THE SAINTS HOCKEY PHILOSOPHY

The Salem Saints Youth Hockey Association has been formed to develop and encourage Sportsmanship between players for the betterment of their physical and social well-being. To accomplish this, all members will be afforded an equal opportunity to participate and stressing exceptional athletic skills or winning games is secondary to good sportsmanship.

We stress learning hockey as an enjoyable sport. In any sport, playing games allows us to try out skills against other players. Whether we win or lose, we learn how to play the game better, and our skills improve. It is this feeling of improvement that motivates our players to keep working at their skills and fuels their enjoyment of the game. As you are interacting with your children about the sport, remember that they are much more motivated by the items that they control in the game. You can focus on this by talking about what they did well in the game or practice and what techniques they are trying to master. Discussions about whether the referees made a bad call or whether the ultimate outcome was a win or a loss are greatly outside of the individual player’s control and foster a feeling of helplessness and futility in their own efforts.

We run an organization for children. The goal is to have fun while tackling the challenges faced while learning and playing hockey. We strive to establish a sense of accomplishment in EVERY child in the program. Enjoy this time with your children and other parents that are making the same commitment to their children, even the ones on the other teams.