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April 08, 2016 - 7:30 AM
Editor,
I read the story that you and many others in your profession have run concerning the action of some adults that just happened to be at a children’s hockey game in Osoyoos.
I have to ask the question as to why this has become a hockey headline?
For many years I have witnessed adults in society act in this fashion at bars, restaurants, beer gardens, weddings and in their own homes. These are all areas that give them access to alcohol and other substances as part of the social atmosphere.
Minor hockey and the thousands of volunteers who run it do quite the opposite. We promote teamwork, discipline, goal setting, hard work and fitness. The large majority of our participants form life long friendships that provide them with networks that support their development as students, employment opportunities and as valuable citizens.
The headlines that label them as “hockey parents” distort this reality. These adults might be parents of minor hockey players but their actions in these situations are their own.
I have watched this game have many positive effects on its participants and we must protect that from the few whose actions shed a cloud as this incident does.
There are hundreds of stories that show the good that this sport creates and what majority of its participants and supporters stand for and promote. I simply ask that the media consider that when they report the actions of a few bystanders.
Thank you,
Chuck Gallacher
President
Okanagan Mainline Hockey Association
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