Hockey Clinic Last Week

Okay, so I attended a three day clinic last week.  Sheesh, it was awesome but totally brutal.  I've been skating pretty religiously for a month and a half, but it was not nearly enough.  I went out to the goalie clinic to try my skills out in the hardest position in hockey.  I ended up on my backside on more than one occasion and I was not alone who found themselves in that position.  Most important part of hockey is to always get back up.  I didn't know how much I would love people shooting pucks at me!  It was a rush to be able to stop a puck with my junk!  LOL!  I learned many valuable and important lessons during those three days.

Lesson One

Use the bathroom before putting on all your goalie gear.  As much effort as it is to get it all on, having to tinkle just before hitting the ice isn't like figure skaters that have to pull down their one piece leotard.  We're talking about many pounds of equipment that has to come off before you can even get to your skates, at which point you can throw on blade guards, and then, maybe, if you're lucky, make it down the hallway, hang a right, down another hallway, through a double door, turn left, then make a right, then another right, only to find three stalls in use, so you head towards the other section you discovered a day earlier, make a right, start stripping off your pelvic protector (female version of a guys jock), and your compression shorts at the same time, while  maneuvering in skates that add three or four inches to your height, so the toilet seat is a bit lower than usual, so your aim in getting yourself seated is a bit more of a challenge than you're used to, and then finally relieving yourself only to discover there's no toilet paper.  Yeah, that happens...not saying it happened to me, just sayin' is all.


Lesson Two


Wear your jock!  Listen, ladies, if the puck hits your junk, it will hurt.  Day One:  I didn't wear it and second drill in, I got nailed in the pelvic region.  It was no bueno!  Fortunately, in the actual scrimmage it was against girls in the clinic and they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and if they could stay on their feet long enough to shoot the puck, it never left the ground and came so slowly you had to wake up from the comatose state in which you had been in for the last 12 ladies who shot before her.

Lesson Three


Playing with boys is much more exciting as they actually shoot the puck with force and you get to make real saves and feel like a superstar!  Nothing more exciting than making a good stick save, or a glove save and then when you realize you really did catch it in your glove you give the glove a little shake and let it fall on the ice for all the people on and off the ice to see hit the floor.  Yep, it's all about the glory at that point!  The satisfaction of a good glove save and letting the boys (especially the boys) see that on your second day of hockey ever, you stopped that junk!  And the crowd goes wild!  Woo hoo!!!


Lesson Four


Never underestimate a girl that says she plays hockey, no matter what she looks like. That little "girl" you saw on the outside of the rink earlier, yeah, that's her over there, yup, that beast over there, she's no joke.  Leanne, my newest friend, may look all marshmallows in cocoa and snowflakes on a Christmas morning, but she's a Beast in the Crease.  She's gonna be skating, as I won the last goalie position in our division, but she's still a Beast and is gonna tear it up.   You become a different person when you put on your gear.  It's amazing!!!


Lesson Five


Goalies, don't get no breaks!  Yeah, skaters go on in shifts that change up every few minutes.  Goalies, they play the whole game.  I was pretty tired and by the end of the pick up game I stepped up to play in, I was worked over!  I hobbled, not skated off the ice, and my friend Giggles aka Wendy, helped me get my gear off!  I couldn't even get my chest protector up over my head!  Yeah, I loved it!  However, the goalie gear did stink up my apartment pretty good!  I need to invest in a fan!  Haha!

Lesson Six

Trying to find gear for a left handed goalie is no easy task!  I might be stuck playing right handed, but we'll see how things go.  I found a used blocker for a lefty, but of course, even used it was $80.  I think they did that just because they are harder to find, because it wasn't even as in good condition as some of the others and they were as low as $15 a piece used for a right handed player.  Blah!  So, I use borrowed equipment for now.  It smells lovely, but at least I am protected and that is what counts!


