July 18, 2024

The Ride To The Rink - How To Tackle Unexpected Changes

Show Notes
Transcript

Welcome back to another exciting edition of “The Ride To The Rink!” Today, host Lee Elias dives into a significant change coming to youth hockey players: the mandatory use of neck guards starting August 1, 2024. Whether you’re new to neck guards or have been wearing them for years, this episode offers valuable insights on how to adapt to new regulations and unexpected changes both on and off the ice. Lee emphasizes that it’s not the equipment that defines a player, but the player’s mindset and adaptability. Tune in for inspiring advice on embracing discomfort, building mental toughness, and thriving through any challenge that comes your way.

Key Takeaways:

1.Embrace Change: Understand the importance of adapting to new rules, like the mandatory neck guards, and how it can make you a stronger player.

2.Mental Toughness: Learn how top athletes thrive regardless of their equipment and how you can develop this resilience.

3.Team Commitment: Commit to changes as a team and support each other through transitions.

4.Overcoming Superstitions: Avoid letting superstitions become a crutch and focus on giving your best effort regardless of circumstances.

5.Life Skills: Discover how facing challenges in hockey can prepare you for overcoming obstacles in life and school.

Have you had to adapt to wearing a neck guard or any other unexpected changes in your hockey journey? Share your experiences and tips with us on social media using #RideToTheRink!

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Hello hockey skaters and goalies around the world, and welcome back to another edition of the ride to the rink.

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It's Lee with you today and we're talking about something that's coming to change for all of you.

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As many of you know, on August 1st 2024 no matter when you're listening to this this will still apply 1st 2024.

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No matter when you're listening to this, this will still apply.

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All hockey players, all youth hockey players, are being mandated to wear neck guards, and I've heard a lot of feedback from a lot of different people on this.

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A lot of people are accepting and understanding.

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Many of you have been wearing neck guards throughout your youth hockey journey, but every once in a while, I'll encounter someone that maybe hasn't done it, maybe is a little older, and this change is annoying to them, or it's affecting them, or I'll hear them say something I've never wore a neck guard before.

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It's going to get me off my game, and that's what I want to talk about today is larger changes that may or may not happen throughout your hockey career or life in general.

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That will be uncomfortable and I'm going to tell you a few things about being uncomfortable.

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You are not defined by the equipment.

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You wear the stick, you use the helmet, you have the gloves you have.

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That's not what makes you the hockey player.

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You are the equipment, while it does have some effect on how you play, doesn't make the player.

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You make the equipment.

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You make the stick great, you make the glove great.

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And what I have found in the top-level athletes while they do have their preferences, you can hand them any stick, any gloves, any Jersey, anything.

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They're going to be great with that or they're going to find a way to be great with that.

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And I want you to take the challenge not just with neck guards this season, but with any changes that may come to you unexpectedly to say, no matter what this is, no matter what's making me uncomfortable, I'm going to find a way through it and I'm going to become the best player I can be with that.

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Don't get caught up on things.

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They're going to get you off your game mentally.

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Your mind must be strong enough to break through that stuff and get you to a point where you can perform and execute in the game, in life, in school, no matter what.

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It's easy to say I don't have the things that I usually have and that's what's going to make things easier for me.

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Now again, I'm not saying you should go, look for situations that are uncomfortable.

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I'm saying that uncomfortable situations are naturally going to find you throughout the course of your hockey playing years, your school years and your life.

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It could be in the form of injury, broken stick we talked about at the beginning, or neck guards for everybody in the game.

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Commit to the neck guard.

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Connect to it as a team.

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Commit to facing the unknown as a group, as individuals.

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Commit that you can overcome the unexpected changes in your life Because at the end of the day, my friends, it is not what happens to you that makes you who you are.

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It's how you respond to what's happening to you that makes you who you are.

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It's how you get up and show everybody your character, your desire, your passion and what you want.

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When bad or good things happen to you, it's up to you to make that distinction.

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But once again I want to reiterate the equipment, the stick, does not make a great player.

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A great player makes the stick, makes the gloves, makes the jersey, makes the number.

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So if you're one of those people out there with a superstition and I'm not going to tell you not to have them I don't agree with them, but I'm not going to tell you not to have them.

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I am going to tell you, though do not allow that superstition to become a crutch for your output, for your play, for the type of person you are Be great all the time.

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Commit to that mentally.

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I'm going to be great all the time, no matter what I'm using, what I'm wearing.

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No one's going to stop me from giving my best effort.

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No one's going to stop me from putting it all out there.

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And hey look, if you have a different stick and it's not performing the way you want it to perform, as long as you've given everything you have, that is all you can do, and that's what I want you to focus on, what you control.

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So, again, whether it's the neck guard or something else, unexpected challenges are going to come across you in your life, in your hockey playing.

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In all of it, you have to be mentally strong enough to overcome those changes, to take them head on, to not ignore them and to make the best out of it, Because that's something you can do, and that is a skill that the highest level players have.

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That is a skill that highest level people have.

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You can start developing that now.

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Above all know this that I believe in you with those changes, and you should too, as you push forward on your hockey journey, on your school journey, on your life journey.

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It's all the same journey at the end of the day.

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But that's it, my friends.

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Find those challenges, take them on, get good at taking on those challenges, because it's practice for everything coming towards you in the future.

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But remember to be present right now and enjoy every second of everything that you're doing.

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Remember I believe in you.

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Once again, you should too.

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We'll see you on the next Ride to the Rink.

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Take care everybody.

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Have fun out there.

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Remember, skate on.