I’ve been on the illness merry-go-round again, but for now things seem back to normal. My last lesson before I got sick again was a frustrating one, but frustrating in a way that I grumblingly have to admit is probably good in the long run. My coach pinpointed a weakness (dealing with rebound control) and honed in on it. He had another coach there (the dreaded “Johnson”) flinging pucks at me, so he could stand closer to me and watch what I was doing and give me feedback. Unfortunately I just wasn’t getting it right, and it frustrated the hell out of me. At one point when one got past me, I just looked at my coach and he said “Well you know what you did… so at least you can fix it”. I responded “Yeah but it’s still in the net!!!” He pointed out “Yeah. But it’s in the net in practice.” Grrrrr I don’t care. Since that was my last lesson before ending up with the flu again, I’m kind of itching to get back out there with him and work on it some more. However, I emailed him to ask about adjusting my time slot, because I think having the lesson first thing in the morning, working all day, and then playing a game late at night might be contributing to my being so worn down. We’ll see what he says. If he doesn’t have any other time slots, I guess I’ll just suck it up until Spring.
On the team front, we’ve played – and won – two more games, bringing us to an amazing record of 7-0. Last night we played the team that’s shaping up to be our rivals, if only because we all get really pumped to beat them because they are such a bunch of whiners, divers, and cheap-shotters who get away with a lot. The game was very chippy, as expected, but a pretty good one for us- most of the play was in their end. I only faced 15 shots (thanks to a team-mate’s dad for counting!) and fortunately only one got past me. Woo hoo .933 save percentage! (Hey I’ll take it any way I can get it!).
Unfortunately, I was also forced to do my best impression of a pancake, thanks to #17 falling “accidentally on purpose” on my head/neck. Ouch. I was fairly stunned but rolled over and removed my mask, since it had come partway off and was squashing my ear. I heard one of my D telling me not to move, there was a skate right by my now-exposed head. Maybe not the brightest idea, taking off the mask, but that was my instinct. Luckily she guided the guy’s foot away from my head, and after taking a minute to collect myself (and yell “who the f*** FELL ON MY HEAD?!”, as if that would do any good), I shook it off. I heard team-mates arguing with the ref, trying to get a goalie interference call, but apparently the guy who used my head as a chair had tripped over his own player’s stick. Later accounts from my team-mates informed me that it was sort of a Sean-Avery-esque “ohhh look at that… I’m falling into the goalie” kind of move. No matter, he got a nice firm shove from my husband on the next shift, on which even though he tried desperately to draw a penalty, did not succeed. (He tried so desperately that he lay there on his back, waiting for the ref to come over, at which point he squeezed his eyes shut. The ref had none of it.)
Other than the dramatics, it was a good game. I played solidly (except for that one that got by me… kind of a weird bounce/roll), as did the whole team. The other team had a substitute goalie, someone I know from around the rink. I think we have a pretty friendly competition going, and he’s a good goalie, so when our team beats his it’s always that much sweeter. And I will leave you with perhaps the Best Goalie Quote EVER:
“I don’t fear stopping a 100 mph slapshot. I fear not stopping it.”
-Roberto Luongo
Damn, that’s one badass goalie.
Showing posts with label lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lessons. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
So this is how it's supposed to fit!
Wow, I had no idea just how poorly my old chest/arm protector fit. I used the new one today during my lesson and other than a little bit of stiffness from just being new, it was absolutely perfect. I didn't even know it was there- which is I think how it's supposed to be. Not having to think about readjusting it as I went along was really nice.
Along with becoming more comfortable on the ice, I'm becoming a little more comfortable with my coach as well. I started out incredibly nervous around him, but today I actually made a little jab at him. He'd complained several times about how cold it was in the rink (it was brutally cold this morning outside, close to 0 degrees, so I guess the rink didn't adjust their heating system). Each time I laughed, because as usual he was working me so hard I had sweat dripping everywhere. When he complained about his toes getting cold I offered to switch places with him. Strangely, he declined.
