Tournament Time!

Time to start packing, you’re tourney bound!

Tournaments although both super fun, and stressful with all the logistics at the same time will happen – it is all part of what we signed up for! I would say on average between both children we have 8-10 tournaments a season. Some local where no stay is required and some where the driving seems it will never end!

In case you didn’t already know kids LOVE these weekends, and everything that goes along with it. The pool time (just don’t sit too close or you’ll be cannon-balled), Manhunt in the hotel hallways (every hotel’s dream), hallway mini stick game (also every hotel’s dream), parents playing Euchre in the hospitality suite, snack sharing by everyone, trip to the local grocery store for fruit trays and chocolate milk, the lunch reservation at the local restaurant for 58! The rounding up the kids at 9 pm for curfew, the airing of equipment inside your tiny hotel room (gross!), the packing of your toaster, skillet etc to try to cut costs down (aren’t we all paying enough already?!). The daily visit from the hotel security guard to keep the noise down (hello, this is a hockey team and its only 7 pm!). The tournament tables set up at the rink with socks, hockey cards, light up toys, remote control cars etc and the constant “can I have money” from your little one, the checking the tournament website trying to follow all the games and figuring out the point system for “if we made it or not” to Sunday, and the long, over tired car ride back home, but not before stopping for some greasy food from McDonalds or Burger King!

Making it to Sunday is always the GOAL, but any tournament weekend whether your team went 5 – 0, or 0-5 is a GREAT weekend for everyone involved! Come on admit, even yourself the parent had a great time! Who doesn’t like icy cold “bevies” and pizza?!  Now, where’s my pillow, I need to recover from my daughter’s tournament in which we got home only 18 hours ago!

Here is my recommended “Tournament Must Haves” for the packing list:

Playing cards (did someone say Euchre)

Toaster

Skillet – (breakfast for everyone!)

Crock Pot (dinner cooking while gone)

Element (for our pre-game pasta!)

Plates / cutlery (they won’t come in your room)

Dish soap (see above)

Flip flops / slippers (do you want to wear your winter boots to the pool area?)

Tablets / phone & their chargers!

Cash (easier to keep track of than plastic)

Gloves / hat / scarf / snowpants (you never know where you will end up as a team event)

Advil (this is for mom and dad after the 4 am bedtime 😊)

Children’s advil

Bathing suit for the kids (the most obvious, but twice I have had to go to Costco!)

Chips (like bags & bags… I recommend Ketchup!)

Apples

Protein bars

Camera

Alcohol (we are goalie moms after all!)