I left the clinic with plenty of bruises, scrapes, sore muscles and I wouldn't have had it any other way!  Made some new friends in the process!  The goalie side of the clinic was super great!  Since there are fewer of us, we get more attention and cover more material.  Because everyone wants to be a skater and score, they are not awesome enough, or crazy enough to go against the puck flying at you at high velocities!  It's on!  Bring on September and the start of my hockey season!


ej
 

Just whatevs...

oh how we as women are so easily swayed.
when day is as night and the night as day
the pain and agony that comes with love
we say "nay" tis brighter than stars above
days and nights are always as one
no, not one is greater or less till done
when it happens and love not realized
twas just attraction and now we agonize
this we experience all in a moment's Time
we say "yay" we say "nay" it's sublime
we hate it and love it, this we cannot lie
for all that has transpired we just ask why?
as the sun rises again upon a new day
the dawn air kisses our cheeks to play
agony is renewed once again in our minds
and safe shelter from it we seek to find
oh how we as women are so easily swayed
for yes, today is another day  ej

Whoa whoa whoa....hold the phone, I agreed to do what???

Well, hockey season is swiftly coming upon us and I have been working hard to get myself ready for the upcoming clinic that starts Saturday.  I have committed to play the goalie position for the season and I'm excited to get the ice time.  I hope my feet hold up!  They get some major cramp-age if the skates are no bueno!  I am happy to report that my forward skates have been holding up quite well, now that I have the right sized skate going!  My skating has been improving by leaps and bounds since Thursday's "new" skate size implementation.  My crossovers are coming along nicely, and my skating coach wants me to start working on my backward crossovers this week.  We'll see how it goes!  I am in so much control of my feet now, it's incredible.  Instead of spending so much energy trying to keep my feet together with the skate (my skates were a whole size too big), I know feel like my skate is just an extension of my foot and I can actually control my feet so much better, in fact, I can even control my right foot better too!  Who knew?

I've been told that the best skater on the ice is usually the goalie.  Though I am not a great skater yet, I plan to do my best to fulfill the role of goalie on whatever team I land on.  The best part is, I can still play forward when I play pond hockey, so really, it's the best of both worlds.  It's also half the price or free if I play goalie, and since it is a novice league, they provide all the specialty gear associated with Goalie, so all I will need to buy are the skates and a neck protector and stick.  Skates and sticks are cheap and easy to come by used, and I am sure I can find something affordable for a neck protector.  Everything else, will be issued to me and with grateful hearts.  I am all about being a team player and one of the teams was gonna be down a goalie and I had already expressed interest in trying the position out anyway, so I figured, I can go for it since it is my first season anyway, and I am a fan of learning everything I can.  The real kicker is the cheaper cost to play!  Haha!  I'm not gonna lie, that was a huge factor, besides the fact I am gonna look like a beast in the crease with my size and all that gear!  Hydration, hydration, hydration!!!  That's gonna be key too!  Just wait until I butterfly!!!!  Haha!  Well, maybe someday!

I've really enjoyed my early morning skates and the support of my friend Megan.  She's been great on her vacation, by taking me to the rink every morning and then to work.  She slept in the car while I skated from 630-745 every weekday morning (nearly), and then dropped me off at work.  How amazing is that?  Now, she is all vested in my "hockey career" that she has even offered her services to dress up in my soon to be goalie gear on winter days at the park, so I can practice shooting as a forward, and...she's excited about it!  Her only stipulation:  We get ice cream afterwards, because she likes ice cream after working out.  Skinny girls, I tell yeah!  Fun times ahead and I am stoked.  Can't wait till I get tired and sore from all that hockey playin'!  It's gonna be on!  As soon as I know what team I will be playing on, I will update you all and have pics!  Woot!  See ya on the ice!

ej

We almost smooshed a guy!

On the way to work, my friend and I decided to patronize the nearby Starbucks.  As she pulled into a parking stall she rammed into an open car door with the driver halfway out of his car.  He got a little scared by the impact as did we, but in the end both drivers walked away and even were adjacent patrons in the ordering line.  I was certain that I was going to be really late for work, or have to just walk the few blocks to the office while they got things resolved.  Nope.  I forget, I am not in California anymore.  They just asked if each other was okay and went on their merry way.  How often does that happen?  I mean, there were like two deep gouges in the side of his door from where the top of the hood and the top of the bumper had hit the door and in turn smashed her headlight in, and he didn't even get angry.  He just said, "That's fine."  It shocked me.  My friend said, "This is Alaska.  Dents happen."

ej

The Coolness...