It was around that time that he described the next drill to me. He'd shoot the puck towards my glove, and I was to catch it and then place it on the ice (in our imaginary circle, since he had no markers) as if setting it for a D-man. He would then skate down, pick up the puck, go around behind the net with it and come out and take a shot from the opposite side circle. He ran through all of this and I nodded my head like a good student. But as he skated away I couldn't resist.
Me: You're assuming I'll actually catch it.
Him: Yeah, well, if you don't I'm going to have to do a lot of skating. And I don't feel like skating.
Me: Well you were complaining about being cold...
Him: (silence) True.
*whack!* There went the first shot.... right past my glove. Ooops.
Along with becoming more comfortable on the ice, I'm becoming a little more comfortable with my coach as well. I started out incredibly nervous around him, but today I actually made a little jab at him. He'd complained several times about how cold it was in the rink (it was brutally cold this morning outside, close to 0 degrees, so I guess the rink didn't adjust their heating system). Each time I laughed, because as usual he was working me so hard I had sweat dripping everywhere. When he complained about his toes getting cold I offered to switch places with him. Strangely, he declined.
It was around that time that he described the next drill to me. He'd shoot the puck towards my glove, and I was to catch it and then place it on the ice (in our imaginary circle, since he had no markers) as if setting it for a D-man. He would then skate down, pick up the puck, go around behind the net with it and come out and take a shot from the opposite side circle. He ran through all of this and I nodded my head like a good student. But as he skated away I couldn't resist.
Me: You're assuming I'll actually catch it.
Him: Yeah, well, if you don't I'm going to have to do a lot of skating. And I don't feel like skating.
Me: Well you were complaining about being cold...
Him: (silence) True.
*whack!* There went the first shot.... right past my glove. Ooops.
Monday, January 28, 2008
And now for something completely different...
I've been feeling great about the progress I've been making with my coach; I can see a big difference in games, which is really encouraging. I guess I was getting a little too satisfied with myself because now we've moved on to a few things that have me feeling like I'm back at square one. As mentioned in an earlier post, I asked him if we could work on handling the puck, and we started a little bit of that last week- and it was quite humbling. That net is a lot farther away from the boards than it seems! This week he added tracking the puck behind the net, which I think I do a fairly good job of in games, but for some reason this morning I kept losing it in one particular spot. When you're wearing glasses, using your peripheral vision isn't really much of an option, especially when your vision is as bad as mine. So I have to work on becoming an owl so I can turn my head around a little farther.
One thing I felt good about though, was a technique used when the puck is being carried from behind the goal line out, towards the circles or for a wrap attempt. He had me positioned on the post and was sort of talking to himself saying "should we do this now? eh, what the heck, let's try it", and I knew exactly what he was thinking and put my far pad down (technically this is called a "VH position" though I have no idea why). I was happy to show that I knew a little bit of where he was going, and he just adjusted my stance in that position a little, to close a few holes.
He also tried to do a drill where he lobbed the puck at me, with the intent of me catching it in my glove, and then placing it down beside the net and setting it up for an imaginary defenseman. The key to this drill is actually catching it in my glove. Since I never played many sports growing up, and certainly not baseball/softball, I don't have any coordination whatsoever in that department. Add to that the fact that I tend to turn my wrist back as the puck makes contact with the glove (if it does at all), which sends it right into the net, and you have a bit of a disaster on your hands. This at least I can work on at home, with a tennis ball drill that will improve my hand-eye coordination. But as he observed toward the end of the lesson "I guess we have to work on that glove hand a bit". Yeah.... just a bit.
But all that aside, I'm looking forward to tonight's game. After two wins in a row the team is feeling pretty good and I hope we can carry some of that energy forward into our third contest.
