It certainly is easier in your surroundings. Sometimes the easier route is...easier. Here in the Texas of Canada, not so easy. My kiddo declined an invitation to a Boston hockey recruiting program. She was scouted this year and placed on the Under 18 Can/US national roster and that group would have set her up for NCAA and Uni drafts. But, because of the locker room culture, she's choosing to step away from the game for at least a year. Because even in girl's hockey, there is no room for someone like her. It breaks my soul.