From the Desk of Cochrane Minor Hockey
Special to the Eagle
It’s not like Ruth Tuite ever planned to live and breathe hockey. It’s just one of those things.
The mom of two has been a dedicated volunteer for Cochrane Minor Hockey Association (CMHA) for the last five years, signing up faithfully year after year to manage both her kids’ hockey teams.
“I wanted to help out in some capacity … I’ve met some pretty awesome parents along the way,” said Tuite, laughing that by the end of hockey season she is ready for a break, but can’t help but offer up her managerial capabilities by the start of the next.
Like anything in life, practice makes perfect. With five years under her belt, beginning with tourney planning and quickly evolving into team management, Tuite knows a few organizational tasks to keep manager life times two in check.
“I kind of go into the year knowing how much tournaments are going to cost … the other thing is trying to get the other parents involved,” said Tuite, adding that it’s a fine balance between getting enough volunteers involved versus having too many cooks in the kitchen.
“Ruth is an amazing team manager who makes sure her team is organized and has a great season,” said RHL Director Angela Sellwood.
She has been a manager for at least the past 4-5 seasons that I know of. She is always willing to help out when we are needing volunteers. This season she is managing two teams (one as a co-manager) and she took on the role of tournament coordinator for the tournament her team and three others hosted in Morley. Ruth never hesitates to help, always does a fantastic job of anything she takes on, and is always a pleasure to deal with. I hope she continues to volunteer and help ensure the kids have a positive experience for years to come.”
As a manager for her daughter’s Novice team and her son’s RHL Peewee team, Tuite has enjoyed the dichotomy of how each experiences sports.
“With boys it’s all ‘hockey, hockey, hockey’ … it’s all hockey all the time,” she laughed. “Girls – once they’re off the ice it’s painting their nails, what they’re doing that weekend and where they want to go shopping.”
This also feeds into what off-ice activities take place during tourney weekends – with boys setting up mini sticks while girls get their pretty on.
As this season comes to a close, Tuite is already dreaming up special touches for next season.
If you have any nominees for volunteers, please email your thoughts in to [email protected].
