u/tossedAF

So we have a house full of ice hockey players, but wanted to maybe mix it up and get some inlines.

We don’t have any skating shops to try on, so I’m shooting from the hip here.

I’ve been told that if we go for the same brand as our ice skates; then getting the same size should be fine.

We’re rocking Bauer and CCM ice skates.

Any truth to that?

I wanted to mention that there is a thread up top for people to state teams/areas where they play out of so we can maybe give coaches ideas of who else we can play!

please feel free to contribute!

created this guide to email out to the parents right before the start of the season.

Please let me know what you think:

From your coaching staff

Once you enter the doors as a member of the Aces; you are a member of a large, rowdy, chaotic family. Your coaching staff will treat your children as our own; feel free to approach us with any concerns. There will be siblings running around every practice and game. They are usually surrounded by fellow Aces families, you do not need to worry.

Team Manager

We are fortunate enough to have a passionate team manager who wants our players to have an eventful and fun season. The Team Manager is the one looking for games for us to attend that are not at our home ice, or inviting teams to our ice. If you have questions about the schedule or anything about tournaments, please know that you likely will be sent to them to ask. If it is not on the ice, it likely falls within the scope of the team manager, so please be patient.

What to Expect at 8U

8U hockey is designed to help kids learn skating, puck control, teamwork, and sportsmanship in a fun environment. Expect lots of falling, lots of smiles, even some tears, and rapid improvement. Your child will learn both offense and defense, and if they want to be a goalie, we will afford them the opportunity to try. Although some players may prefer goalie; they will not stay goalie all season. As a general rule for home games, if a child spends one game as goalie, they will then spend 2 games “playing out”.

Hockey Parent Survival Guide

• Arrive 30–45 minutes early, preferably an hour, especially during tournaments. Chaos will happen, someone will forget stick wax or tape.

• Label EVERYTHING – your child will eventually forget something. It’s easier to return if labeled.

• Dry gear after every skate.

• Bring snacks and water. We will likely do a snack rotation for home games.

• Hockey families help each other. Someone will likely need tape, or help tying skates. We are all in this together.

 

 

 

 

Required Player Equipment

•         Helmet with cage

●        Neck Guard (Required per USA Hockey. You cannot get on the ice without one)

•         Shoulder pads

•         Elbow pads

•         Gloves

•         Hockey pants (breezers)

•         Shin guards

•         Hockey socks

•         Skates

•         Stick

•         Jock/Jill

•         Jersey

Gear Advice

Spend more on skates and helmets. Used gear is completely normal at 8U. Avoid buying oversized skates or expensive sticks too early. You do not need top of the line gear yet.

Where can I get gear?

Being in central Arkansas, it is extremely difficult to get gear at the last minute. Our local pro shop has some items, but if you’re looking for an upgrade, or they do not have your sizes, there are a few options:

Sideline Swap: Think of this as eBay/Amazon for new and used sports gear.  Type in what you need and it may be new or used.

Pure Hockey: Wal-mart for hockey gear. Online, or there are in-person stores in Dallas or St. Louis

Hockey Monkey: Direct Competitor for Pure Hockey.

Howie’s: Wax, laces, Tape

Facebook: The Aces have a swap group to sell/exchange gear and Aces swag.

Wait, you said wax?

Yes! Wax is applied to the blade of the stick to help keep ice and water from building up and ruining the tape quicker. It is not a make-or-break for your 8U player, but is a good thing to keep handy. There is no “schedule” of when to wax, so it’s up to your player/you. Definitely after a new tape job.

How to Size a Hockey Stick

When standing in shoes, the top of the stick should generally reach between the nose and chin. When standing on skates, it should usually fall around chin height. A stick that is too long can make puck handling more difficult for young players.

How to Dress Your Player

1. Base layer

2. Jock/Jill

3. Hockey socks

4. Shin guards

5. Hockey pants (breezers)

6. Skates (ensure to take the skate guards off)

7. Shoulder pads

8. Elbow pads

9. Jersey

10. Helmet (mouthguard if worn)

11. Gloves

I forgot XYZ, what do I do?

If it is a small item (wax, tape, etc.) seek out one of the more experienced hockey parents or one of the coaches, we likely will have spare to help you out. If it is neck guards, and there is no pro shop, please see a member of the coaching/support staff, we likely have a spare.

