The Venting Spot

[Law Goalie 147]

Ah. Mr. Law Goalie, you are so bookish. It's good to have a resident "college boy" on the forum. Seriously.

Well, allow me to minutely adjust my reading glasses by way of salute.

I've just got a random college question. Is there any way of trying out for a college team like an open tryout. Cause the thing is for me, that hockey and school just completely conflict, and my parents don't want me trying out for rep. I'm thinking the only way I could get a shot at this thing, is to do a tryout, or maybe speak personally to the coach...but I dunno.

Here you put me somewhat out of my depth... to the best of my knowledge, Canadian universities almost always hold open tryouts. At some schools these are purely nominal, but at some it can be a source of a player or two every year. My very ill-informed understanding is that most of the major US hockey schools are run like Canadian Major Junior teams: that is, they recruit through scouting, sometimes years in advance of matriculation. That said, I have played with a few guys who did exactly more or less exactly what you describe - put hockey second through high school, then try to sneak onto a university team through the back door via coach contact, tryouts, etc. - and had very respectable college hockey careers, and in some cases, minor and European pro terms after that, with the odd NHL camp as well.

I've been tarred and feathered for saying as much, but I remain totally unconvinced that 'rep' or 'travel' hockey is the best development model. I think it's certainly an excellent model for creating the highest possible level of competition between eight-year olds. I don't think it's necessarily the way to make the best hockey players or the best human beings; it just happens to be the most obvious and cut-throat way of *appearing* to practice talent identification. If you take every hour you would have spent on some bus, and invested it in on-ice professional instruction or off-ice conditioning, or even, god forbid, a couple of books or a few girls who aren't puck-bunnies, I'm not sure you wouldn't come out a better player than Little Lord Honeybaked -- nor might a college coach be unreceptive to someone who made a reasonable case for their kind of under-the-radar development.

[chippa13 1844]

Hanging up the skates.

Ever since I had my shoulder injury, I've been playing scared - scared of getting hurt again. Whenever I get the puck I worry about contact, whenever someone skates towards me I'm trying to get rid of the puck so that they don't come close to me.

Tried wearing shoulder pads, didn't help. So after my last shift in my game last night I knew I had to walk away.

I'll still skate by myself as physically I don't hurt, but I won't play in an organized setting indefinitely.

If you're that nervous out there then taking a break is a good idea. We've all heard the old adage, "the easiest way to get hurt is to try not to get hurt." Stay away for a month or two then go to a local kids game, remember why you played in the first place, and jump back in.

[shooter27 116]

I've just got a random college question. Is there any way of trying out for a college team like an open tryout. Cause the thing is for me, that hockey and school just completely conflict, and my parents don't want me trying out for rep. I'm thinking the only way I could get a shot at this thing, is to do a tryout, or maybe speak personally to the coach...but I dunno.

In general US NCAA colleges do not hold open tryouts, either at D1 or D3. They do have "walk-ons" but the vast majority of those walk-ons are recruited players that simply don't get scholarship money (at the D1 level at least, D3 players don't get scholarships for athletics). Its not unheard of for a player who talks to the coach to at least get a cosmetic try-out, but it is extremely rare (not impossible, but rare) for those players to actually earn a spot on the team. In fact, its not unheard of for those recruited walk-ons I mentioned to not earn a spot on the team at the D1 level.

At the D1 level, I'd be surprised if a coach is going to let someone who doesn't have AAA or some kind of Junior's experience attempt to try out, but I've never actually heard of anyone attempting that. That being said, it can't hurt to try to talk to the coach, worst he can say is no. At the D3 level, I think most coaches would at least let you show up at the first couple skates of training camp. We had a kid attempt to do it one year, though he was in way over his head and only lasted 2 or 3 practices.

My knowledge of the ACHA (club) level is not as detailed, but I do believe that ACHA programs (even the high end ones) have at least some form of open tryout where players do have a legit shot at making the team.

