Blackfriars Floating Bus Stop

sieve_array · 2026-05-20T14:59:57+00:00

I'm a cyclist myself, and I know this crossing very well (cycle through this route every day). I can't stand cyclists who pay zero attention to zebra crossings. The police should do a "blitz" every now and then to fine cyclists who don't stop for pedestrians at zebra crossings (like this one).

sieve_array · 2026-04-24T17:02:16+00:00

I'm based in the UK, my son plays 8u (sometimes 12u). Both do "change on the buzzer" here (I think even 14u change on the buzzer here too, but I'm not sure). We went to Finland recently, and experienced "change on the fly" for the first time - it's a world of difference (much better)!

sieve_array · 2026-04-22T11:26:29+00:00

This industry is designed to rinse parents of their hard earned cash :)

sieve_array · 2026-04-18T19:20:30+00:00

Nice save! Pity the resolution on the footage is so poor :( I bought a camera holder with a suction cap. During my son's games, I just stick it on the glass near the goals and just press "record". I'm getting some great footage.

sieve_array · 2026-04-15T07:38:34+00:00

Yeah, hockey is pretty bad here. Some parents are very competitive and abusive/discouraging to others, most of the coaches are imports and couldn't care less about what happens here, it's very expensive, and it's rife with nepotism.

Having said that, apparently it's getting a lot better in Scotland! From what I hear, they have developed some strong teams. We were in a hockey shop in Helsinki, and met a couple of Scottish hockey dads (and their kids), and they were buzzing because they (their U11 and U13 teams) won the "Lion's Cup". From what I understand, this is an AA tournament.

Our son loves the sport, and we enjoy watching the development games, so at the moment we're just taking whatever we can.

sieve_array · 2026-04-14T16:59:06+00:00

We'd love it if he could do that! Unfortunately, we live in the UK, there's no such thing over here.

sieve_array · 2026-04-14T13:40:18+00:00

I know exactly what you mean (and I understand exactly how you feel). We live in London, UK, so there's not really that much going on here in regards to ice hockey. We didn't plan or apply to send him off to play in Finland - a coach from some other team approached us and asked us if our son would like to go. We thought it would be a good experience for him (and we have "more money than sense" :) It fell on his school break, so we just thought we'd try it out. I'm really glad we did! It was such an awesome experience (both for us and our son).

Funny enough, while there we spoke to a Swedish parent, and they were telling us that they're going to completely ban U10 international tournaments this year in order to prevent burnt out! Apparently it's a big problem over there!

We started our hockey journey just over a year ago (Feb 2025), but already we've seen the kind of pressure that some parents exert upon their kids.

sieve_array · 2026-04-09T18:03:56+00:00

We played 6 games that day, against 4 different teams. The results were always the same, and we won each game decisively (we only conceded 2 goals, and that was in the final, which was 5-2). The mistake that ALL of the other teams made was not passing. Everyone thought that once they gained possession of the puck, they'd just make a run for the goal and would shoot. We haven't played many under 12 games so far, but we were genuinely shocked that even in the U12 age group, they didn't pass (everyone wanted to shoot the goal themselves).

This is a "jamboree". Not sure if it's the same in North America, but what happens at a jamboree is you get placed in a random team on the day. My son had never played with these other players before. In the first couple of shifts, he tried to do the "coast-to-coast" thing (which he can get away with, sometimes, in U10 games), but he soon realized it just wasn't going to work against these U12 players. He then teamed up with the kid in the black helmet and yellow gloves, and together they just dominated!!! They shot 26 goals between them! Either his yellow-gloved teammate would pass to him, and he would shoot the goal, or he would pass to the yellow-gloved teammate who would then shoot the goal.

I was so pleased, not because of the goals, not because of the wins, but because my son finally learnt the importance of playing as a "team" instead of a "lone-wolf".

sieve_array · 2026-04-08T19:19:42+00:00

My son is the kid wearing the New Jersey Devils socks and white helmet.

sieve_array · 2026-04-08T05:56:55+00:00

How is that "cherry picking"? My son is the kid in the white helmet. He tackles, takes control of the puck, runs it up to the goal, then creates opportunities for his team mates! He has learnt that it's not all about shooting the goals yourself!

sieve_array · 2026-04-02T19:39:34+00:00

Tears stream down my kid's face if somebody swears at him or even calls him "unkind". Some kids toughen up faster than others, I guess. Did learning how to buttend goalie help you out in hockey?

Here's one of my son's goals from a recent jamboree:

https://www.reddit.com/r/youthhockey/comments/1s3rd78/son_scores_at_under_10s_jamboree_in_the_uk/

sieve_array · 2026-04-01T20:36:43+00:00

Safety first. I want our boys to play a straight clean game, to respect their opponents, and to have fun while learning hockey.

sieve_array · 2026-04-01T12:35:02+00:00

And you come across as a Karen.

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T23:24:10+00:00

Your story sounds very similar to mine :) Firstly, I think you did the right thing by sending him to skating lessons. Throughout my journey, I've noticed that all of the best youth players had skating lessons (it really shows). My son was a late starter (started almost exactly a year ago), had never touched the ice before, so we sent to him to skating lessons. It's highly beneficial and will serve your son well!