Basic Hockey Terms

Because 8U uses cross-ice (width) and half-ice hockey (length), some full-ice rules like icing and offsides usually do not apply yet.

Faceoff: How play starts or resumes.

Shift: A player's time on the ice before changing, typically 2 minutes per shift.

Butterfly: A goalie technique where the goalie drops to the knees.

Cross-Ice Hockey: Smaller playing areas designed for better development.

Crease: The blue painted area around the goalie. Players should avoid being in this area. It is the goalie’s home.

Tendy: The Goaltender

Celly: Celebration after a Goal. Usually in 8U play continues, but if play stops after a goal, a Celly is always appreciated.

Rink Etiquette

• Respect coaches and officials

• Let coaches coach

• Be careful around skate blades

• Keep rink doors closed -this is for the safety of our players.

• Support all players

Make the memories

It is a high probability that the games will be recorded for posting on Youtube(@streamtheaces). Feel free to tune in if you cannot attend the games, or if you have family unable to. Please remember that anything said near the camera may be heard by other families watching our children. It will also be live-streamed; so if you want the minute-by-minute, you will need to speak to the Team Manager about the streaming.

Understanding Skate Sharpening

The 'hollow' describes how deep the cut is in the skate blade.

• 1/2" = More grip and easier turning – This is where to start for 8U.

• 5/8" = More glide and speed

• 3/4" = Maximum glide, less bite

For most 8U players, 1/2" is a great starting point. Sharpen skates approximately every 8–15 hours of ice time or whenever your player starts slipping unexpectedly. If your player says the skates “feel slippery” (other than normal) then it may be time to sharpen skates.

The rink provides sharpening for a fee, but will not be available before home games. You can also ask a member of the coaching staff for sharpening and we will get you taken care of, their prices do vary based off coach.

Team Communication

Home game and schedule information will primarily be handled through TeamSnap. Ensure you are checking Teamsnap prior to home games to find out which team your child will be on. If you do not mark availability, they will not be assigned a team until arrival. Tournament weekends may use a separate group chat for quick updates.

Goaltending

As mentioned before, we will rotate the goalies for home games. During away games, we will have designated goalies who have shown skill and dedication. As this is a highly technical position with all different gear (literally everything is different) it is recommended to not buy goalie gear within the first season. Ensure your child will want to stay dedicated to the position.

This position is extremely difficult for everyone, and takes a special type of person to stay “in the crease”. Often times, their parents are more worried about how the goalie is doing than every other parent on the team. Often times, they will be pacing back and forth(this is normal), and they will tell the other goalie how good they are with saves.

Goalies can have a massive impact on the outcome of the game, so please ensure that we are uplifting them, not berating every missed block. At 8U the key is to learn and have fun. With that being said, the players will develop their own team’s way of how they treat their Tendy. Sometimes it’s simply patting them on the head at the end of the game, sometimes it’s skating after them and dog-piling. This is all normal, and expected. When we shake hands after a game, Goalies First. One final note: Our players should not intentionally touch the other team's goalie, nor should the other team touch ours.

House Games

This will be the majority of our games. We will play one game a week (schedule TBD). As mentioned before, please check Teamsnap for team assignments, and ensure you show up early enough to get your player dressed and allow them to warm up, and make sure we have enough on each team.

Friendlies/Tournaments(what are they, what are the types)

We will have multiple opportunities to travel to play other teams. Sometimes these will be Friendlies, where there will be nothing at stake except egos. Some of the teams we have played friendlies against in the past have been Northwest Arkansas, Springfield Missouri, and Shreveport Louisiana. No travel is required, and is always optional.

Tournaments are like any other sport, where there will be a trophy on the line. Typically we are playing on a blue division, which is a lower-tier team filled with new players. This gives our players a good chance to seek development, hockey IQ, and still have a good time. Some tournaments are Stay to Play, meaning we have to stay at a specific hotel in order to attend the tournament.

No matter what type of game we travel for, if there are team fees, they will be billed through TeamSnap amongst the players that showed up.

Final Thoughts

Your coaching and support staff is here for you and your player, in any way that we can. We are here to allow you to enjoy the game, and to answer questions about “why”. We also allow the players to build their own culture so they can take ownership in their team.

