What are you in for? hah.
Waking up at 4-5am on saturday and sunday mornings, freezing your ass off on a daily basis, shelling out hundreds for gear and thousands to play travel, dealing with coaches and other parents at the rink.
That said, in retrospect of doing it from 1st to 9th grade I would say it was probably one of the highlights of my childhood and know that my parents found some considerable reward in watching me as well.
First things first, take your kid to the public skates where you can rent skates for him. see how he does with this. Not only his ability but his enjoyment level. Do yourself a favor and do this over the course of a good while to see if he even wants to stick with it. Don't go out and dish out the $$ for a full set of gear only to find he wants to play badmington next month.
If your kid takes well to the skating, then keep him skating. Skating is bar none the most important aspect of becoming a good hockey player. Establish good skating skills before even throwing a stick and puck at him.
If you and him decide you want to take it to the next level go down to the rink during a hockey practice for kids his age and just poke around, allow him to watch, talk with other parents. Find out whose got good coaches.
If you are still set, then go grab some gear. Get GOOD FITTING skates and good fitting protective equipment. You do not need to buy the top of the line, proper fitment is what you're looking for. Hockeygiant has a wherehouse of pretty well priced gear. |