Edited August 16, 2010 by shooter27

[Axxion89 32]

In general US NCAA colleges do not hold open tryouts, either at D1 or D3. They do have "walk-ons" but the vast majority of those walk-ons are recruited players that simply don't get scholarship money (at the D1 level at least, D3 players don't get scholarships for athletics). Its not unheard of for a player who talks to the coach to at least get a cosmetic try-out, but it is extremely rare (not impossible, but rare) for those players to actually earn a spot on the team. In fact, its not unheard of for those recruited walk-ons I mentioned to not earn a spot on the team at the D1 level.

At the D1 level, I'd be surprised if a coach is going to let someone who doesn't have AAA or some kind of Junior's experience attempt to try out, but I've never actually heard of anyone attempting that. That being said, it can't hurt to try to talk to the coach, worst he can say is no. At the D3 level, I think most coaches would at least let you show up at the first couple skates of training camp. We had a kid attempt to do it one year, though he was in way over his head and only lasted 2 or 3 practices.

My knowledge of the ACHA (club) level is not as detailed, but I do believe that ACHA programs (even the high end ones) have at least some form of open tryout where players do have a legit shot at making the team.

ACHA I really think you can make on tryouts, my friends plays for an ACHA team and said he just joined by tryout.

Also to add to the venting, looks my my tendon in my wrist seized up and I cant bend it backwards, here we go again

[Chadd 916]

D3 players don't get scholarships for athletics

Officially, that is correct.

[DarkStar50 679]

I have a friend who was a walk-on at BU in early 2k. He needed a recommendation to get the look but made it. Played all 4 years on the varsity. A rare example but he did it. Bounced around low minors after BU, never got above ECHL.

[dangle 0]

The wife got a ticket for running a red light. $112 gone. In addition to her $65 ticket last month and $900 accident the month before. Really?

[shooter27 116]

Officially, that is correct.

Yes, officially, obviously there are always things that go on unofficially.

I have a friend who was a walk-on at BU in early 2k. He needed a recommendation to get the look but made it. Played all 4 years on the varsity. A rare example but he did it. Bounced around low minors after BU, never got above ECHL.

Was he a recruited walk on or a true walk on?

Edited August 17, 2010 by shooter27

[DolomaticDangles 13]

The wife got a ticket for running a red light. $112 gone. In addition to her $65 ticket last month and $900 accident the month before. Really?

[NextBobbyOrr 0]

Thanks for the help everyone. Now for my vent. Just came back from a short trip, I feel like crap, I think I probably gained weight and I`ve got a camp in a week. I`m gonna have to go full on dryland exercising stuff if I can hope to be half of what I was at the end of the season.

[Thepandamancan 0]

I scored my first goal last week. It was the game winning goal too after being down 3 goals early. Immediately after the game I posted on facebook: yeah...I scored but more importantly I'm super proud of our team coming back and winning. People kept congratulating me and I kept saying, it's all about our team etc etc fighting back and winning and playing hard.

I made one comment about how amazing my goal was on some other person's facebook page and now a team mate of mine thinks I have a bloated ego.

This is the same teammate that scores a hat trick in a 10-3 loss and celebrates it by shouting it from the roof tops. Same team mate that hounds the statkeeper to post the night's stats sooner, rather than later so he can see how many points he has.

So yeah...I score one measly goal and I have a huge ego now.

[rachael7 1]

Some bender took my feet out from under me from behind over the weekend and I re-injured my left hip. Don't know if its bursitis, hip pointer, bruise or whatever, but damn it hurts. It's been hurt before, but just painful. This time its actually affecting the movement of the joint, which really pisses me off. I couldn't care less about pain, but when I'm functionally affected, THAT pisses me off.

Edited August 17, 2010 by rachael7

[DarkStar50 679]

Was he a recruited walk on or a true walk on?

True walk on, Matt Radoslovich. Matt played from 2001-2002 to 2004-2005.

[JoeyJ0506 191]

So jump ship. Believe me, colleges don't give a rat's ass about undergraduates unless massive scholarships are involved. They'll replace you in about ninety seconds, and the team in PA will be glad to have you.

So True...

I was torn between my current and former school all through the summer of 2007 after an awful experience with the baseball team and, in general, athletic department at my first school. I loved everything about the school, but could not stomach giving up baseball after one year, and no real chance to find out whether I could or could not hack it in the college game. I literally made the decision to transfer six days before the semester for my first college began and they could have cared less. Basically, "don't let the door hit you on the way out," attitude. To add to it, the new (an current) school had no problem scheduling me and whatnot.

