OT: Girl forced off of Boys Hockey Team

[Canadian91]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/910773--controversy-pushes-girl-off-coed-hockey-team

For 12-year-old Kayla Watkins, the public humiliation was too much.

After learning a parent on her coed peewee hockey team — comprised entirely of boys except for her — called for restrictions on her ice time or her removal from the team unless her skills improved, she did the only thing she thought she could: She quit.

If you pick a kid to be on the team... you're stuck with them for the rest of the season. You can't kick them off a team because they apparently "aren't good enough". Girl or boy.

I don't think that this is the only thing going on here, though. There is a lot of controversy surrounding girls and hockey right now... my little sister is in the middle of it, as well.

EDIT: If this is in the wrong section, mods... feel free to move it.

Click to read more...

 

[gifted88]

It's a shame, for women to play with men they have to be twice as good to get anywhere.

 

[Harv]

There isn't 1 14yr old girls team in Toronto?

 

[Dylonus]

They just stupid. Those parent(s) should be ashamed of themselves.

There's no reason that girl can't play on that team.

 

[hototogisu]

I understand the kids are frustrated with her play but to write an agenda about the play of a 12-year old kid (boy or girl), suggesting limiting their ice time and when they should and shouldn't be on the ice...that's a bit much to me. At the higher levels, fine, but these aren't even teenagers. Everybody's had to play with somebody on their team who sucks before, that's life.

But it seems like every story about a girl playing on a boys' team eventually ends the same way - with accusations of discrimination. Why do the parents of the girl put themselves and their kid through all that? Surely there must be an all-girls team she can play on in Toronto?

 

[ILuvLucic*]

Don't see what the big deal is. She was forced off mainly due to her play on the ice.

 

[hatterson]

Am I the only one who doesn't understand the issue here?

A parent raised a concern about a kids ice time in relation to her skill level. Regardless of the parents motivations (sexist, racist, age-ist, mean-sprited, boredom, or actual competitive level) the concerns raised by the parent are exactly that, concerns raised by a parent. The coach never kicked her off the team and, in fact, said he wanted her to stay.

This parent isn't on the coaching staff and the team didn't force her off.

The title of this thread is entirely incorrect and only serves to create a false sense of controversy. The girl heard someone said she sucks and decided to quit the team.


The biggest issue in the story is that they had the girls and boys changing in the same locker room...That's just stupid. Have team meetings in the same place sure, but for actual changing it should be in a different place, that's just common sense

 

[DarkReign]

Dont see the problem here.

 

[bb_fan]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/910773--controversy-pushes-girl-off-coed-hockey-team



If you pick a kid to be on the team... you're stuck with them for the rest of the season. You can't kick them off a team because they apparently "aren't good enough". Girl or boy.

I don't think that this is the only thing going on here, though. There is a lot of controversy surrounding girls and hockey right now... my little sister is in the middle of it, as well.

EDIT: If this is in the wrong section, mods... feel free to move it.

so does this mean that the second worse kid on the team gets singled out and booted off next too? assuming even that she was the 'wrost' player as the d**khead Atius suggests?

 

[hatterson]

The quest I ask is, if the exact same agenda had been called about a guy on the team and the team reacted the exact same way and the boy saw the agenda and decided to quit...would *ANYONE* care, even in the slightest?

The answer is quite obviously a resounding no.

 

[loudi94]

Sounds like the dad has a grudge against the girl's mom more than anything. It's "A" hockey. His kid obviously isn't going to be playing in NHL, why the big deal? Have fun and learn a life skill.

 

[GlenngarryGlencross]

Having her around boys that were changing is bizarre, I agree with that much.

Beyond that issue, this seems to be purely a developmental/fun league and I dont see how her individual performance is relevant in that context. Would that guy draft an agenda to kick a male player off the team?

This really seems to be a slapfest between 2 parents/families and the kids are getting stuck in the middle. What that guy did was pure ****** and was only meant to slam a 12 year old girl trying to have fun and learn the game. There are far more constructive ways to solve a problem.

 

[Old Gregg]

I can't believe that parents would come up with such an agenda. I could see maybe asking to get a different change room for her but calling a meeting because he doesnt feel her skill level is good enough is ridiculous. Don't get all the other parents involved. Talk to the coach and have him address the issue. He obviously chose her and wanted her on the team. It is really too bad but I am glad she was able to find a team that she is welcome on.

Also, this lawyer needs to be knocked out. Blaming her parents for her being on the team and for her reading the agenda. I feel sorry for his kid in the future because a lot of coaches will not want to coach his son if they are going to have to deal with this guy ripping apart other players.

