Our first Family dinner was held at Dominion Golf & Restaurant on September 9, for the teams Jersey Presentation. Congratulations to all athletes.
This is no doubt an exciting time in your child’s life and I believe that I speak for everyone, when I say, that we are all excited to get things going.
I would like to start off by thanking our Major Sponsors, Rauti Custom Homes, and special thanks to the Rauti family for their generosity towards this team.
I would also like to thank our corporate sponsors, and please take a moment to acknowledge them, Without these sponsors, the joy of playing hockey may not be feasible for some.
You parents are the most important people in your child’s lives, and I encourage you to continue to be active, be supportive, be genuine and be fans in their pursuit of hockey excellence. You have paid a lot of money to be a part of this team and I need you to be just as committed in getting your child to the rink for every practice, every game, and every team function.
The players;
You have a certain responsibility now. You have to uphold your end of the deal and be just as committed to getting to the rink, getting to practice and be a valuable teammate throughout the season. Let’s be sociable with one another, talk to your coaches, your teammates and enjoy your activity. Come to the arena and work hard, listen, learn and have fun!
We are involved in this crazy sport as Canadians, and it is unbelievable how passionate we are. I am sure a lot of you have played hockey or have a love for the game or have grown to love the game because your child is now involved. What I am asking, is that you don’t lose that passion and keep in mind, that this journey is just that. It’s a marathon and not a race.
Let’s remember that these are children and that they have a dream, we as adults had our dreams and we had hopes and aspirations. Let your child’s dreams live on its own and you will be amazed at their progression, their knowledge, skills and abilities.
Let’s perpetuate the love for the game and applaud their achievements. Let’s give them what we want from our bosses, positive reinforcement, because this builds confidence in these youngsters.
There’s going to be adversity, there’s going to be setbacks, but these are all learning experiences.
My message to the players is that, it is okay to make mistakes, because that’s how we all learn. I want you to be creative, I want you to be confident with the puck, I want you to be a strong skater and yes, I want you to be successful.
An acronym that I like to use is: B.E.S.T. which means, Better Every Single Time. If you can give your best and work hard at every single practice and every single game and you can honestly say, that “I did my best”, then you will be better, every, single, time, you push yourself to be the best.
I want you parents to ask your athlete at the end of each practice and each game, “What did you enjoy about the practice or game”. Let them tell you what they learned. Then ask your athlete, “What didn’t you like about the practice or the game”. Here is where the adversity in parenting comes in, and it’s okay to have negative thoughts. It’s how we respond to this and how do we make it better and can we teach them a life lesson at this point. Are we going to be fixers or finger pointers?
Let’s stay grounded in victory and defeat, lead by example, listen more, talk less, and do the right thing when no one is watching. I hope to be a positive impact and inspire their love for the game.
Sincerely,
Head Coach
Jerry Brun
“Let’s Go Blue!”