Recently I saw a post on the Junior Hockey Discussion Group regarding Host Families and billet meals. The moderator/creator of the Group was calling on its 10.7k members to actively call out and encouraged players and parents to post images of meals prepared by host families.
This behavior made me sick to my stomach.
Here is one of the posts…
I thought of my parents, my family and my kids, and the wonderful people who open their doors to our athletes each season. These people do it for the right reasons, supporting and encouraging these young men from all over the world, oftentimes going above and beyond for these athletes.
There was no encouragement to post about Airport pickups, driving to practices or games, and cleaning of rooms. There was no posts about Host Families getting their walls damaged or broken washing machines. Or a host dad having to wait to use his own bathroom. No posts about the host families going above and beyond for athletes to try to help them reach their goals.
Instead this “Advisor” and this group wanted more Meals posted…
All over $600 a month.
$600 a month.
Thats $20.00 a day.
Here is the USA Hockey Junior Rulebook- Junior Hockey Player Rights and Responsibilities (usahockey.com)
A host family is required to provide two meals a day (on $20) with no leasing or binding agreement for the player to stay in that home. If they damage something… thats not on the player to repair or replace. Its on the host family.
Player leaves the lights on all night or turns the heat up to make his room a sweatbox? Oh well… host family has to try have that $20.00 a day stretch out to cover it.
I never have high ambitions for “Advisors” to do the right thing. Yet, illuminating a not-so- appetizing meal provided by a person who is actually opening their home and cooking for someone else’s child, is a new low.
Host Families oftentimes have kids of their own. Work and Jobs. After school sports and activities for their own kids. Parents, friends and relatives to visit. Clubs, groups and churches they attend. Much as in my own home, some meals we put together are fantastic… others, well, they are not as good. That is life.
Host Families, for very little money, open their homes, inviting kids into their residences who they do not fully know. In many cases the Host Family needs a USA hockey number, a background check, and Safesport clearance, consuming even more time to complete these processes. They run the risk of having this person they do not know (the athlete) monopolize a large portion of their time and resources, with little or no protections for their own investment (their own home).
Host Families are great people. To even consider this endeavor, you have to be a special person.
999/1000 these people are salt of the earth, wonderful humans to take great pride in seeing young hockey players have success.
Lets triumph these people instead of cutting them down over a less-than-spectacular meal. A meal that we have no real idea what circumstances this meal was put together under. Maybe they stayed late at work. Maybe it was after their kids own hockey game or practice. Maybe the picture was completely fake and the kid (the player) is just jockeying to be moved to another team or family.
Either way… as a society of supportive hockey people lets be better.
And if I haven’t said it already… THANK YOU TO ALL HOST FAMILIES.
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 “The Hockey Planner” click here- 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
