Life of a Hockey Mom

Thanks to Sarah Palin, hockey moms have gotten some attention. Maybe not *great* attention, but attention all the same. At least it's on the mouths of people now, where before probably no one even gave a thought to hockey moms, other than they were just another mom who had kids in a sport.

Well, I'm here to tell you that being a soccer mom or a baseball mom would be MUCH more preferable to being a hockey mom! Wow, what a life those moms have, leisurely going to practices, not having to get another job to support her child's sport, sitting comfortably on the sidelines drinking a soda while cheering her child on.

Hockey moms, on the other hand, usually have to juggle the budget to buy their child's equipment -- or get a part-time job. As a child grows, so does the cost of the equipment. My son's sticks right now are right around the $200 mark. Yup, that's just the stick. We're not even talking skates, which can run cheaply from $150 on sale if you're lucky, upwards to whatever you're willing to pay for. Yes, you can get used, but used is only good for the first few years of hockey, really, unless you want to risk your child getting hurt from equipment that possibly may have some unseen damage to it. Good equipment is imperative to keeping your child safe on the ice. Once they reach about 10-11 years old (and they've been playing hockey for awhile), the game gets rougher -- and so does the child. So the equipment is important. Plus, the child now has skills that need to be addressed as to what kind/brand of equipment s/he is comfortable with and plays the best with. They start to have preferances about what works best for them -- and believe me, you'll find it's not cheap.

Oh, and don't forget the sign-up fee! $500 upwards is pretty common. We have it good here -- only $200 for the season, but we have cheap ice here. The fee is for our ice time for practices for the season. The season is only about 5 months for recreational hockey. But there's the extra fee that has to be paid to USA Hockey and to the local association, which runs another $50.

Then there's the practices. They're usually after the sun goes down -- if you're lucky. Early morning practices are even worse. Have you ever stood or sat rink-side? Better bundle up! It's not a comfy-cozy experience, to be sure! Coffee and hot chocolate not only warm the inside, but also warm the gloved hands. For me, it's rare to be at a rink that has comfy seats or bleachers, let alone heaters. Some rinks don't even have seating, and some rinks don't even have walls or a roof, so you're completely exposed to the elements.

If you're lucky to be in a city, maybe travel for games is minimal. Where we are, we have to travel to the next nearest rink an hour and a half one way. I've heard some rec teams don't go anywhere because they have enough in-house teams to play each other.

Okay, that's recreational hockey (rec). Then there's competitive hockey (comp for short). This is another ballgame entirely. Fees for ice time start at +$800. That does NOT include tournament fees, game jerseys and whatever else the comp team requires like warm-up suits and jackets. If your child is good, this is where s/he goes from rec or also includes in his/her hockey program. So this means extra practices to add to the schedule, plus extra tournaments.

Now, comp hockey teams travel all over the U.S. and Canada to compete against each other. Have you looked at gas prices lately? Uh-huh, add that expense. Plus add the expense of hotels and meals while traveling. But, if your child is good and wants to continue in hockey and you hope for him/her to get a scholarship to college, this is a must. Or even a must if they would like to try for the NHL.