Sunday, September 30, 2007

Honor has its own rewards

Hockeyboy is in the throes of tryouts for the regular season teams. It is a nerve-wracking time for him, the DH and myself. It is his last year of Bantam hockey and he has a desire to play on a higher level team this year. My heart is tender for a young man with high aspirations but is in an incredibly tough and competitive association with room for only 15 A team players.

In the midst of the stress and anxiety, though, there has been a bright, shining moment of joy. A few of you may remember the Match Penalty ejection that ended last year's season on a very sour note. Although many high ranking officials made an extraordinary effort to overturn what was deemed an unfairly harsh penalty, the appeal didn't pan out as we'd hoped. Although we did receive some unexpected support, which encouraged us immensely, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that this suspension would carry over into this year's season and Hockeyboy would need to sit out 2 more games before being reinstated.

We received word last night, however, that as a direct result of Hockeyboy's situation and his manly stand before the district officials, the Minnesota Hockey Association has changed the rules regarding kicking penalties. We haven't seen the official rules yet, as they have not been posted, but our Association President was present when the vote was taken. Furthermore, he has taken it upon himself to contact the district officials with one last appeal to overturn the match penalty and allow Hockeyboy to play the entire season this year.

I have no idea if the appeal will work or not. I have already accepted the fact that he'll likely sit out 2 games. But I am so thankful that as a result of our situation, the bad rule change was reversed and no one else will face such a patently unfair situation ever again. What is more, I am thrilled with our great hockey Association President, who didn't just give up on this but has worked in the off season to see that justice was served.

Most of all, I'm proud of my Hockeyboyman's courageous and honorable behavior in the face of adversity and that his maturity and integrity has changed the game of youth hockey for the better.

Now, if I can only survive try-outs . . . If you think of it, say a little prayer for Hockeyman - and his mom and dad!

4 comments:

livnletlrn said...

I got goosebumps and a little lump in my throat reading about how this is all evolving, knowing full well the love of a mama for a boy making his way toward manhood. I'm not much for praying, but you can be sure that I'm hoping you all will continue to find peace, learning opportunities, and oh-so-meaningful support from some unexpected sources along the way.

Sheepish Annie said...

I really do believe that handling a situation with maturity and grace makes all the difference in this type of situation. It sounds like HB/M did himself proud by standing up for himself but not letting anger get in the way. Integrity will always trump injustice. Nice job with that young man, Mom and Dad. You done good!!!

Guinifer said...

I have everything crossed that can be crossed for Hockeyman this weekend. Makes me glad that Puck is happy to skate PeeWee C first year and have fun without the stress that goes along with the higher levels of hockey.

RandomRanter said...

One of the interesting lessons in sports is that different people view the same situation so differently. It is always sad on be on the receiving end for such lessons, but that HB/M is demonstrating such maturity is awesome.
I once watched (in a way more informal league) a four on two game since the ref had gotten in a mood and penalized so many players.
Anyway best of luck to HB/M with the upcoming season.