Mom, Dad Take To Road Youth Hockey Is Expensive Endeavor But Well Worth The Considerable Cost

It’s spendy, but worth every considerable penny.

That’s how Mike and Barbara Ritter see their sport.

They’re hockey parents and hockey players whose son, Steve, is a prospect.

Where his talent will take him is unclear, but hockey probably fits somewhere in the Horizon Junior High 14-year-old’s future.

The Ritters were in Whistler, British Columbia, July 7-9 with a rep team, the Eastern Washington Wolves, who won two of their five games.

Not a bad outing in hockey country, where the walls of Meadowpark Sports Centre reflect the nationalistic zeal of most Canadians.

Printed in three lines of block letters on the wall is a message.

Can

Ada

Can

It can be a little imposing to an outsider from the Spokane Valley.

“This is the third year we’ve done it,” said one of the coaches, Mike Bay. “First year we didn’t win a game. Last year we won like three games in two tournaments.”

This time, they won two games, and nearly a third, in a single event - the Whistler International All-Star Tournament.

Ritter, cheered on by his family, had a pair of goals in the Wolves’ first win. After the game he had no trouble relating to his parents.

Mom plays defense in a Friday night women’s rec league at Eagles Ice-A-Rena. Dad grew up with the game and still plays.

“Our whole family skates,” Barbara Ritter said. “The nice thing is the social part. The kids spend all their winters together. It’s well-supervised, they’re with adults and it makes you obsessed.”

How much do you pay for an obsession?

“The main season of rep-level hockey runs about $3,000, because you’re gone every other weekend,” Barbara Ritter said. “Our kids play everywhere, all winter long. And then, to do this summer session, costs the parents another $2,500.”

The team - eight Spokane-area players, three from B.C., two from Wenatchee and two from Tri-Cities - is planning an August trip to Japan.

“The Japanese are picking up a good share of the cost,” Barbara Ritter said. “And this isn’t so bad. It will run about $700.”

Used gear makes the season a little more economical.

“A lot of these kids are in used equipment,” Ritter said. “The used market has really made hockey viable.”

Steve Ritter is a 5-7 forward who dreams of playing with the best.

“He would of course love to continue to play,” Barbara Ritter said. “Realistically we’re looking at college. He’d like to have an opportunity to play in a (NCAA) Division I program but a lot of it depends on how big he gets.

“He has a chance. There are lots of options. He’s strong academically but I don’t know if he would be good enough for Division I. Personally I’d prefer him to start at a Division III school and get a good education.”

And his hockey education?

“He sees the Western Hockey League in his future,” Barbara Ritter said. “I don’t know about me. He’d have to prove to me that he could go to school and do well while he was doing it.

“Professional hockey is his goal but it’s a very long shot for any of these kids. Very few make it but it’s a lifetime sport. You can play at our age. I’m in my late 40s and I play.

“It’s exciting, and a whole culture.”

Steve Ritter grew up with soccer.

“He played Falcons soccer really early but there was no competition when we had to make a choice between hockey and soccer,” Barbara Ritter said. “Hockey is such a fun game.”

Steve Ritter bounced out of the locker room grinning after his team’s 6-2 victory.

“Just trying to have a good time,” he said. “If I can, I’d like to go to college.

“Take it as far as I can.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 color photos