USA Hockey readily accepts 4-year-olds, but that doesn’t mean every 4-year-old is ready for hockey. As parents sign up their players for next year, they need to make decisions about younger siblings. Get them going or wait another year? A look at some hard numbers may help you make the decision.
70% of 4-year-olds Quit After 1 Year
“Our take is this: The numbers tell us there’s a very good chance that if you start at age 4, there’s a very good chance he won’t come back,” says Joe Doyle, a USA Hockey Manager for the American Development Model in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Districts plus Montana and Wyoming. In Colorado, for example, only 22.3% of 4-year-olds returned for the next year — that means nearly 4 out of 5 dropped out after only one year. And we’re talking about the fittest state in the country with a capitol city that lives and breathes sports.
National averages from the 2008–2009 season break down as follows:
- 32.0% of all 4-year-olds returned as 5-year-olds
- 52.5% of all 5-year-olds returned as 6-year-olds
- 67.8% of all 6-year-olds returned as 7-year-olds
- 76.2% of all 7-year-olds returned as 8-year-olds
- 83.8% of all 8-year-olds returned as 9-year-olds
In these statistics, the 4-year-olds are all first-year players. The statistics on the 5- to 8-year-olds are for players with mixed years of experience. So while you’re not exactly comparing apples to apples, it’s clear that 4-year-olds are significantly less likely to stick with hockey than 5-year-olds.
A 100% Learned Sport
Unlike other sports, athleticism will only get you so far in a sport that requires you to balance on a blade. “At 4, they’ve only been walking for a few years,” Doyle reminds us. “So with a sport that is so difficult, it’s easy to get discouraged.” And learning this sport requires a lot of time and attention, two things a 4-year-old may not have to spare. Short attention spans mixed with small bladders do not make for a good practice — for coaches, parents or kids.
You Know Your Kid
Despite the statistics, Doyle emphasizes that “nobody knows your kid better than you.” I know a 4-year-old seemingly born to play hockey. His dad was in the juniors when we met the kid. (Yes, his father was that young.) He could not only pad himself up and pay attention through practice, but he could skate, control the puck and even shoot. I don’t think he’ll quit. And I know a 7-year-old whose parents have to wrestle him into his pads so he can hit the ice (literally) and have a meltdown. The love for hockey he proclaims loudly in the locker room is clearly in the abstract.
You need to decide what’s best for your kid—and not base the decision on the accuracy of his shot in kitchen hockey. It’s not just “Can she skate and stickhandle,” but also “Is she willing to go to practice, put on the gear, pay attention for an hour and not get tired or frustrated?” Few 4-year-olds can. Having an older sibling in hockey seems to help, but is no guarantee.
The Middle Road
This is not an all-or-nothing decision. You can put a 4-year-old on the road to becoming a hockey player without the time and money commitment of a team. Just get him skating. Get used to the skates and the skating, then ease up to the pads, stick and puck. “Take a learn-to-skate program for ice hockey, for a year or even a few months, and then start hockey midseason if you can or next year,” advises Doyle.
Have siblings work together at public skating sessions or stick-and-puck sessions. If they fight too much, enlist your older child’s teammates to cut the sibling issues.
An Early Edge
Kids who’ve been skating longer may skate better, Doyle acknowledges, but he maintains that the difference will even out as he matures. “If we have a long-term vision for our kids, and make sure they enjoy playing and look forward to playing, our retention rate will go through the roof,” he insists.
Once you make the decision on hockey you can direct your angst to a topic that really matters. When to start kindergarten!
Editor’s Note: Thank you to Kelly Kordes Anton and Joe Doyle for this article. For more information about USA Hockey and the American Development model, click here.
Sports Founders
Wow! That percentage amazes me because on our hockey team here in Pueblo, Co., the majority of players began around 3 to 4 years of age, and still play together at 6 and 7 years old. These kids just can't get enough hockey. They were upset when the season was over. I think it totally depends on the kids and what the parents are willing to commit to. Some parents put kids in hockey not knowing what all comes with it, and this past year the economy was not all that great, so sports took a top shelf to other priorities with many families.