You're really just a number in the grand scheme of things, sad but true.

I will say this though, make sure hockey is that important to you before you decide to up and leave. I mainly chose my first school because it was academically prestigious and they had the exact major I wanted. Fast forward three year, and I'm starting my fifth year of college, getting a degree in a major in something I really have no interest in, and no idea what I want to do with my life. The fact of the matter is I'll probably end up at the Pittsburgh Art Institute after graduation pursuing the same degree I gave up in the transfer to pursue a baseball career that was never going anywhere beyond college. I've enjoyed college, but I never, "loved," the experience (minus baseball) as much as I did that first year at the other school.

[jds 20]

After stepping down as the head of the photo department into the role of an "advisor/photographer" at the newspaper I work at, I have been saddled with a boss who wouldn't know a good photograph from his ass (which applies to all the other editors, it seems) and despite my twenty years as a photographer still won't take my advice on anything since he wants to make the decision. Inevitably, I am right (you pick up things in two decades) and he concedes that he should have listened....until the next time when the entire screwed up cycle begins again.

[number21 3]

Can't seem to get a team together for the WI pond hockey tourney in Feb.

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

LOL a while back we discussed doing a Team MSH...

[DolomaticDangles 13]

Can't seem to get a team together for the WI pond hockey tourney in Feb.

Is there an age limit for the tourney?

edit: nevermind I found it, 21 that sucks. Especially since Im a few hours a way and some guys from my high school team would've entered

Edited August 19, 2010 by DolomaticDangles

[number21 3]

Is there an age limit for the tourney?

edit: nevermind I found it, 21 that sucks. Especially since Im a few hours a way and some guys from my high school team would've entered

Pewaukee has one too (i don't know anything about it though) they have an 18-24 bracket.

[DolomaticDangles 13]

Pewaukee has one too (i don't know anything about it though) they have an 18-24 bracket.

Thats weird, I moved a year ago to Delafield, but I lived right off of Pewaukee lake and I never knew about that. But Ill only be 17 so that sucks. Why wouldnt they just make it 16-24?

[rachael7 1]

Thats weird, I moved a year ago to Delafield, but I lived right off of Pewaukee lake and I never knew about that. But Ill only be 17 so that sucks. Why wouldnt they just make it 16-24?

Because then then the 14yo guys would wonder why they don't make it 14-24.

[dumbpolak9 1]

still dont know what to do with this school ish, man d2 hockey schedule and full easton sponsorship vs.a job and jr hockey. UGH!

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

still dont know what to do with this school ish, man d2 hockey schedule and full easton sponsorship vs.a job and jr hockey. UGH!

ACHA D2? Tough choice man. Disregarding the hockey situation, do you like one school better than the other?

[dumbpolak9 1]

ACHA D2? Tough choice man. Disregarding the hockey situation, do you like one school better than the other?

well at one school the undergraduate class is 9000, at the other school the whole school is made up of nearly 300 kids.

[dsjunior1388 81]

I'm hating this University right now. They revamped the website, which only means epic glitches that resulted in people not being able to add or drop classes in the last two weeks, up until today. 3 days before Semester starts. Luckily for me, I don't have a competency met, so I have to bump into a class thats all ready full from the largest freshman class ever, or else I can't take any other classes. So I probably won't even be registering for classes until tomorrow, after getting a bump from a professor for the competency, at which point I essentially waste a semester in a credit grab because of absurd limits on credits for my major. It's okay though because I'm way behind in student loan stuff and won't have money for books for about a month anyway. I'd say this is about 45% my fault, but I've been working around this bizarre system for four years now and I'm sick of getting held behind freshman who are going to wash out in one semester anyway because I owe the school $200 bucks or need one class I couldn't get into.

Oh, did I mention that the library closes every day at 5pm and my computer is long since dead, which means I don't have enough time around my work sechedule to get anything done? Yeah, that too.

I need to get out of my own way. And the school needs to get their head out of wherever they have decided to store it of late.

Edited August 20, 2010 by dsjunior1388