Submitted by Lola Haus
When it comes to youth sports, many think it’s about keeping their child busy, getting them out of the house, away from screen time and staying active. But beyond all that, there are many lessons learned those young athletes (and some parents) aren’t even aware of. Teamwork, sportsmanship, sharing, accountability, defeat, success, failure, mental and physical strength, passion, lifelong friendships, leadership… I could go on. But, most importantly are the memories that will be forever etched in those young minds.
Some pretty fun memories were made this past weekend when the North Shore Storm Bantam team took a vacated spot in the Zenith City Invitational in Duluth. It was a very last-minute addition to their schedule. Because of this, Sunday morning the Storm team was short 5 skaters due to prior commitments. Coach Larson, being concerned for the safety of his players, of which there were only 7 skaters and 2 goalies, had to forfeit the game so as not to sustain any possible injuries.
Rather than not skate at all, their opponent from Stillwater loaned 3 of their players to the Storm and a fun game ensued. Goalies skated out as skaters in their goalie gear; skaters used goalie sticks rather than their own; there were face-offs using the butt end of the stick; there were trick shots, friendly chirping and lots of laughter between the teams and fans.
Memories were made, lessons were learned about teamwork, sportsmanship and possibly a few new lifelong friendships were made. What a fun way to end a tournament weekend! Way to go Storm and Ponies!
