So you wanna get your kid into one of those fancy hockey boarding schools, right? Feels like climbing a mountain at first, but honestly? It’s not rocket science. Lemme walk you through exactly how I got my son into a prep school last fall. No fluff, just real steps.
The Wake-Up Call Moment
Started when my kid was 13 playing house league. Coach pulled me aside after practice: “He’s got hands, but if you want colleges to notice him, gotta move him up NOW.” Panicked for a sec, then got to work.
Step-by-Step Game Plan
First things first: I Googled “hockey prep schools near me”. Sounds dumb, but yeah, just typed that. Made a list of 15 schools on my phone notes. Crossed off the crazy expensive ones immediately. Down to 8.
Next move: Called every dang school on that list. Asked three questions straight up:
- “When’s your next open house?”
- “What tapes do you need from coaches?”
- “Who actually watches those highlight reels?”
Pro tip: The admissions lady at St. Andrew’s straight up told me, “Send clips under 3 minutes. Coach skips anything longer.” Lifesaver.
The Video Nightmare
This part sucked. Filmed my son’s games for three weekends straight. My hands froze holding that iPhone! Edited clips using some free app. Made sure to include:
- Two breakaways
- One solid defensive play
- Exactly one fight (coach said shows “intensity”)
Sent that USB stick priority mail. Old school, but coaches prefer physical copies. Don’t ask me why.
The Money Talk
Almost choked when I saw tuition numbers. $60k? Are they feeding them gold? Found out about financial aid real quick:
- Filled out SSS forms online
- Called admissions crying “financial hardship”
- Got $20k knocked off the sticker price
Still hurts the wallet, but way less.
The Final Tryout
Drove 8 hours to Vermont for live evaluation. Kid was shaking like a leaf. Told him one thing: “Skate like the rink’s on fire.” Coaches weren’t even looking at goals – just seeing how he interacted with other players during drills. Weird.
Got the acceptance email three weeks later while eating tacos. Spilled guac all over my laptop celebrating. Worth it.
Biggest lesson? Start early, annoy people with calls, and always send highlight reels shorter than a TikTok. You got this.