One thing I felt good about though, was a technique used when the puck is being carried from behind the goal line out, towards the circles or for a wrap attempt. He had me positioned on the post and was sort of talking to himself saying "should we do this now? eh, what the heck, let's try it", and I knew exactly what he was thinking and put my far pad down (technically this is called a "VH position" though I have no idea why). I was happy to show that I knew a little bit of where he was going, and he just adjusted my stance in that position a little, to close a few holes.
He also tried to do a drill where he lobbed the puck at me, with the intent of me catching it in my glove, and then placing it down beside the net and setting it up for an imaginary defenseman. The key to this drill is actually catching it in my glove. Since I never played many sports growing up, and certainly not baseball/softball, I don't have any coordination whatsoever in that department. Add to that the fact that I tend to turn my wrist back as the puck makes contact with the glove (if it does at all), which sends it right into the net, and you have a bit of a disaster on your hands. This at least I can work on at home, with a tennis ball drill that will improve my hand-eye coordination. But as he observed toward the end of the lesson "I guess we have to work on that glove hand a bit". Yeah.... just a bit.
But all that aside, I'm looking forward to tonight's game. After two wins in a row the team is feeling pretty good and I hope we can carry some of that energy forward into our third contest.
Friday, January 11, 2008
"I think I have a tired goalie"
I was back on the ice at the butt-crack of dawn this morning, slaving away under my coach's instruction. He did some different things with me this time, which revealed that I can do a certain move to my right but not to my left. Bingo- something to work on. He also ran me through a drill that was intended to get me moving the same way I did in that open game where I was playing so well and getting up on the correct leg every time. For some reason though, my brain wasn't having any of it, even though I knew what he was looking for. I told him about that game, and told him I knew it was in there, and I knew what I should be doing, but I guess not being in a game situation was making me overthink it. He agreed- but kept at it.
For the last few minutes we played the "rebound game". He told me as soon as I made 10 saves I could go. (He takes a shot and if the rebound doesn't go off into the corner, he plays it and shoots again, etc.). I did great- stopped the first six cold. Then as I wore down he racked up a few points. With the "score" 9-4 I completely flubbed a save and landed on my butt. I said "Ugh!" and flopped down onto my back and laid there. He laughed and said "I think I have a tired goalie. Excellent! That's how I like it, it's the only way I can score!". Happily for me, I jumped back up and made the next save.
Next week, at my request, we'll be working on stickhandling and stopping the puck along the boards behind the net. I mentioned that I was pretty bad at that and my friends have told me it's ok to emulate Lundqvist in my game, just not in that regard! He agreed and said Brodeur's the guy to watch for that technique. Then he paused and said "just don't pay attention to anything else he does." I got a huge kick out of that. Obviously, what he does works... even though he's the one who insists "Lundqvist is weird".
For the last few minutes we played the "rebound game". He told me as soon as I made 10 saves I could go. (He takes a shot and if the rebound doesn't go off into the corner, he plays it and shoots again, etc.). I did great- stopped the first six cold. Then as I wore down he racked up a few points. With the "score" 9-4 I completely flubbed a save and landed on my butt. I said "Ugh!" and flopped down onto my back and laid there. He laughed and said "I think I have a tired goalie. Excellent! That's how I like it, it's the only way I can score!". Happily for me, I jumped back up and made the next save.
Next week, at my request, we'll be working on stickhandling and stopping the puck along the boards behind the net. I mentioned that I was pretty bad at that and my friends have told me it's ok to emulate Lundqvist in my game, just not in that regard! He agreed and said Brodeur's the guy to watch for that technique. Then he paused and said "just don't pay attention to anything else he does." I got a huge kick out of that. Obviously, what he does works... even though he's the one who insists "Lundqvist is weird".
Friday, January 4, 2008
Yippeeee! ... I think
It's official. My lessons are starting up again as of next week. I've missed them, but I'm a mental case, so I'm still nervous about them and still think my coach thinks I'm a tedious bored housewife who's going a bit overboard.... but in the end it doesn't matter, right? Yeah, that's what I keep telling myself.