Every parent in the rink started out somewhere, so do not feel bad about asking questions. We will do our very best to ensure that you get all the answers you need to make a great experience for you as well.

Hockey can look intimidating from the outside, but hockey families quickly become like extended family. Enjoy the early mornings, the excitement after goals, the locker rooms blaring Katy Perry, and watching your child gain confidence every week. You are entering into a culture and sport like no other in Central Arkansas, and your coaching staff will do their absolute best to ensure that you enjoy the season and your player ends the season with a  passion for the sport and a new confidence in themselves.

So let me start with the question upfront:

Will getting surgery affect my rating?

Context:

100% P&T, and I have a 40% rating for a strain/surgery in my back.

I’ve been looking at some of the spinal decompression/spine alignment things. If I were to go to one of them and work on my back and at least improve to where I’m not in constant pain, would it affect my rating?

My knee jerk is no, because I’m P&T. But also with how medical systems talk to each other, they could see that I do it so I’m curious.

Thanks.

So I am kinda sick of paying a big fee to Western Union to pay my mortgage, and it takes 7 days for it to come out if I use the bank account option through the company.

So I'm looking into Billpay, since the money would come out of my account immediately, making budgeting easier on me.

I try to add the company to Billpay, and it says they exist, but when it asks for the zip code, I add the one from my bill and it says it's wrong. What gives? It's literally the zip code on the bill I get

Pennymac Mortgage if that helps.

So I just switched over from Breezers to Girdle.

They hooked me up with a black shell; and I am looking at some other colors, because I can.

Are girdle shells different than Breezer Shells?

I am trying to get my 7 year old to tie his shoes(let alone skates), and he cannot get his goalie pads on by himself(understandable).

So at what point do you, as a parent, say that it's time to stop helping?

If you have restitution, are you going to stay on probation until it is paid off, regardless what the sentence of probation is, or are they separate things?

So I apparently signed up for Roadie awhile ago, did all the things and then forgot about it. So pretty soon I will start, and have some logistics I want to ask about.

1. So I just did the XD cert and it specifically said my kids can't come with during those. I've done other gig work (Spark, DoorDash, etc) and there has never been anything about that. XD isn't in my area, so is this something to even worry about? Can my kids chill with me if they want on normal roadie work?

2. Is this one where we need to track mileage? I have never made enough to worry about needing to file taxes, but I took a pay cut when I got my new full time job, and I'm looking to make about $500 a month doing this. It won't fully make up what I lost, but it will help my bank account not be in the negative every month.

3. Any tips for a noob? Do we even get tips? lol

I took a look in the App and it's not super busy or anything, but I could make $40 in about 2 hours, which is almost my full-time job rate.

Let me preface this by saying: No, I am not thinking of hurting myself in any way at this time.

I don't have really anyone to vent to, except my counselor; so strangers on the internet will have to do. I am by no means saying that I am perfect, or without faults, so please don't take anything I'm about to say as that.

On the outside, I have my stuff together. I have a decent job; multiple degrees, wife, kids, volunteer for multiple things, am active in my kids lives.

But underneath it is a constant feeling of isolation and loneliness. I wake up at 530 every morning, sit down, play some video games for 15 minutes after getting ready for work, go to work, come home, deal with whatever stupid shit is going on, and go to bed.

I have no one who gives a shit. All my friends are either passive friends, or their friends with my wife so I can't rant about how miserable she makes me.

Let me start at the beginning.

We met a decade ago, and there were some red flags that were only red flags in hindsight, but that's neither here nor there, so not really relevant to why i feel like I feel. These feelings are within the last few years.

Lets start with holidays: They're around the same time every year. I get jack shit, usually some small last minute BS that takes zero thought, and then apologies. It was worse at the start. I had asked for the same thing 3 years in a row and she refused to get it because she didn't like the way I was behaving. Not saying I was the best of partners then, but that excuse for holiday gifts? I find that disgusting.

But for her? lists of hundreds of dollars. Heaven forbid I'm not able to do something for one of them. She got pissy because I get paid once a month(two paychecks from different sources) and paid all the bills in one go, so I couldn't do much for our anniversary, which is around Mother's day, but weeks before I spent over $100 on the list she put in for what she wanted for mother's day.

