Madac Ashe is a typical 10-year-old boy. He spends many hours in the driveway shooting pucks, plays street hockey with a set of roller-blades on his feet, is a master at mini sticks and can find the best hiding spots when playing “man tracker.”
He loves to read. Plays catch with his Dad. And enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Madac is in Grade 5 at Newbridge Academy. A private school where students “choose from various streams of athletic programming such as swimming, dance, tennis, soccer, golf and skating.” Those in grades 3-12 can focus on more “specific programming in hockey, golf, baseball, dance and soccer.”
Hockey is a huge part of Madac’s life.
In their youth, Madac’s parents, Mac and Sara Ashe, played competitive sports. Mac’s sport of choice was baseball…Sara was a dancer. Both use that competitive edge in their personal and professional lives. Sara works in healthcare while Mac is an auctioneer. Mac and Sara have embraced Madac’s passion. While Sara has volunteered as team manager and fundraising coordinator, Mac uses his auctioneering skills to fundraise money by helping out with team events.
When asked what they believe sports has provided for their child, Sara and Mac believe that it’s not about the game or winning but to them, it’s the social outlet that stands out the most. “We see that it gives him a chance to build relationships outside of his family, to participate and manage expectations and adversity. It also encourages self-discipline. Madac is an only child and so the benefits of interacting in organized sports have paved the way for many of his interactions with others.” As for the game itself, while Mac loves to watch his son win, he also strongly believes that “effort is the real goal” and that’s a value the entire family believes is important in every aspect of their lives.
Sara and Mac enjoy watching Madac compete and build on the skills he’s learning at school and on the ice. Sara is keen to pop by Newbridge and take in early morning practices. Mac enjoys the games. Both parents delight in seeing their son’s confidence grow in a sport that he loves.
For the Ashe family, hockey takes up a great amount of time. Between travel, practices, games, dryland and team bonding…Mac and Sara are pulled away from their businesses, home life and social life on a regular basis. Sara can work from the arena when there’s WiFi available, and as a hockey mom and nutritionist, she meal plans ahead of time to make sure that Madac and the entire family are living a healthy lifestyle.
As for the negatives of immersing yourself in sport, Sara and Mac point out that “being a sports parent is hard when unfairness comes into play. Coping with the politics in minor hockey as it is in other minor sports can be very stressful. Stressors such as team selection, the tryout process, favouritism, and ice time are some things that come to mind. During these times we’ve explained that sometimes life isn’t fair. It’s helpful for him to relate to our own experiences. We’ll give him example of how it’s happened in our own lives and teach him how to persevere.”
As for the positives…”The best time is always when his team rallies together and plays as a team. To see them smile. When they play their best and are rewarded with the satisfaction of how they competed together.”
Madac Ashe loves hockey. His mom and dad are happy to support his dreams.
– – – – – –
Disclaimer: As a Brand Ambassador for ProEdge Sports Conditioning, I’m excited to bring you stories of #ProEdgeAthletes and the folks who support them using the #ProEdgeParent hashtag. ProEdge Sports Conditioning is proud to work with local athletes. Visit them on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram. As alway, opinions are my own.
ProEdge Sports Conditioning is Atlantic Canada’s premier strength and conditioning facility. They use sports science to provide unparalleled training for the athletes of Nova Scotia and years of experience to help clients reach their athletic potential. ProEdge offers sports conditioning, personal training, fitness classes, martial arts, small group and team training.
ProEdge Sports Conditioning provides training to the Newbridge varsity teams. Next year, Newbridge Academy will open a brand new facility and they’ve partnered with ProEdge to build a 6700 square foot gym. During school hours, the ProEdge gym will be dedicated to the athletes of Newbridge. The facility and training will give their athletes the best opportunity to develop their athletic potential throughout their time at Newbridge.