Monday, October 29, 2007
I have to get over myself
What plagues me in life apparently also follows me onto the rink; namely, that everyone's thinking bad things about me all the time. That would require that people were thinking about me at all, and to assume that others are thinking about you constantly is a little narcissistic. This works great because I get to beat myself up on two counts; for performing badly, and for being narcissistic and thinking people care so much about my performing badly.
During my lesson today I had a bit less energy than last week, for whatever reason, and found myself exhausted and gasping quite easily. But because I wanted to show an earnest effort, I just pushed through it. My coach keeps a good eye on me and tells me to "take a few seconds" when he sees me getting overly winded, so I think he knows I'm doing my best. I am 33, and though I'm in pretty good shape, it's not like I've been involved in sports or belonged to a gym or run marathons all my life, so this is something new for my body to get used to. I've also never had instruction geared completely towards me, for a full hour. Practices with team-mates, or clinics all are just more intense examples of game situations; i.e. I'm not expending energy constantly for the entire 60 minutes. I've never skated out. So I have no idea what it's like to race up and down the ice at full throttle for a minute straight. But I bet it's somewhat comparable to a sustained attack on net, where I'm constantly flexed in my crouch, moving, dropping, getting up, kicking, moving, pushing, setting up. I think goalies probably expend the same amount of energy, just in shorter bursts, and in a different way.
Man, I got off track there.
But anyway, that was the logical side of my brain talking. No matter that my coach said I've been doing well, I still have this feeling that in the back of his mind he's kind of rolling his eyes and thinking "what do I even do with this one?". Or smirking at me. Most of the time I can just tell that part of my brain to just shut up. But there's another coach who's on the ice at the same time as us, and usually he's done before we are, so he'll help out at the end with drills. I'll call this guy... Johnson. I know Johnson from the league we play in; he shares rotating coaching duties, and runs some of the clinics. He's known as being somewhat of a hardass, as some of my team-mates have had less than positive experiences with him behind the bench. I personally have never had any problem with him, and whenever I play open hockey and he's there, he's always really cool with me, even gives me pointers now and then (he plays D). Johnson's kid never showed up today, so he worked with us a little more than usual. And at one point I was just struggling. Coach was taking shots on me rapid-fire, and he wanted me to go down to block each one, and then get back up, and go down for the next one, etc. It was really taxing and by the last few I was in complete slow-motion. Johnson was just standing there watching and I felt so inadequate. For some reason I really want him to think well of me. What I have to understand is that it doesn't matter what Johnson or anyone else thinks (except maybe my coach)- if they're even thinking anything at all. What matters is the effort I put in and what I get out of it. But I just can't help feeling really small and silly and somewhat ridiculous at times. For all I know, the people who I think are judging me are thinking about that chick they met last night, or that problem they've got at work, or how to get the dog to stop chewing their shoes.
But that's a goalie, right? Always thinking its all about them. ;)
During my lesson today I had a bit less energy than last week, for whatever reason, and found myself exhausted and gasping quite easily. But because I wanted to show an earnest effort, I just pushed through it. My coach keeps a good eye on me and tells me to "take a few seconds" when he sees me getting overly winded, so I think he knows I'm doing my best. I am 33, and though I'm in pretty good shape, it's not like I've been involved in sports or belonged to a gym or run marathons all my life, so this is something new for my body to get used to. I've also never had instruction geared completely towards me, for a full hour. Practices with team-mates, or clinics all are just more intense examples of game situations; i.e. I'm not expending energy constantly for the entire 60 minutes. I've never skated out. So I have no idea what it's like to race up and down the ice at full throttle for a minute straight. But I bet it's somewhat comparable to a sustained attack on net, where I'm constantly flexed in my crouch, moving, dropping, getting up, kicking, moving, pushing, setting up. I think goalies probably expend the same amount of energy, just in shorter bursts, and in a different way.
Man, I got off track there.
