There seems to be more to hockey in Medford than meets the eye. Like any town where there is youth hockey or a junior hockey program there are local hockey politics. Some players and maybe their parents too think they're all-stars, ready for the NHL. Then there are some players and parents who are are not the best but think they are and despise the ones that are good. Yup! They're in every town there is a hockey program, including Medford.In every case local hockey politics do nothing but interfere with the success of local hockey programs. In some cases the politics ruin or diminish the success of the team or program; or affect the chances of one or more players to move on; or take out the fun and dreams of playing hockey from a player; or, push the ego's of players, parents or coaches to feel that they are better than they are. And, from what I've heard so far, hockey in the Rogue Valley is no different. You've got coaches, players, parents, and maybe a few others that are working the hockey politics not only in youth hockey but in Junior A Tier III hockey too. "Get rid of this person," "sign this player," "get rid of this one," "leave Medford and play for team X or whomever," and more. I've heard it all before.
I've got over 16 years of experience with local hockey politics between players, parents, coaches and hockey associations. And, I can tell you all the hockey politics I experienced never succeeded in anything except to frustrate and irritate everyone and come to no good. It is a Win/Lose situation where in reality everyone - players, parents, coaches, and fans - loses.
In many previous blogs I have dispensed plenty of hockey advice - pass better, cycle the puck, blah, blah, blah. Well now, I'm going to dispense more advice, local hockey politics does nothing more than to ruin or cripple a local hockey program. I've seen and experienced it. The Wranglers are in their second year trying to build a Junior A hockey program. And, the Rogue Valley Wranglers Hockey Club management is trying their hardest to build a quality Junior A Tier III program. Junior A Tier III hockey is a development program where some players develop and move on, and others never move on but they get to play competitive hockey a bit longer. I definitely believe a few Wrangler players have the potential to move on to the next level (e.g., Tier II, Tier I, WHL, college) and perhaps beyond. While there are definitely some issues, they're not insurmountable or unsolvable. Again my experience tells me the Wrangler program has the potential to be a great success - just keep the the local politics to a minimum. Let's focus on the hockey basics - hitting, defense, passing, puck handling, skating, and scoring - versus the local hockey politics. Let's support the players, the coaches, the Wranglers, and the game of hockey. Let's approach hockey in Medford with a Win/Win attitude where everyone succeeds. GO WRANGLERS!
