ncentration and dexterity. Will beamed as he finished. He pumpe

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Adeiny Hechavarria Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. As a parent, you wonder if your childs love of sports is real, enduring and deep. Especially as they grow, and the leagues and teams and coaches become more and more intense.Is playing sports just something we do? A routine?Is it his choice? Or am I pushing him, trying to impose my own experiences as an athlete?My 8-year-old son, Will, plays hockey, a sport that requires maturity, discipline and sacrifice from the beginning. Nothing is easy, from simply getting dressed to play under a mountain of pads to learning to stay on your feet on skates. There are the 7 a.m. ice times, the cold rinks, the long drives. You really have to want to be there.I signed up for Heartland Hockey Camp to see if my sons love for hockey was his own.Id read about Heartland in USA Hockey magazine. The camp in Deerwood, Minnesota, is 80 acres of hockey heaven in a rustic setting. The ice rink features a giant video screen and classrooms, and there are lots of off-ice activities -- like a miniature golf course, bonfire pit and water slides -- among the weight room, dorms and dining hall. Its all run by Steve Jensen, a 1976 U.S. Olympian and former NHL player who works to make the camp accessible for anyone who loves the game and wants to get better. He sets a positive tone with an emphasis on fun while working to instill proper training, technique and discipline.But the most interesting element of that camp is that it is also built for parents. Parents are welcome to stay on site and can watch the kids train and play as much as they want. Or, they can read a book or go for a run. Parents can bunk with their athletes and share meals together.For me, going to camp was one part experiment, two parts opportunity to spend time with one of my favorite people on Earth. It was a sports parenting vacation in which Id get a better understanding of Wills genuine feelings about the game.I spent a lot of my time rinkside watching the four-plus hours of ice time each day. But it was also beautiful to linger at meals, spend time in the room or waalk the grounds knowing my son was with his group of mites.dddddddddddd It was a joy to see him make new buddies from around the country, to choose to go to extra skating sessions and to head to the lake in his free time.Will definitely grew up a little over the course of the week. He began to pay attention to the clock and get to sessions on time. He noticed what he was eating and considered the energy it would provide.On the second night, I asked him if he liked the camp, and he said, Yes, of course. I said on a scale of 1 to 10, what is it? He said, A 10! That rating didnt budge throughout the week. (Im sure the minigolf didnt hurt.) He got out of bed eagerly each day, he worked hard on his drills, he studied the game. All on his own.Midway through the week, I watched Will rise to the occasion right in front of Coach Jensen and conquer Heartlands Hardest Corner -- a complex drill with a maze of cones and backward crisscrosses that requires concentration and dexterity. Will beamed as he finished. He pumped his fist. I could see he was proud of his accomplishment.Being at hockey camp with my son let me see those moments closer than I would have at a typical practice. It brought me a sense of balance amid the seemingly breakneck race to excellence in youth sports. More importantly, Will came away happy. He made friends. He worked hard. He learned more about what it means to be an athlete. He connected with the sport in a new way.It was an affirmation. For both of us.Since we dove into the world of youth hockey, the tangled web of mites, peewees, squirts, bantams, 07s, 08s, 09s (and Double-A, Triple-A, on and on ... ) hasnt always made sense. Its a new language weve had to learn together. At times, its felt too intense, too soon.But now at least I know Will is playing for the right reason: He loves it.Laura Gentile is senior vice president, espnW and Womens Initiatives at ESPN. ' ' '