But anyway, that was the logical side of my brain talking. No matter that my coach said I've been doing well, I still have this feeling that in the back of his mind he's kind of rolling his eyes and thinking "what do I even do with this one?". Or smirking at me. Most of the time I can just tell that part of my brain to just shut up. But there's another coach who's on the ice at the same time as us, and usually he's done before we are, so he'll help out at the end with drills. I'll call this guy... Johnson. I know Johnson from the league we play in; he shares rotating coaching duties, and runs some of the clinics. He's known as being somewhat of a hardass, as some of my team-mates have had less than positive experiences with him behind the bench. I personally have never had any problem with him, and whenever I play open hockey and he's there, he's always really cool with me, even gives me pointers now and then (he plays D). Johnson's kid never showed up today, so he worked with us a little more than usual. And at one point I was just struggling. Coach was taking shots on me rapid-fire, and he wanted me to go down to block each one, and then get back up, and go down for the next one, etc. It was really taxing and by the last few I was in complete slow-motion. Johnson was just standing there watching and I felt so inadequate. For some reason I really want him to think well of me. What I have to understand is that it doesn't matter what Johnson or anyone else thinks (except maybe my coach)- if they're even thinking anything at all. What matters is the effort I put in and what I get out of it. But I just can't help feeling really small and silly and somewhat ridiculous at times. For all I know, the people who I think are judging me are thinking about that chick they met last night, or that problem they've got at work, or how to get the dog to stop chewing their shoes.
But that's a goalie, right? Always thinking its all about them. ;)
Monday, October 22, 2007
Back in the saddle
My health returned, I went back for Ass-Kickin' Part Two today with my coach. Somehow, even without much ice time at all between the last lesson and this one, I picked up right where we left off and was doing well with the stuff he taught me last time. Today though, we pinpointed an area where I need a lot of work, and will be addressing that more aggressively next week. I had explained to him last time that I learned on concrete, so I have a tendency to dive desperately to the side instead of sliding. That became very apparent this morning while running one drill in particular, so I was glad that he said we'd work on that a lot next week. He showed me a few different ways to recover by sliding to make the next save, now I just have to incorporate it and make it instinct.
But one reason I'm writing is because I don't want to forget one drill we did that I think would be really helpful for me, if the team ever gets ice time for practice like we did as a group several months ago. I would need three other people to work with me, but I think even 10 mintues of this each time we rented ice would make a big improvement. Coach called this a "classic rebound drill". Basically, one person stands with a pile of pucks almost out at the blue line. The other two people are positioned on each side, at the hash marks. The guy with the pucks shoots low, with the idea being that I direct it to one side or another. If there's a rebound more toward the front, the guy on that side goes after it and takes another shot, and keeps shooting until I either cover it, or send it into the corner. I get "points" for putting it where I want it to go (the corner) or covering it, they get points for scoring. The idea is for me to react quickly after the initial save and set up again for the rebound shot, which is something I need a lot of work on, because I'm still trying to use concrete-roller-hockey technique on ice, and I could get there so much quicker and more compact if I make use of ice techniques.
Ok I'm sure everyone's eyes are all glazed over, but because I know a few of my teammates read this, I wanted to get it down before I forgot the details. Hopefully there will be some time in the future where we can run this drill.
But one reason I'm writing is because I don't want to forget one drill we did that I think would be really helpful for me, if the team ever gets ice time for practice like we did as a group several months ago. I would need three other people to work with me, but I think even 10 mintues of this each time we rented ice would make a big improvement. Coach called this a "classic rebound drill". Basically, one person stands with a pile of pucks almost out at the blue line. The other two people are positioned on each side, at the hash marks. The guy with the pucks shoots low, with the idea being that I direct it to one side or another. If there's a rebound more toward the front, the guy on that side goes after it and takes another shot, and keeps shooting until I either cover it, or send it into the corner. I get "points" for putting it where I want it to go (the corner) or covering it, they get points for scoring. The idea is for me to react quickly after the initial save and set up again for the rebound shot, which is something I need a lot of work on, because I'm still trying to use concrete-roller-hockey technique on ice, and I could get there so much quicker and more compact if I make use of ice techniques.
