Age rules for girls playing boys hockey

Question
My daughter plays on a boys Pee Wee Travel team. She has an October, 1998 birthday.  She wants to continue with boys hockey but is unsure about moving up to the Bantam level next season. Can girls play down a year on a boys travel hockey team or do they need to follow the same age requirements as boys?

Answer
Darlene,

This is really going to depend on your association and what their policies are.  USA Hockey only provide the affiliates across the country is a sets of standards and then depending on the association with your state will add more to that standard.

Now, according to USA Hockey, girls that fall into the Bantam age category, can still play down at the Peewee level.  Now again, this also depends on you association and their policies.  Example:  If you daughter plays travel and she wants to stay down one year, I am not sure that she can play her second year within the Peewee category.  

Your association might have a rule that requires her to move up into Bantam within her second year.  But here is what you would have to do. Call registrar of your state.  She will tell you the basic policy from USA Hockey.  Then while you are on the phone, asker if she know of any restrictions within your own association, trust me she fill know.

Now, if she was my daughter, I would keep her one more year in the Peewee level and then move her up to bantam.  Now, is the time when both you are your husband will want to make a decision on where she goes from there (Bantam).

Please keep in mind that each NCAA school that has Men's Hockey, also MUST have a Women's hockey teams as well due to Title 9.  The only sad part is, which is good for you, is that there are not a whole lot of "Good" girls out there playing hockey.  They get kind of weeded out at the Bantam age level due to physical contact.

But, by keeping her down one more year will allow her to increase in size.  So when she hits that second year Bantam age requirement, she will be big enough to handle those guys that want to show her that they are...MEN!  It's a testosterone thing and god forbid that why would I even have to step on the ice with a girl...ooh!  They are just afraid that she will make them look bad and then his friends will say..."you got beaten by a Girl!"  That's how girls get hurt because of the male ego and the last thing a boy wants to here from is friends is that he got beaten, because then, that would put him into a category of being a...well, you know where I am going with this.


But because there are so few girls playing in the sport, some NCAA teams have problems getting "Good" girls to play for their University.  There are just not enough girls to fill all of those billets.  So, if she stays health through High School, she has a great future with an NCAA College.

Now, I have a friend that I could contact to see if we can lay down some type plan or road map to get her there.  But before I go and do this, her grades will have to be good enough for her to submit her application and be accepted and the family must be committed to the end result.
Fell free to write me on my personal email.

I hope this help answer some of your questions.
Rob Lopez - CEO
Pass the Puck, Inc.
www.passthepuck.net