Article written by
Brent "The Man, The Myth, The Legend" Alderdice
It’s GO time. SCTA weekend. All the season’s hard work put in
by the players, the coaches, the team news writer…it comes down to this….WIN or
GO HOME.
To help our PeeWee Highlanders prepare for their biggest
challenge of the season, I will present some motivation ideas that will push each
player to their limit.
Motivation Tip #1 – Hanlon’s Razor
This first point is strictly for the parents. In order to be able to motivate your PeeWee highlander, you need to be motivated and Hanlon’s Razor will revolutionize the way you approach AAA hockey. Hanlon’s Razor is an idiom that states…
Never attribute to malice that which is
adequately explained by stupidity.
Wow.
It’s all clear now isn’t it. That guy that was standing a foot from you during the last game, banging on the glass every time the whistle blew, screaming at the refs, screaming at his team…he isn’t just mean spirited or trying to force you into a long argument about the merits of body checking free PeeWee hockey.
It’s just that he’s…uhmmmm…you know.
No thanks are necessary.
Motivation Tip #2 – Nicknames
Show me a really good athlete and I will show you a really good nickname. The Butcher…The Great One. Of course there are more but I’ll stop here. My point is not enough of our players have nicknames and how can you be really good without a nickname.
You can’t. It’s that simple. We need nicknames.
Nicknames are easy to make up. Let’s work through one together to see how easy it is…
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Take an activity that happens during the game…how about a Goal
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Add a verb…let’s use Get
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Masculinize it for our PeeWee team and you can add…Guy
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All we have to do is put it together…Goal…Getter…Guy.
How could someone not score with all the fans yelling “Get us a goal, Goal Getter Guy”.
It might not be that easy for you but keep working at it. Don’t let yourself get frustrated, don’t use baby names, and never ever go negative. You can’t imagine the horror a young hockey player can feel when he hears a shout from the stands…
“Skate harder Big Bottom”
Trust me on this. It’s hard to skate with tears in your eyes. Trust me.
Motivation Tip #3 – Poetry
Poetry is always inspirational and can often be used to motivate. Shakespeare is a terrific resource with great lines from Henry V…
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother
…or this from Twelfth Night…
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them
If you enjoyed creating your Highlander’s nickname, why not try your hand at creating a motivational poem. I’ve been working on a limerick, rhyming pattern a,a,b,b,a. It’s not finished but I will share it to help your creative process. I’m having specific trouble completing the fourth line…
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There once was a team of hicks…
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Who had trouble using their sticks…
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They were down on their luck…
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‘Til someone cried
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And then came lots o’ hat-tricks.
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It’s obvious what fits easiest. But is that what would help motivate. Maybe in this case pass the puck doesn’t deliver the message intended. Maybe shoot the puck… I’m just not 100% sure and that’s why I’m presenting it to the masses. If you are good at rhyming and can help me finish this limerick, let me know how you would complete this line. Thanks.
Motivation Tip #4 – Cowbells
I love cowbell…
You love cowbell…
We love cowbell…
They love cowbell…
Who loves cowbell? Everyone. That’s why I am bringing my cowbells to the games this weekend. When poetry and nicknames aren’t enough, it’s time for the Creemore clapper…the Hanover horn…the Walkerton whistle…the Chatsworth clarinet.
Will you bring your cowbell?
Next stop Buffalo.
No matter the outcome of each shift this weekend, or each period of each game this weekend, or each of the games the team plays this weekend I will remember the great words of the Reverend Jesse Jackson…
Keep Hope Alive!
Don’t let despair win.