Ok I'm sure everyone's eyes are all glazed over, but because I know a few of my teammates read this, I wanted to get it down before I forgot the details. Hopefully there will be some time in the future where we can run this drill.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Making it official
The NHL season has started, and our fall league starts this week, and I couldn't be more relieved. I actually felt incredibly out of sorts in the last two weeks when my "normal" schedule was turned upside down. Now I'll get back into the rhythm of league games and open hockey, and watching the pros on TV. The lack of clinics scheduled by the rink won't be a problem for me personally, because I've found something better suited to my needs anyway.
I finally got in touch with the goalie instructor I mentioned a while ago, and am signed up for 4 weekly lessons. I requested private lessons, because of my experience with the last guy. (I told him I was a raw beginner, but I ended up in a lesson with a few other guys who were light years ahead of me, and felt that I brought the lesson down too much). The kicker is, the lessons are going to be on weekday mornings, from 6:30 - 7:30. Good lord. But it's just for one month, and hopefully having games later the same night won't be so bad because they're late enough that I have time to take a nap after work.
But I'm nervous. So far all the people I've encountered in teaching roles in hockey have been great. But what if this guy is a jerk? What if he takes a look at me once I get on the ice and thinks "oh my god, where do I even start?". I need so much help on so many things that I couldn't even identify what my weakest area is. Fundamentals. I think I need to learn the technical fundamentals and build on that. Because I really have no idea what I'm doing. I just know that I need to get better and I hope this will help. I read a lot and watch a lot and talk to other goalies, but nothing can take the place of personal, in-person instruction on the ice. It's pricey, but I look at it this way: my hockey is like my gym membership, my shrink, and my social time all rolled into one. A lot of people spend a lot more on all those things combined than I do on hockey. I have a hard time allowing myself to believe I deserve to spend this money on myself, so I have to keep reinforcing that. Hopefully I'll see a benefit from these lessons and it will be easy to justify to myself.
I finally got in touch with the goalie instructor I mentioned a while ago, and am signed up for 4 weekly lessons. I requested private lessons, because of my experience with the last guy. (I told him I was a raw beginner, but I ended up in a lesson with a few other guys who were light years ahead of me, and felt that I brought the lesson down too much). The kicker is, the lessons are going to be on weekday mornings, from 6:30 - 7:30. Good lord. But it's just for one month, and hopefully having games later the same night won't be so bad because they're late enough that I have time to take a nap after work.
But I'm nervous. So far all the people I've encountered in teaching roles in hockey have been great. But what if this guy is a jerk? What if he takes a look at me once I get on the ice and thinks "oh my god, where do I even start?". I need so much help on so many things that I couldn't even identify what my weakest area is. Fundamentals. I think I need to learn the technical fundamentals and build on that. Because I really have no idea what I'm doing. I just know that I need to get better and I hope this will help. I read a lot and watch a lot and talk to other goalies, but nothing can take the place of personal, in-person instruction on the ice. It's pricey, but I look at it this way: my hockey is like my gym membership, my shrink, and my social time all rolled into one. A lot of people spend a lot more on all those things combined than I do on hockey. I have a hard time allowing myself to believe I deserve to spend this money on myself, so I have to keep reinforcing that. Hopefully I'll see a benefit from these lessons and it will be easy to justify to myself.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Seduced by ice - Part II
It was a very warm fall and beginning of winter. Our outdoor games were able to continue well into December without any ill effects from the weather. There was even a game one evening in late November or early December when it was about 60 degrees! No one was complaining about global warming then.
By January though, we were hurled headlong into a typical winter for our area, and the rink that the town had lined with plastic and filled with water eventually froze over. One Sunday morning, we showed up sleepy-eyed and groggy-headed, to find a town employee walking around on the ice and... oh my goodness.... what did he just do? Turn the sign to "Skating Allowed"!?! Out came the cell phones. We called everyone who wasn't there yet and told them to turn around and grab their ice skates- we were going to play outdoor winter hockey like the Canadians do.
