Sailor Steve
12-12-08, 04:44 PM
This is to report that there are some schools that aren't suffering from 'Everybody gets a prize, even when they lose' syndrome.
My niece, Danielle, is nine, and lives with her mom and dad (my sister and brother-in-law) in Long Beach, California. Chelon, my sister, recently told me that Danielle is on her school's girls' hockey team, and is one of their goalies. Her team went to the National Championship for kids' teams last year, and did very well. Danielle wasn't on the team then, but this year when offered a choice between Christmas presents and going to the Championship, there was no hesitation. They're going to New York (I think) to play hockey.
Yesterday I called my dad for his 81st birthday, and he told me a very funny story. It seems that Danielle's school doesn't have many girls' teams to play against locally, so they sometimes play against the boys. No problem, since at that age the boys aren't really bigger or stronger yet, and sometimes it's the girls who dominate.
My dad said that Danielle blocked a difficult shot by throwing herself on the ice and checking it with her body. A boy on the other team could see the puck only partly covered by her torso, and tried to knock it loose, hitting her with the stick instead. Another little girl skated up to him and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ice. When a second boy turned to her and said "You can't do that!" she hit him too. Within seconds it was a free-for-all of eight and nine-year-olds beating on each other, with the two coaches in the middle shouting "NO HITTING! NO FIGHTING!"
My dad said it was all over in a few more seconds, but it was more fun than he'd had in quite some time.
My niece, Danielle, is nine, and lives with her mom and dad (my sister and brother-in-law) in Long Beach, California. Chelon, my sister, recently told me that Danielle is on her school's girls' hockey team, and is one of their goalies. Her team went to the National Championship for kids' teams last year, and did very well. Danielle wasn't on the team then, but this year when offered a choice between Christmas presents and going to the Championship, there was no hesitation. They're going to New York (I think) to play hockey.
Yesterday I called my dad for his 81st birthday, and he told me a very funny story. It seems that Danielle's school doesn't have many girls' teams to play against locally, so they sometimes play against the boys. No problem, since at that age the boys aren't really bigger or stronger yet, and sometimes it's the girls who dominate.
My dad said that Danielle blocked a difficult shot by throwing herself on the ice and checking it with her body. A boy on the other team could see the puck only partly covered by her torso, and tried to knock it loose, hitting her with the stick instead. Another little girl skated up to him and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ice. When a second boy turned to her and said "You can't do that!" she hit him too. Within seconds it was a free-for-all of eight and nine-year-olds beating on each other, with the two coaches in the middle shouting "NO HITTING! NO FIGHTING!"
My dad said it was all over in a few more seconds, but it was more fun than he'd had in quite some time.