 

[loudi94]

The quest I ask is, if the exact same agenda had been called about a guy on the team and the team reacted the exact same way and the boy saw the agenda and decided to quit...would *ANYONE* care, even in the slightest?

The answer is quite obviously a resounding no.

Perhaps not a resounding no, but certainly not newspaper worthy. What this parent is doing is horrible. If the kids truly want this kid off the team, they'd have taken care of it. I doubt it's a problem for anyone but parent(s).

 

[octopi]

If she stayed in the kitchen this situation would have been avoided...

Yeah, and if you went out and clubbed a big dumb animal and pounded your chest and grunted for awhile, this kind of thing could have been avoided too.


as for the girl pretty hard for us to tell from here whether she actually was good enough or not.

 

[Space Herpe]

I wonder how good the lawyer's kid is.

I wonder if he' next on the list.


I never knew that a parent could draw up a complaint about another child's poor play. Can we do that with Jon Sim?

I wonder if an e-mail barrage is called for.


To those who don't see the big deal: Your kid is called out in a public forum, with no chance of defending herself, because some dad thinks he/she isn't good enough and should be subjected to X, Y, Z if she wants to stay on the team.

What about a reading group in his/her class at school? Can all the other parents of the kids in the reading group complain at a school board meeting or something like that to petition to get your child out of the reading group?

 

[Semper Sens]

Meh. If you don't belong at A, you don't belong at A. It's not like she was at the lowest possible level, so if she's far below the skill level of her peers why not bump her down one?

It's of course different if she was the worst by just a bit. The reduction of ice time bit is ridiculous, but I think that was put in solely as an option for if she was not moved down.

 

[Devil Dancer]

As a lawyer, I ****ing hate lawyers.

 

[hatterson]

I wonder how good the lawyer's kid is.

I wonder if he' next on the list.


I never knew that a parent could draw up a complaint about another child's poor play. Can we do that with Jon Sim?

I wonder if an e-mail barrage is called for.


To those who don't see the big deal: Your kid is called out in a public forum, with no chance of defending herself, because some dad thinks he/she isn't good enough and should be subjected to X, Y, Z if she wants to stay on the team.

What about a reading group in his/her class at school? Can all the other parents of the kids in the reading group complain at a school board meeting or something like that to petition to get your child out of the reading group?

The issue isn't "Kid was treated unfairly by mean parent in minor hockey" it was "Girl forced off team cause she was a girl"

Those two issues are dramatically different.

 

[HockeyH3aven]

How was she "forced"? It was her decision to leave, if she wanted to stay, she stays. Thread title is misleading and this really isn't even a topic worth discussing. It's a personal matter between some parents and their kids.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Mr. Atis needs a good kick in the teeth.

That it's a young lady that was singled out and not a young boy is a non-issue. These are 12-year-old kids, and you're drafting letters suggesting they limit their ice time because they're not good enough? In one of the lowest levels of hockey, period?

The guy should be ashamed of himself. At that level of play, it's all about having fun, teamwork and sportsmanship. What a freaking knob.

 

[4thTierSport]

I despise parents getting in fights and think anyone that does engage in those activities should have their child removed from teams. All that being said, this guy needs to be taken out back of the rink and beat to a pulp and then have his kid kicked off the team. Go play AA or AAA and lets see how he reacts when his kid is targeted…

 

[K1984]

Although the actions of the parent are despicable, isn't there a time when girls should play in their own league? When you get north of 12 years old it isn't right that they are hanging around the dressing room, and most if the time, they are amongst the worst players on the team and become subject to this kind of BS.

Unless the girl is the next Haley Wickenheiser, why not make it easy on yourself and play on a girls team?

 

[hatterson]

How was she "forced"? It was her decision to leave, if she wanted to stay, she stays. Thread title is misleading and this really isn't even a topic worth discussing. It's a personal matter between some parents and their kids.

That was the point I was trying to make.

The reason there's a news article about this is because she's a girl, not because of the situation she's involved in.

 

[hatterson]

Although the actions of the parent are despicable, isn't there a time when girls should play in their own league? When you get north of 12 years old it isn't right that they are hanging around the dressing room, and most if the time, they are amongst the worst players on the team and become subject to this kind of BS.

Unless the girl is the next Haley Wickenheiser, why not make it easy on yourself and play on a girls team?

As far as I'm concerned, if the girl is talented enough she should be allowed to play on whatever team wants her, "boys" team or not.

Make the appropriate accommodations for dressing rooms to avoid inappropriateness and get on with playing hockey.