Gov. Palin's "hockey mom" credentials revealed

A few posts back, we were wondering about Gov. Sarah Palin's "hockey mom" persona, thirsting for details about how she handled herself at the rink. Today, the New York Times provided some answers in a piece, dateline, Wasilla, that explains the important place sports occupies in her family life.

Some of the more interesting points:

1. Gov. Palin's father was a "popular" high school cross-country coach.

2. Track Palin, her eldest child, was a talented hockey player with a hot temper. "The parents who had watched him grow up on the ice said he was popular with his teammates and generally a pretty good student. But on the ice, he was an animal," writes Kim Severson of the Times.

3. Gov. Palin and husband Todd sent their son off to a developmental team in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the hope he might play his way to a college scholarship or even the pros. But the plan "unraveled" when he separated his shoulder. In March 2007, he left Michigan and returned home.

Finally, an answer to THE question. What's it like to be a coach of a team with Gov. Palin's kid on it?

Track Palin's ex-coach told the Times, "There are some hockey moms who live their dream through their son. Sarah wasn't like that. She pretty much loved to watch her son and was engulfed with his level of play, but she let me coach."

Now that Gov. Palin is granting interviews (ABC's Charles Gibson, last night), and has addressed fringe issues such as the Bush Doctrine, her readiness to lead, et cetera, let's get to the heart of the matter. We'll be contacting the McCain-Palin campaign about a sitdown on the subject of youth sports in America. We'll keep you posted on our progress. Stay tuned.