Waterloo parents reject AAA merger

A vote by Waterloo parents put the kibosh on a plan to unite elite AAA bantam and midget hockey in the Twin Cities, according to the Waterloo Region Record.
The plan was to reduce the number of AAA players and place teams until the tutelage of the Major Junior Kitchener Rangers. It was a brilliant and forward-thinking way to focus on developing the most skilled athletes at an earlier age and give K-W a reasonable chance to play with the big boys of Southern Ontario minor hockey - Toronto, London Junior Knights and Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs.
Alas, most Waterloo parents elected for have more "AAA" spots available for local kids and, quite understandably, the community pride of fielding totally local AAA teams.
Truth is, just because a player is given a spot on an AAA team doesn't mean he is truly AAA calibre.
And a merger like this one doesn't mean kids are drummed out of hockey. Cities of Waterloo's size have the right level of hockey for everyone.
The original decision of the Waterloo minor hockey board was the correct one. AAA players at the bantam and midget level should be aiming for Jr. B, provincial A or Major Junior hockey by the time they are 16. The proposed, and now rejected, reorganization in K-W would've helped them get there.

K-W merger miffs London Knight

Count London Knight Michael Moffat, a product of the Waterloo Wolves AAA system, as an opponent of the merger between Kitchener and Waterloo AAA teams. He calls it one of the best rivalries going - the best kid hockey players from neighbouring cities playing against each other.
Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press caught up with Moffat recently. One wonders how, in his AAA days, Moffat might've enjoyed playing on amalgamated teams that could have challenged the best in Ontario, not just bragging rights in the Twin Cities.
Once the new system gets rolling, people will settle in and embrace it as the best thing since sliced bread.
People in London know all about hockey organizations which once thought they were bitter rivals coming together to form teams, albeit at lower levels than AAA. Hockey families from London Minor Hockey Association in the city's east end and the South London Flyers were brought together to form competitive teams under the South-Southeast Wild moniker. Before that, the entire Southeast Bruins organization was folded into the Flyers.
As for the rivalry between Kitchener and Waterloo, that will continue at lower categories of minor hockey and between high schools.
And least until Kitchener, Waterloo and neighbouring Cambridge finally get around to amalgamating their municipalities. The AAA minor hockey merger is just a warm-up act for that.

Waterloo OK's AAA merger with Kitchener

This is a brave move by Waterloo minor hockey - an AA merger with neighbouring city Kitchener has been approved, according to radio station 570 News.
It means fewer elite spots for kids in K-W, but also means stronger teams. That should put the Twin Cities on the same level as the London Jr. Knights, Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs and Toronto teams.
Hockey parents need to realistic. Just because your son is occupying a spot on an team labelled AAA doesn't mean he's an elite player.
Some may argue that spots in AAA should be occupied by teens and pre-teens who have realistic athletic skills, desire and interest to shoot for Major Junior or Jr. B.
Of course, that begs the question why there are AAA major midget teams.

AAA debate continues in K-W

Interesting that the argument against amalgamating the elite AAA minor hockey programs in Kitchener and Waterloo seems to coming mostly from Waterloo parents.
The Waterloo Region Record reports here that petitions are in the works and a member-wide vote is being demanded over the plan that would see the number of AAA teams reduced so that the new, amalgamated K-W teams could better compete with Ontario's best teams from London, Elgin-Middlesex and Toronto.
To me, the plan seems like a good one. Could it be ego, a sense of community pride or a desire not to mix with Kitchener kids that's motivating Waterloo parents to object?
Let's hope it's community pride.

Blackball fears in Waterloo

Will kids blackballed if their parents speak up in opposition to the merger of elite AAA teams in Kitchener and Waterloo?
That's one of the fears according to a story in the Waterloo Region Record.
The merger plan, which would see the Major Junior Kitchener Rangers play a major role in minor hockey, has enraged parents in Waterloo, but there seems to be little feedback from Kitchener.
Is the merger plan a good idea? Maybe, if winning is the goal.
We'll wait and see if the plan becomes a reality.