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economist sunsuntribune sports saturday sept 9 2006 19 up for hockey season staff photosteve somerville doug adair helps cassidy phillips try on hockey gear as her twin sister meaghan looks on byjohncudmore staff writer first impressions matter that particularly applies when the person you are trying to impress is five years old and wobbling around the ice on a pair of hockey skates for the first time for families whose initial foray into hockey is just days away those looming trips to the sporting goods store could go a long way to deter mining a childs longrange partici pation the last thing you want to do is turn a child off the game due to a lack of comfort a word to the wise take your budding star to the sporting goods store and take stock in what the experts have to say were a hockey nation so many men and women are knowledge able said gerry ertl owner of all pro source for sports in newmarket but not necessarily on the latest technologies often they go at it from the per spective when they played many people think they can do it them selves because they have played the game and feel they know how it should work most dont outfitting a player at any age properly is like working a jigsaw puz zle the pieces are designed to fit going cheap wont help together and provide maximum protection the truest way to ensure proper fit is to accompany the player to the store equipment has to fit reasonably tight to the body for maximum pro tection mr ertl said if not its a turnoff and dangerous equipment is designed to stay in place and you have to be careful about the comfort level a kid should be able- to go out on the ice and focus on hockey rather than getting hurt education starts with mom and dad who are after all footing the tab most hockey moms and dads dont know much at all when it comes to equipment said ian boyd owner of boyds source for sports in stouffville for the past 22 years they dont know how it fits kelley phillips of aurora wont dispute that notion for me the ability of young ones to move with all that equipment on is a concern said the mother of five- yearold twin girls meaghan and cassidy who were sizing up gear recently at rec cycle n sports in aurora in preparation for their first season of hockey what i dont understand is how it fits and feels i dont want to be responsible for that kelley and husband paul phillips are no rookies when it- comes to equipment shopping for their chil dren older brother zack 8 went through the process a few years ago you know how it fits on yourself but its hard to say on someone elses body paul phillips said were also trying to manage growth and get them through the season thanks to velcro many pieces of equipment skates excluded are adjustable and have a longer life expectancy for any shopper the first priority is to establish a budget most retailers agree 250 to 400 will buy a reasonable set of gear including skates suitable for most entry level players you have to educate people on the cost and reaffirm that equip ment will fit said doug adair owner of rec cycle but people especially nonplayers are wise to educate themselves in the offsea son you should take a cautious approach when jt comes to pre packed mixandmatch sets for the simple reason not all body parts grow at the same rate he said some retailers provide a person alized mixandmatch starter pack age and a halfback exchange for items purchased in the store equipment costs might startle new hockey parents accustomed to the relative low expense in outfitting a child for summer sports such as soccer or baseball but it is wise to keep in mind the value of quality equipment so it is wise to create a budget its important to have a strong foundation and that starts with skates one novice error is to purchase skates the child can grow into over time it may seem like saving money at the time but learning to skate in illfitting blades is a turnoff equipment tips savings versus comfort look for fit and comfort over saving a few dollars in the long fun it will probably enhance your childs enjoyment of the game and the dol lar difference will likely be negligible as with most things you get what you pay for fitting try to take your player to the store for afitting shop on your time you can get more personalized attention if you shop dur ing offpeak periods sports stores are usually busiest saturdays so go during the week beware of kits be wary of prepack aged starter sets just because a child wears a medium shin pad doesnt mean his or her head is also a medium best to find a mix- andmatch deal and think head and feet before you set out make sure to set aside a large portion of your budget for skates and helmet these are key for comfort and safety and deserve the most attention if youre buying for two or three years the skates wont fit mr ertl said you can play for one year bat not two or three buying in advance doesnt do any good obviously the no 1 thing is the amount of money you have to spend but at the entry level even for house leagues the most important thing is skates and you should buy the best you can afford also near the top of any list is a helmet used and recycled helmets may pose safety and sanitary issues note helmets along with throatneck protection must have csaapproval stickers before a play er may step on the ice independent retailers pride themselves on personalized and professional service provided by trained sales staff in the case of source for sports for instance there are more than 190 stores across canada linked as a buying group and comprising the third largest hockey supplier in canada boyd said for the consumer that means prices are more in line with chain stores competing for the equipment dollar but with added service the most flattering part is when a parent walks into the store and says fit my child mr boyd said ifs critical to wear the proper level of equipment for the level a child is playing here for opinions i demand an apology it has come to my attention that the follow- cash would go a long way to making me feel bet ing groups are seeking redress in the form of an ten you see when my family first moved to apology and cash from our government for canada about 50 years or so ago from holland i various heinous acts was teased about my inability to speak english well i want my apology too and a little my funny clothes and strange sandwiches these dreadful wrongs were committed by canadians so pay up mr harper or ill come to ottawa and vof kipinn 0 pnm stomp a11 over vou mv wooden shoes it clicks home for the rest of the story visit blogs on yorkregioncom read john slykhuis in the right in our blogs section