Gettin Back At It For Real

Long overdue...having taken a Summer break from the game as have the Boy and the Devil....sort of.

I've still maintained my Thursday night 3 on 3 men's league ritual, while each of the kids have taken to the ice for at least an hour once a week. Coaches for both want to keep the players' "feet wet" and/or "skates sharp" as the case may be and build some team chemistry for the season to come.

Both teams are in need of the latter as they are both comprised of new groups of kids and varied personalities. In one case we're talking about a collection of testosterone driven fifteen and soon-to-be sixteen year old boys. In the other, an equally potentially volatile mix of thirteen and fourteen year old girls. Each group and individual player for that matter presents its own unique set of challenges. This is why volunteer coaches are certainly to be commended in taking on their chosen roles.

Summer is also a time for fundraising, which has certainly become a major part of belonging to and successfully running a minor hockey team. Many minor hockey teams have major budgets; in some cases upwards of $25,000, which includes the cost of ice, tournaments (5+ per year depending on the team), referees, warm up suits, team bags, training equipment, etc. Minor sports as big business is not news. And so, we participate in beer bottle drives, frozen meat sales, euchre tournaments, golf days and silent auctions in an effort to bring the individual budget burden to a minimum. Those who wish to participate certainly can and are encouraged to do so as these events take on their own team building focus. Others, and it seems this number is growing due, at least in part, to fundraising fatigue, can choose to simply pay out their financial responsibility in lieu of participation.

Fundraising is not without its incidents and this Summer's activities were no exception. The Boy's team decided to run a bottle drive a couple of days after the Canada Day long weekend, fully expecting a boon following a weekend of festivities in many Canadian households. They all ventured out in groups of four with a couple of parents following in trucks and vans to collect the proceeds of the boys' door-to-door ventures. The Boy's group had been out canvassing a couple of neighborhoods for nearly two hours and were dismayed by a relatively low bottle tally. They decided to change locations for a final run before darkness fell. That's when it happened. They hit the Mother Lode. The gentleman who answered the door immediately said "I've been waiting for a team to show up." And he wasn't kidding. In fact, it appeared he had been waiting a few years. Upon opening one of the doors to his two-car garage, the boys discovered upwards of 300 six packs of empty bottles. So many cases, it became necessary to call in reinforcements to transport the haul to the Beer Store for redemption. Based on the size of the generous donation, it was decided that the boys would reimburse the owners of the Mother Lode with a replacement case of beer. A bargain relative to the windfall they provided. And so, some hard-earned and much appreciated funds were added to the team coffers with a few more events to follow throughout the year.

The end of the Summer also marks one other occurrence. The realization that the kids have grown (again) and a good portion of their equipment no longer fits. In the case of the Boy this includes shoulder pads, helmet, neck guard and (uggh) skates. The Devil, who thankfully (but sometime begrudgingly gets the Boy's hand-me-downs), appears to only need pants this year...so far. Guess we can't begrudge them growing and we must do our utmost to keep them safe; bigger kids = bigger collisions.

And so this week marks the start of the new season as the Boy "officially" hits the ice for practice tomorrow night and the Devil will not be far behind. Stories and memories of wins, losses, accomplishments, failures, smiles, tears and the occasional cuss word are no doubt set to abound. I can't wait and if you need me, just call the rink.

#imahockeydad