This father's day really secured my feelings of isolation. She nagged for weeks that I had to tell her what I wanted, because saying "nothing" because I have so little expectation is unacceptable. So I picked 2 things. that's it. A T-shirt and a sticker pack to go on my toolbox.

They were "sold out" so I had to pick something different. had to. no choice.

So I said "take me to Indian food" because I want to try it. "too expensive, I can make it at home for a lot cheaper". Well, first it was "I'll make it at the Airbnb" because we were out of town the week prior. it never happened. Constant talking about it the week prior. Father's day she took a muscle relaxer and fell asleep. My father's day dinner was a cold sandwich and a half an energy drink.

My "gifts" for father's day? She had picked up some random photo frame on one of her trips a month or so ago(no photo in it yet, and I don't even know where it is.), a pair of sleep pants our oldest picked out, and a random shirt she found in a store. A plain shirt. Oh, and a random shirt we picked up at a store a few weeks ago. I saw it and said "that's cool" so she bought it and said it was a father's day present, which to me is wild.

Oh, and let's not forget a few days prior, she was talking about how she had to go do her delivery jobs a lot because we have something coming up she needs to pay off. I said "I'll go out and work too, we can make more money", because she is always complaining about what she has to pay for(groceries, and whatever trip I am not going on). She told me I was not allowed to work father's day weekend. I responded with "I don't mind, we need the money" And she literally snapped that she wasn't going to argue with me father's day weekend.

So I'm not allowed to choose what I'm doing on a day that's supposed to focus on me?

Our teenager worked hard that day and actually got me something that day.

Days later and there's nothing about her fulfilling her promise.

My birthday? I literally haven't had any feelings towards my birthday in over a decade. Those feelings predate her, but they are because I was deployed for my birthday a long time ago and got a few hours of being shot at. But the forced celebrations. I just want to chill, do something small; but I keep getting told that I have to pick things.

She'll be gone this year for my birthday, and honestly; I have thoughts on what I'm going to do and I'm not getting fought on it. It feels amazing.

Now the other things: I pay 100% of the bills. and I mean 100%. I have to do the budget, pay the bills. But if they're late, she gets all upset when they call her about it. Doesn't offer to help until that point.

But if there's something else coming up that she wants or it involves the kids? She's out working delivery jobs, then complaining about how "hard" she's working. Gym membership? She linked it to my bank account and hasn't been in months. But won't call and cancel. Meanwhile mine is suspended, because I can't pay for both.

When she comes home she refused to sit in the living room with everyone else because whatever reason she feels like making up. "it's cluttered" "it stinks" "there's no room on the couch. So she goes to the other end of the house and plays on her phone. Then complains I'm not talking to her. I'm not going across the house to say hi. If you want conversation you can come to me.

"Why don't you talk to her about your feelings?" Because then it becomes about her feelings and I end up having to apologize for whatever slight she thinks of that negates my feelings. And it isn't just me. Our teenage daughter will go to her and try to talk about problems and she makes it about her childhood and what all she had to go through.

Vacations are ridiculously stressful because of her behavior. She talks about needing to find how to get somewhere, but if someone suggests something, she gets an attitude with them; or has an excuse to not do it that way, but then gets mad at the entire family because she's "overstimulated".

She constantly yells at our youngest, claiming to have to repeat herself many times, but I make it a rule that I don't use my stern voice until I have repeated myself 3x minimum. But if I get to that point; I'm too hard on the kids.

She tries to apply these ridiculous standards to everyone and tries to make them abide by them.

My dad's birthday was some time ago, and he asked to go to a specific restaurant, so we were talking about how I needed to put aside a certain amount to take him. She wanted me to not take him because "he doesn't show appreciation". Yeah, she wanted me to not take my dad out to dinner, with my money, because she didn't like his behavior.

During our last trip I had some severe back pain going on from all the walking(I had back surgery awhile ago and regularly have pain, some days are really bad to where I can barely walk). The entire week I had to be behind the family because I couldn't move as quick. Up and down stairs? Still going. Did she stop? Nope.

Finally on one of the last days, she asked what was wrong; and I told her it was my back. her response "my shoulder hurts, and I'm not slowing down". Yup, a shoulder pain definitely affects walking like back pain does. Then she went on to tell me that when she has her upcoming surgery, I couldn't use my pain as an excuse to not do anything.

