Building Christ-like individuals
- posted: 26 Feb. 2008
- scrollsports@byui.edu
Hockey has somewhat of a bad reputation in the world of sports. According to an article on www.dukesportsmedicine.org, many exercise physiologists agree that hockey is one of the most grueling of all sports.
That reputation worsens outside of the sports world. Amy Moffitt, a sophomore studying sociology, said she thinks of “guys in big pads beating each other up” when she thinks about the sport.
At BYU-Idaho, hockey still has guys in big pads, only no one is getting beat up.
In BYU-I’s hockey league checking is prohibited, as are slap shots where the stick is brought above waist level when winding up. While the rules differ from normal collegiate regulations, they aren’t the biggest difference.
“You hear a lot of players asking their opponents if they are OK if they bump into each other and fall over,” said Jeremy Butler, a senior studying applied management.
Butler, a longtime participant in the league and its current coordinator, said there has always been a spirit of brotherhood and camaraderie among the players and their coaches. He likened the teams to families and the league to a family of its own in a broader sense.
Butler said the coaches play a big part in maintaining and fostering the spirit of brotherhood among their players and the teams. Last semester they met in several coaches’ councils where a large portion of the time was spent determining the direction they wanted to take the league.
“Finally we decided to make a mission statement that was simple and powerful,” Butler said.
That statement was “Building Christ-like individuals.” The coaches chose to focus on helping each player progress and become better — not only in hockey, but also in their lives.
“That’s what we’re here for in this league,” said Eric Boggess, a sophomore studying biology. “To build up the kingdom of God by building up the value of individuals.”
In addition to developing relationships with the players on their teams and encouraging them in their efforts on and off the ice, the coaches often read talks with their teams. During weekly coaches’ meetings they go back to the mission statement and review how they’re doing in fulfilling that statement.
“Our goal in the beginning was to develop unity,” said Aaron Beier, a senior studying construction management.
Some might say the unity is apparent as the coaches hear players from both teams encouraging and cheering on their opposition. 
