Junior's ice hockey team went to Belfast last weekend to play Junior Belfast Giants u16 in a challenge game.

Bus and ferry over there on Saturday. Game Sunday morning, and then bus/ferry home. Left 6.15 am Saturday. Home 10.30pm Sunday.

The coach and his assistant (plus 2 of the dads) started drinking as soon as the bus left, got stuck in on the ferry (thats the 10am sailing) and hit the hotel bar by 12.30 (before they had even checked in).

I didn't see what they got up to after that, but presumably more of the same. Can't imagine what they were like at game time (10.30 am on Sunday). Pretty grim, I suppose.

Return journey was a carbon copy of the outward one.

Kids in his team are 13 to 16 y/o, and I would guess they're at an impressionable age when it comes to lots of things - alcohol included. They get education at school about the need to keep your consumption sensible. Its a message I try to re-inforce with words, and by the way I behave.   

Am I being a grumpy old man or should these coaches be a lot more responsible in the way they behave?