That though had never even entered my mind, but obviously I was thinking it, because she just decided so.

I have to hear about things she wants all the time. She gets mad if I make plans with my paychecks and haven't paid for things she thinks should be done first. She got mad because I had told her that I would plan this special thing for her, if I had money. Then she said she wanted shoes. I told her I could do the shoes instead, because money is abit tighter than planned. a few days later she complained that she "traded" what was promised for some shoes. I guess she expected me to say sorry?

She sits in her phone all day long, complains that things aren't done the way she wants, but does nothing to get it done. If someone else does it, it's a complaint over it's not done the way she wanted it done. When we point out "you don't get to complain about how other people do things if you won't do them yourself" its a complaint about why she couldn't do it. Usually "overstimulated" or "in pain", pretty much anything to avoid accountability.

And sex? she supposedly runs everything in our lives, and it stresses her out, so I have to initiate, but then she gets mad when she isn't in the mood and I try. So I wait for some sign that she's wanting to, but then I don't see them, so I'm in the wrong. Does she listen to what I want? Nope. But we have to listen to what she wants.

I can't vent to friends, because the ones I talk to regularly are her friends as well so I don't feel safe talking to them about her. When I was having trouble thinking of things that I would want for father's day; I went to them and was like "I don't know what to do" and I got just jokes, no actual help.

Sorry for the rant and the sporadicness of my thoughts. I'm feeling out of sorts today and needed to get it off my chest.

Anyone taking part in any of these?

My oldest used to have instagram; attempted once, went to a facility for some time.

what all do they need on these and is it even worth it?

So I'm not the type to want things for these days.

If I want something, I go get it myself.

So my wife hounded me for weeks about what I wanted for father's day, because "nothing" is not an answer.

So I gave her 2 things. That's it.

By the time she decided to get around to them, they were sold out. So I had to pick something else.

We were out of town last week so I said "take me to a restaurant". Nope, she said she could make it on father's day because we were on a budget.

Sweet, a homecooked meal that's something different than we normally cook!

had some volunteer work to do yesterday morning so we went to that, and she kept talking to our friends how she was going to make this meal for me.

2 hours later "I'm in pain, I need to go home and take a muscle relaxer"

So she did.

My father's day dinner? A sandwich.

Our 14 year old put more effort into the day then my own wife did.

And today I get a text "are we okay?"

Are we okay after you broke yet another promise to me? How you hounded me for weeks to pick something for father's day and then decided that passing out for 14 hours was more important?

Yeah, we're good.

Anyone been?

Thoughts on it for a young player?

My 8U is going next week and it's his first goalie camp so trying to set the expectation and prepare mentally and emotionally.

Good Day!

The kids have had a few weeks off and done nothing, so it's time to kick in some training.

What are some things that we can do outside the rink to be more physically ready? We do weekly stick & puck, so it's fitness items.

We have an 8U goalie, a 12U forward and a 14U forward and an old beer leaguer in the house.

Hello;

We are visiting from Arkansas next week and I want to take the family to some really good Indian food that is reasonably priced.

The best we’ve had is Star of India in Little Rock, AR.
It cost 5 adults(with everyone drinking) about $200, so definitely want under that.

Also not super spicey, as we will have kids with us, but we don’t want them to eat American food.

Whos spending their summer in the rinks to get their kids to improve?

Who sold a kidney to make it happen?

Sick of carrying around thousands of cards, so i went ahead and put them in a crate on my ship.

They randomly showed back up in my inventory. WHY???

at this rate, I'm carrying enough cards to make about 10lbs or so. I don't want to.

Anyone else run into this?

I've been kind of impartial to it for many years; but this year I'm just starting to get over it.

I'm the type(as I'm sure many are) where if I want something, I am just going to buy it myself. I've been hounded by my wife with "what do you want for father's day". Apparently "nothing is not an option, we are forced to pick something.

So I gave in and did. A T-shirt and some other BS that's small.

Well it's sold out so now I have to pick something else. I even said "I'm more focused on figuring out how to come up to our son's camp than gifts" and apparently I still am supposed to pick items out.

Gimme $100 for gas to get there and take me to dinner on father's day, idgaf.

I'm so worn out from making these decisions that I honestly don't want to make. I honestly don't want anything but why is that not an acceptable answer?