The group that morning consisted of mostly people who had never played on ice, or had played on ice so long ago it almost didn't count, but there were a handful of guys who actually preferred ice and played on a semi regular basis. But because most of us were new to this experience, it lent a giddy air to the morning. I discovered instantly why goalies prefer ice to roller- lateral movement is a cinch on blades. Not only that but when you drop down, you can use your momentum to keep moving to the side if need be. At least, if you can control yourself. Otherwise you end up sliding halfway to the boards.
I was elated to finally be playing on ice. Just standing still and listening to the sound of 10 pairs of skates carving up the ice made me wildly happy. I was an instant convert. Throughout the next two months, we met about twice a week in addition to Sunday mornings, and most of the time we were able to play on the ice. Much like our dedication in the summer, coming out to play even in 90-degree heat, we were there whether it was 27 degrees or 7. Some of those nights I seriously questioned my sanity. But it really wasn't all that bad once the game got going.
That was all I needed to push me to making playing on ice - indoors, regularly- a reality. I decided the best way to go about it was to get some training first, then see about finding a beginners league I could join. I called all of the rinks in the area, asking about lessons or clinics, but all of them were geared towards kids. (Again I encountered the "...and how old is your son?" response to my query about lessons). Finally though, I managed to find a guy who had recently started up a goaltending "school" at a rink about a half hour from me. After quite a bit of back and forth, for about two months, I finally was able to stop by for a lesson. I was woefully behind the other two goalies there in terms of skill, but I listened closely and worked my butt off and really got a lot out of it. I haven't gone back since then, and it's been a few months, but I do plan to go back again when I get a little more stable on my skates.
By January though, we were hurled headlong into a typical winter for our area, and the rink that the town had lined with plastic and filled with water eventually froze over. One Sunday morning, we showed up sleepy-eyed and groggy-headed, to find a town employee walking around on the ice and... oh my goodness.... what did he just do? Turn the sign to "Skating Allowed"!?! Out came the cell phones. We called everyone who wasn't there yet and told them to turn around and grab their ice skates- we were going to play outdoor winter hockey like the Canadians do.
The group that morning consisted of mostly people who had never played on ice, or had played on ice so long ago it almost didn't count, but there were a handful of guys who actually preferred ice and played on a semi regular basis. But because most of us were new to this experience, it lent a giddy air to the morning. I discovered instantly why goalies prefer ice to roller- lateral movement is a cinch on blades. Not only that but when you drop down, you can use your momentum to keep moving to the side if need be. At least, if you can control yourself. Otherwise you end up sliding halfway to the boards.
I was elated to finally be playing on ice. Just standing still and listening to the sound of 10 pairs of skates carving up the ice made me wildly happy. I was an instant convert. Throughout the next two months, we met about twice a week in addition to Sunday mornings, and most of the time we were able to play on the ice. Much like our dedication in the summer, coming out to play even in 90-degree heat, we were there whether it was 27 degrees or 7. Some of those nights I seriously questioned my sanity. But it really wasn't all that bad once the game got going.
That was all I needed to push me to making playing on ice - indoors, regularly- a reality. I decided the best way to go about it was to get some training first, then see about finding a beginners league I could join. I called all of the rinks in the area, asking about lessons or clinics, but all of them were geared towards kids. (Again I encountered the "...and how old is your son?" response to my query about lessons). Finally though, I managed to find a guy who had recently started up a goaltending "school" at a rink about a half hour from me. After quite a bit of back and forth, for about two months, I finally was able to stop by for a lesson. I was woefully behind the other two goalies there in terms of skill, but I listened closely and worked my butt off and really got a lot out of it. I haven't gone back since then, and it's been a few months, but I do plan to go back again when I get a little more stable on my skates.
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