I never heard this phrase in my young life… EVER.
Then I moved to New Hampshire in April 2012, and have heard it more times than I can count. “Well everyone ends up in Mens League anyway.” or this variation, “All roads lead to Beer League”. Nails on a chalkboard.
This phrase didn’t exist in my childhood in Monmouth County, New Jersey, because it was not true. We had countless role models in arts and athletics that inspired young artists and athletes to pursue their dreams with vigor and great passion. We had great mentors and coaches who felt that investing in these ambitions and setting high standards for achievement meant something to your town and community. This belief, that not all roads lead to the same place, is imbedded in my DNA.
I remember my grandfather, Dick Trimble, coming over in the summer of 1987 and talking to my Dad about the kid the New Jersey Devils drafted from Brick High School (located right across the street from the rink we called home, The Ocean Ice Palace). Jim Dowd was heading to Lake Superior State in the fall of 1987, but even then, my grandpa thought he had a real shot to make it. When I started playing Lacrosse, Jim’s brother Mike Dowd, was one of my lacrosse coaches and a teacher at my High School.
In the summers my Dad started to run the summer camps at Ocean Ice Palace and Jim was a fixture. When I was finally old enough to handle it, in 1994 my Dad hired me as a Junior Counselor at these hockey camps, tying the skates for what seemed like hundreds of young players, and pushing around pucks for the coaches on the ice. I loved it… and getting to skate with the other coaches and counselors on Monday nights (including Jim – who had just had his first extended stay in the NHL) was a highlight of my young life. These skates had high school/ prep, college, and some pro players like Jim all competing together.
Then in the spring of 1995 Jim Dowd, did the incredible. In and out of the lineup through parts of the NJ Devils regular season, he finally got a chance in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings. Down by 1 in the 3rd period of Game 2, he got a stick on the puck that ended up in the back of the net for Scott Niedermayer’s tying goal, earning an assist, and with about 2 minutes to go scored the game winner.
Parallel to my experience in sports, my neighborhood had everything. The Vie Brocks, the Pattersons, Todd Gerlach and Bobby Wright over on the other side of the fence, and up the street from them was the Sullivan Family. From backyard man hunt to street hockey games, and whiffle ball, Wyckoff and Minerva Avenue’s in Manasquan were bustling with life. A healthy mix of fun and trouble… summer nights seemed endless.
Lenny and Tim Sullivan were a little different though, as their grandmother had a sister, and her son is Bruce Springsteen.
Hailing from nearby Freehold and maturing through the bars on clubs up and down the Jersey Shore, Bruce, during my childhood was the biggest rock star in the world, and he was one of our own. Still is. He was always a tangible reality to growing up in coastal New Jersey. He made it. He’s from this place.
Somewhere along the line people invested in both Jim Dowd and Bruce Springsteen. They believed in the things that they were doing in their young lives. From picking up a hockey stick, to strumming a guitar, these men gave (and still give) inspiration to thousands and thousands of people from the great state of New Jersey. These are heroes to our towns and communities on the Jersey Shore.
As we enter the 2024-25 school year, I beg from all of us who serve in a mentorship role for young people to Dare them to Dream of something bigger and more meaningful in their lives. To not look at the statistics or probability, or chances that playing this sport or playing this music will lead them to international stardom, but rather look at the benefits of the pursuit of such undertakings. We as leaders of young people have the choice… we can all help these young people attempt the difficult or we can be the water that cools the fire of their spirits.
Every community has some story of someone who “Made It”… or they have a story that is not yet written. It is up to us as leaders to fuel the engines of the stories of the “not yet written”.
Childhood in the 2020’s is not easy. Aside from COVID19 to start the decade and inflation and political unrest, modern upbringing in a digital childhood has real challenges. Kids can become consumed with social media and toxic addictions to their phones. The arts are struggling, and numbers in sports are dwindling in many parts of the country. If a young person is starting a difficult challenge like sports and music (or drawing, painting, writing etc), lets applaud and encourage them to dream of achievement in the highest of possibilities. Let’s cultivate communities where we provide avenues to success, rather than roadblocks. Providing kids with a healthy outlet to chase their dreams has countless emotional and psychological benefits, as it is the pursuit and perseverance through these challenges that best positions them for a life of future success.
In 2024-25 with our program in Laconia, New Hampshire we are BANNING the quote “All roads lead to Men’s League”. Do not say that in our building. It’s blasphemy. We are going to Dare them to Dream, and pursue their goals with the highest of convictions.
By Andrew Trimble
Andrew Trimble is the General Manager and Co- Owner of the New England Wolves Hockey Club. He is also the Owner of Scoring Concepts LLC, a New Hampshire based hockey training company that offers camps, clinics, private lessons and teams. He has coached at all levels from Learn to Skate to College Hockey. For more info on his teams and programs check out- www.scoringconcepts.com or www.ne-wolveshockey.com
To Purchase Andrew Trimble’s New Book on “The Hockey Planner” click on this link- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: Books
