As a curious observer, I’ve always found it fascinating to watch how athletic development unfolds in young children on playgrounds and athletic fields. Why are some children naturally fast? Why do some seem exceptionally coordinated? Why do others appear to learn movement almost effortlessly? The easy answer is usually: “Look at their parents.” Or simply, […]
Tag Archives: Grit Science
Why Small Intentional Decisions Matter. We’ve all been there. A tournament 45 minutes outside a third-tier city. Three-star hotel. Rink. Lobby. Repeat. Vacation days disappearing faster than expected. The parent playdate goes a little too long. The next morning…the idea of the gym, reading, or anything beyond breathing and blinking feels like a stretch. A […]
In a world of constant comparison, identity is under pressure, and grit is what holds it together. We’ve all heard it: “Kids these days aren’t built like we were.” And honestly… that’s true. But not for the reason people think. It’s not that kids are softer. It’s that they’re growing up in a completely different […]
As participants in the hockey community, there are moments where we, as coaches, observe parental behavior and try to reconcile it with our own sense of reality. This week felt like a live experiment. Daryl Jones — a.k.a. Jonesy, a.k.a. the real most interesting man in the world, a.k.a. The Gold Coast’s Most Eligible Bachelor […]
Every season we try to anchor our team with a theme—something that captures how we want to play and who we want to be. A few years ago, that word was grit. It fit the game perfectly. Hockey is a little grimy. A little chaotic. It rewards the player who keeps going when things aren’t […]
A lighthearted guide to surviving hockey tryout season If anxious energy could be measured with a thermometer, Fairfield County would be in the middle of a heat wave. It’s hockey tryout season. The nervous chatter. The heightened gossip. The speculative “I heard they’re taking six forwards from the A team…” All hallmarks of tryout uncertainty. […]
CONNECTICUT HOCKEY PARENTS: READ THIS CAREFULLY This isn’t about coaches. This isn’t about ice time. This isn’t about practice plans. This is about us. The Hard Truth On a per‑capita basis, Connecticut — along with New York and New Jersey — produces far fewer high‑level hockey players than comparable regions. That includes: NCAA Division I […]
What the Data (and the Kids) Are Telling Us One of the perks of being a hockey geek who actually tracks what happens on the ice is that you get to move past opinions and look at reality. Numbers don’t lie, but they also don’t tell the whole story unless you know how to read […]
But… it’s actually kinda funny) Let’s be honest. Two of the dirtiest little secrets in youth hockey: 1️⃣ Mite parents absolutely know the score of every game 2️⃣ Everyone says rankings “don’t matter”… while secretly refreshing them like the stock market When my boys were in Mites, I’d hear legends about managers rearranging schedules like […]
This post is the origin story behind why Grit Kore exists. For the current free program, resources, and how to join, visit the Grit Kore Project page. In today’s high-pressure youth sports environment, mental toughness and emotional resilience are often left behind in the race for rankings, trophies, and scholarships. But what if we could […]
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