One more week left in July, and then one more weekend in August and all the Tier II camps in the United States will be over. There will be a few opportunities left in Canada but not many.
For those of you who have made Tier II or the USHL, congratulations. For those of you who are attending one or more of the last few camps, good luck.
For the rest of you who do not have a backup plan, if you haven’t hit the panic button yet, you should hit it now.
Lets stop blaming the coaches who missed how great you are. Lets stop blaming the bad players you were forced to play with in camp. Lets stop blaming the bad sharp job or the stick breaking, or your mommy not waking you up early enough.
Time to wake up, and realise that it is you who are responsible for the position you are in and no one else. You either did not perform well, you did not get along with people well enough, had bad body language, or you simply chose the wrong camp to attend. In the end, it is the player and nothing else that determines the outcome of camp season.
If you think you are too good for one of the Canadian leagues, then you need an attitude adjustment. If you think all those Tier III offers you turned down earlier will still be there, then you clearly do not understand the business of hockey.
Ready to hit the panic button yet?
If you think your stats from last season make you special, then you clearly do not understand the process. If your stats made you that special you would have been drafted, tendered or signed.
Opportunity can be created. Opportunity can be offered. Opportunity is nothing more than being invited to perform at your best. Some people take advantage of it, some do not or cannot.
Right about now, I hope some parents and players are starting to think a little. Because in two weeks when all thats left is Canadian Tier II and Tier III, if you don’t have something secured. You are going to be in a very difficult position.
This situation happens every year at this time. And after the first weekend in August, I will get innundated with emails asking for help. Every year, people are angry and frustrated.
Hiring an adviser is not a magic pill.
Your adviser can certainly help. He can certainly put you in a better opportunity. But if you think waiting until you are in an emergency situation before you call an adviser is a good idea, then you probably think waiting until you are broke before looking for a financial planner is a good idea too.
If you are hitting the button, dont wait a few more weeks before seeking help. Get ahead of everyone else who is saying;
“I know the coach really well so I am confident in the next camp”, “I went last year and they really wantr me this year.” or the all famous one, “they just need to see more of me at main camp”.
These sayings are priceless. Teams know where the camp calendar is. They know you are chasing, and they know that these last few camps will be full to maximum capacity.
Indeed, paying another few thousand dollars for the opportunity to travel, stay in a hotel, eat in restaurants, and get cut before the “all star” game makes so much sense, when you could have hired the right adviser and already signed someplace.
Its time to get smart, before everyone else wakes up and it is August 7th and they say “lets hire an adviser”. Maybe you dont like the sarcasm in these statements. Sorry, an adviser isn’t someone who should sugar coat things. A real adviser tells you the truth. Now, where is that panic button?
Joseph Kolodziej – Adviser
