Girls: A Thousand Paper Cuts

Whether it is the growing co-ops or the exodus of players to year-round AAA or the creation of WAHA U-19 teams to replace WIAA teams, this slow bleeding is threatening WIAA girl’s hockey. It is fueled by lack of knowledge, selfishness, the lure of winning, the promise of exposure and indifference to the greater good of girl’s hockey in Wisconsin.

The co-op crisis is largely driven by the open enrollment option and the unwillingness of successful co-ops to end their reign. Wisconsin Selects General Manager Mike Cowan believes we need more self-sacrifice. “I applaud the Beaver Dam youth program that has developed its own girls’ program—has taken its lumps but is improving,” said Cowan. The high school Beavers just executed a major upset of the 5th ranked and previously undefeated Lakeshore Lightning.

With virtual schooling now readily available, your child can play anywhere if you are willing to drive them to practice. These decisions are most often fueled by the need to be a part of a winning program. Like a drug, winning at the hands of some coaches becomes an indefensible end to any means to get there. Parents are quick to excuse their athletes from programs not seen as state tournament contenders. Like the college transfer portal, it is seen as “the grass is always greener” solution to anything that falls short of unrealized goals in the current program.

WAHA Girl’s and Women’s Director, Robin Bilsborough believes there needs to be more, “Investment by players and parents into a (growth) team mindset and not an individual player experience mindset.

Growing pains are a real thing, but too few people want to look at the long-term improvement over the short-term struggle.” She is right, but convincing people that the greater good is more important and that WIAA hockey is a proven road to the next level, is an unwinnable argument with some parents.

Better Competition

It is a catch-22 because those that leave often cite “better competition,” yet their leaving is contributing heavily to that very issue. Frustrating to hear that argument from parents who are unwilling to help find ways to support and improve their local programs. I won’t spend time here comparing which route moves more players to the “next level,” because the truth is found most often in the make-up of the player and not the pathway.

Digging into the girls’ numbers, the twenty-seven teams have an average of twenty-seven players (up 4 from a season ago) on their rosters. Fourteen teams list twenty-nine or more players. Six teams have rosters under twenty. The Junior Admirals (U-16), Capitals (U-16 and 19) and Badger City U-19 teams siphon approximately eighty players from the potential WIAA pool. That calculates to about ten percent of the eligible players. A significant loss to the WIAA programs.

“I don’t know if there is an answer,” reflected Cowan. “We live in a democracy where families can choose where to send their kids for their education. The answer is increasing the numbers of participants.”

The world-wide consensus development model puts an unquestionable value on practice. There is no qualified expert that will tell you playing sixty or seventy games is a solid development strategy for high school or younger players. Practice ratios are vital and virtually impossible to obtain when that many games are played. Needed revenue is one of the driving forces behind junior teams playing so many games, but with their extended seasons they will often hit the key practice ratios. In fact, most WIAA teams will struggle to meet the recommended 3:1 practice to game ratio. More games are the carrot dangled in front of players and parents, but from a developmental perspective it is a false reward.

Those who profit from these programs must beat their own drum to stay in business. And very similar to the allure winning holds over us, when AAA coaches come calling most parents cannot resist the impending and intoxicating sales pitch. The grass may be greener, but a plow horse will never be a racehorse, no matter what you feed them. And society quite honestly needs more plow horses than racehorses. Cowan, who has been involved in every aspect of Wisconsin hockey for the past seventy plus years seems to agree. “Parents need to recognize that playing a high school sport is an accomplishment,” said the Hall of Famer. “It’s the highest level of competition for most of them in any sport. Going on the play college level is a bonus, achievable by some, but not for everyone.”

Small Town Blues

Small programs see no realistic path to the state tournament as they face-off against massive co-op programs. They see the only solution as combining with other smaller programs. Hudson Head Coach Matt Szypura believes, “Co-ops are stunting the growth of girl’s hockey.” Eight of the last nine state champions have all been “large” co-ops, with combined enrollments of over 4,000. Like the boys prior to the move to two divisions, the trend is favoring the continued growth of large co-ops.

I am the last person that would advocate for the WIAA to be more involved in hockey, but something needs to be done regarding the growth and intentional deception of the large co-op programs. Two divisions are the kryptonite that will change the current co-op obsession. Unfortunately, the WIAA has too many built in excuses to entertain two divisions in girls’ hockey right now. When asked about two divisions for girls, Shafranski regurgitated, “Consideration can be given by WIAA membership schools to multiple divisional play for WIAA Girls' High School hockey if this is recommended by the Girls' High School Hockey Coaches. Keep in mind, currently, there is only one stand-alone program remaining and a total of twenty-seven teams in WIAA Girls' Ice Hockey.”

Enjoy your retirement, Tom.

Hudson is indeed the only stand-alone team. Hats off to Hudson youth hockey for building a solid foundation underneath their high school program. Medford, a town of just 4,406 residents, is just a two-team co-op with Rib Lake. The Raiders, against all odds continue to put a team on the ice without expanding to bring in other schools. Viroqua (population 4,437) is in a similar small-town situation. Eagle River (population 1,617) decided to merge with the former Northern Edge program to keep that boat afloat and has a healthy twenty-four player roster. Hayward, with 2,584 residents, has grown into the northwestern girl’s hub with eight schools in their co-op. With twenty Hayward students they could go it alone, but the geographic group of Barron, Spooner, Cumberland and Rice Lake only has ten players, leaving six from Ashland and Park Falls. There lie the unique challenges facing most co-ops.

The boys clearly have a significant head start on the girls, but population isn’t an accurate indicator of success. New Richmond, at just over 10,000 has moved into Division I because of their massive success. And Tomahawk, at 3,385 has defeated five Division I teams already this season.

The idea that we can somehow make everything equitable is indeed a daydream itself. There will always be favorites and always be underdogs. And there will always be well run character driven programs and win at all costs disasters. Great programs are built by strong leaders and a culture driven by a set of uncompromised standards. There is no way to create absolute parity and we should stop trying to make that a priority. Sports, like life, aren’t always fair.

What you get in both is what you earn.

Dan Bauer is a free-lance writer, retired teacher & hockey coach in Wausau, WI. You can contact him at drbauer13@gmail.com.