I've been ice skating a lot the last few weeks.  As you know, I am always looking to challenge myself with some new type of hobby or activity.  Since I am in Alaska, and ice will be in great abundance here come late October/November, I decided it was high time I learned the great sport, Hockey.  There are women's leagues here in Anchorage and they are pretty affordable.  To get me started, I realized three things are going to have to happen:  One, I need to learn how to ice skate; two, I might need to hit up a clinic or two to actually learn how to play, as it is one thing to watch hockey and understand what is going on, but to put it on ice and do it yourself, a bit different; and of course three, get a massage table to afford the "habit."  So here is what I have done in preparation for the upcoming hockey season.

Step one:

I got myself a pair of used skates and other equipment.  (Thank goodness for meeting people who know about and love hockey, much cheaper that way =) ).  So, I bought a punch card, and now have an I.D. for UAA (that means free skating anytime I want at the UAA sports complex).  Skating is now one of the cheapest activities for me to do in Anchorage!  Haha!  So, I have been skating three to four mornings a week, and usually on Saturday afternoons.  I met a little old lady that gives lessons and she's now my "skating coach."  In casual conversation, I mentioned I had just purchased a little massage table and she suggested we swap lessons for massage.  How amazing is that???  As Scott would say "you must be livin' right."  That's how I felt when it all started working out like that!  So, I am learning to skate.  Woo hoo!  Thanks to my good friend, Megan, who offered to wake up early every weekday and drive me to the rink.  I can ride to UAA, but she is bent on supporting me, so I let her.  Besides, it's fun girl time driving around chatting in the mornings.  She even lets me toss my bike in the back of her car for when I get off work.  Good times!

Step two:

Cut a hole in the box...no wait, wrong step. 

Where was I???  Oh yeah, next step!  The league I want to play in is offering a three day clinic for only $50 for all three days!  Not just one day, isn't that pretty sweet?  Again, super cool!  that's in a few weeks, so I need to increase the training regiment so I can learn as much as I can during that clinic.  I don't want to waste my time, their time, or my dollars on clinics I will be so focused on sore muscles or lack of conditioning.  The longest I have been on the ice is 2 hours at one time.  I spent 3 hours on the ice one night, but that was including a half hour phone call while sitting on the benches and a potty break.  It's one thing to do drills by yourself, but another when you are doing specific drills with someone hollerin' at ya!  Believe me, when I have skated with my skating coach, I am so worked at the end of my half hour lesson!  I can almost do crossovers now without breaking my face, though, I can do crossovers counter clockwise for days on my roller blades, and cheat a little by going clockwise at the roller rink when the workers are not looking to work on my crossovers going the other direction.  I can definitely stop much better than I did two weeks ago.  Before, stopping involved the wall, or using my face as a brake.  I preferred the wall, but sometimes, it just wasn't fun.

Step three:

Yep, I got a massage table.  I found a great deal on craigslist and I couldn't be happier.  It's a small table, but I got it for a whopping good deal of only $25!!!  It's not quite as nice as my table in California, but for a price like that I am perfectly happy with it!  Now, I am in the process of getting clients together to make some cash flow.  It actually works out that it is slightly smaller as it fits very well in my apartment.  I am so pleased with how it worked out.  My friend even happened to be available on the day I was to meet with the lady to look at it and she took me in her car!  I love it!

It's been great to be out on the ice and to start from scratch.  I have to eat a lot of humble pie too!  I am used to sports being so easy for me.  I mean, I am sure I will pick up the hockey stuff easily, but being able to do all the different things my coach asks of me has been crazy cool.  I see little kids doing all these drills on one foot, and I am struggling on two feet to do the same drill but different.  Sure, they've been doing it longer, but still, it gets into your head some mornings!  I got this though!  It's gonna be amaze balls!  Here's to hockey and keeping all my teeth intact!

ej