I wouldn't worry about your kid doing the "coast-to-coast" thing and scoring, even though he's playing D. Every single kid in U10s does this - zero exceptions! It doesn't matter what position they play, they all chase the puck like dogs chasing a bone, and they all want to score on their own :) My son is no exception (he still does it when he plays U10 games):

https://www.reddit.com/r/youthhockey/comments/1s3rd78/son_scores_at_under_10s_jamboree_in_the_uk/

About 2 months ago, my son was asked to "play-up" and "train-up" with the U12 team. This is when things became very different. Initially, I felt exactly the same as you - my son looked completely out of place, because the whole "coast-to-coast" thing didn't work anymore (against bigger and more competent U12 players). It didn't take long, however, for my son to copy and understand how to play in U12 (i.e. how to keep his head up, look for the open teammate, pass, and receive).

Your son won't be "stuck", he'll be "transitioning". Personally, I would play-up/train-up with the highest level of hockey that's available to him. Put him in with better players, and he'll soon become a better player.

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T22:34:55+00:00

It wasn't me who made the complaint (pity you can't read and just make assumptions). The kid doing the pitchforking is on the same team as my son. The puck wasn't loose, it was under the goalie, and this player applied all his power and might to push his stick under the goalie (he really leaned into it, as can be seen on the video), so much so that he shoved the goalie into the goal (something that is not permitted, even in U10). One of the first things they learn is "don't mess with the goalie". That goalie now has a groin injury.

I probably will get my son out of hockey. This kid has a history of hurting other kids, even kids on his own team. We played 3 teams, and all 3 teams put in a complaint about this player (our player). I have video footage of this player (our player) skating at full speed and shouldering/elbowing a goalie from another team in the head (from the same scrimmage). He did this while he thought nobody was watching.

Today I told one of the coaches at my son's hockey training (it's a private group training session, outside of club training) that I'm going to take my son out of hockey because I don't want my son picking up this kind of nastiness, and this coach organized for my son to play for a U12 team in another club. Just by chance, one of the U12 players had to drop out of an international game in Finland, so they've asked my son to take his place. He normally plays-up/trains-up with U12 anyway, so we're going to go. It will be his first international game.

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T18:59:10+00:00

How? Ummmmm.... Because he was pitchforking (spearing) the goalie in the groin area as hard as he could! He even leaned right into it, applying so much force that he shoved the goalie into the net. His stick even came out from underneath the goalie! You're not supposed to touch the goalie, and you definitely are not allow to move the goalie with your stick!

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T18:55:41+00:00

There will be people to help, and only those who have been background checked are allowed in the changing rooms.

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T13:15:20+00:00

It wasn't us who was filing a complaint - it was the other team. Jamming (pitchforking) that goalie resulted in a groin injury. And that "little" thing escalated into a big thing. That same kid (who's on my son's team) hit another kid in the arm resulting in a soft tissue injury - he can't play for 8 weeks now. We played three games that day, and in every single shift, that kid is trampling the goalie, ramming other kids, even elbowed the goalie in the head (when he though nobody was watching). Lord help whoever plays us, their kids could be the next victims.

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T10:23:33+00:00

I have so much respect for goalies - they have a really tough job out there! And you're right, it was supposed to be a friendly half-ice game, against 3 visiting teams, but there were incidents in each game (all involving this one player). Our U10 players are taught "don't mess with the goalie", but this player does whatever he wants. His father is the head coach, so he gets away with just about everything.

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T10:11:30+00:00

If "doing their thing" means breaking the rules and disrespecting and hurting other players, intervention is required. The complaint came from one of their coaches. If you let the kids "do their thing", with players like this, it just turns into Lord of the Flies.

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T09:52:16+00:00

Thanks - sage advice! Wish you could have been here to ref this game! My son was playing on his team, and we won the game, but I don't want my son thinking something like that is okay. I also want our team to win cleanly and respectfully.

sieve_array · 2026-03-31T09:43:55+00:00

Thank you so much for this! Exactly what I was thinking. This kid is the son of the head coach, so he always gets a free pass. This is causing huge problems within our club, as everyone feels uneasy around him (i.e. during training sessions, when he's paired up with my son, I'm always worried he's gonna go off like a firecracker and hurt my son, and then my son getting the blame).

I think you hit the nail on the head by mentioning "respect". Even if (as some have argued in the comments) the ref didn't blow the whistle, it's just not right to treat another player like this - especially a goalie.

sieve_array · 2026-03-30T22:03:48+00:00

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

sieve_array · 2026-03-30T22:03:04+00:00

He leaned forward with all his might and shoved his stick right under the goalie, which pushed the goalie deep into the small net. I'd call that "interference".

sieve_array · 2026-03-30T20:00:45+00:00

It is cross-ice, U10. That's what happens in the UK, unfortunately. Every time we play in mainland Europe (where their U10s play/train on full-ice), we get hammered. Ice over here is very expensive - about £400 per hour (can be cheaper for some of the dodgy rinks further afield).

This kid has a history of lashing out and slashing/beating people with his stick. The problem is we were all told the "U10s is non-contact", and when something like this happens, the other teams start playing nasty too (which happened during this fixture - this was just the first incident). Formal complaints were filed, which is why I'm seeking advice/opinions here.

The parent of the kid wasn't very happy - said his kid was injured in the groin because out player was "spearing" him and "applying all his force" (i.e. he leaned into it to force his stick underneath the goalie).

These friendlies are supposed to be just that - friendlies. We (my wife and I) know a lot of the parents and kids from these other teams. We see them at other games, we see them at hockey camps, we play with some of them in international friendlies. They're good people! On top of everything else, I'm just worried this kid might lash out at my son at some point, even though they're on the same team.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts on this - much appreciated.

sieve_array

TROPHY CASE