Tryouts

Three days of tryouts and the little guy had worked hard to get ready.  It was a first for him.  He had tried before, but never with this much focus and effort.  In the final day, it was obvious it was down to him and one other boy for a specific position.  The other boy, the incumbent, looked great and had also worked hard.  We thought it had gone the other way, but were shocked and pleased when he got the good news.  The other boy and his father, both with tears in their eyes, walked right over and congratulated him.   So while we are happy when our kids make the team, we need to appreciate that there were other kids that worked hard and for whatever reason, did not make it.  It may only be a very low level of hockey and as our coaches always say in their very motivating speeches - "It's not like any of them are going to the show", but these tryouts and choices are important, and all players deserve to be treated with respect.