ohio team, but I don't know anything about it. They are promoting it as a showcase for prep schools and junior programs. I am wondering if prep school coaches really do attend or not. If so, how does it compare to HNIB or Pre-prep showcases?

It's a pretty new event and I've heard from parents who thought it was a fun experience to others who thought it was a waste of time and money. From what I've heard it's more higher end AA then AAA - some AAA players but not all. FWIW, the Ohio team finished 2nd last year and it's those parents that seemed to like the experience, tho I didn't hear anything re: scouts thee.

Just based on longevity and track record, there are other events that better cater to that same group of scouts: Jr/Sr Chowder Cups, HNIB, and the Pre-Prep showcase