Dealing with the end of Hockey at 14yo
We are going through cuts right now. My son (2011) is stuck in purgatory. He's too old for house hockey, not quite good enough for travel. At 14 years old he's losing what he loves and can no longer play organized. Of the two teams he tried out for, BOTH coaches comments included, "If I were picking players based on attitude and being a good teammate, he'd be the first on the team. We love the kid." Then the BUT he's not quite there. I hate the direction youth sports has taken in todays society. A 14-year old that absolutely loves Hockey, is a great teammate and has a great attitude is shut out of the sport because he's not quite there. He can't join a league until he's 18. All his buddies are playing high school or travel. My heart is broken for him.
UPDATE: I appreciate all of the feedback and will sit down with him and mom tonight and come up with a plan. Thank you for helping me digest this. This doesn't have to be the end of all things hockey, it just hurts right now while he watches his buddies make the team.
UPDATE 2: I've talked to a few coaches from teams an hour plus away. Tonight we are heading an hour west for a tryout with an 18u JV/Prep team. We found another an hour in the other direction for tomorrow night.