8/23/2006 & 9/24/2006
So…it’s been nearly forever since I’ve updated anything. Life for me right now seems to consist of my startup and hockey (not that I’m complaining!).
So, I figured this would be a good chance to share some photos. I’ve been playing in net for just over a year now and am having a blast. My back is doing outstanding-ly-er and I’m more flexible than I’ve ever been.
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Like I said, this is kinda random, so we’ll start with the “why did you start playing” question. The answer: ’cause I had been a “hockey wife” for nearly 2 years and it was time to get my butt out there in some stinky gear. Seriously, I had gone to weekday games, weekend games and even 10:45 games to watch Steph play. |
Total cuteness! |
Go with it! (Thanks Jason!) |
Doh! Wish I had my stick right about now. |
So I started playing in net sometime last year. Toughest first three months of any sport…..ever. Between the weight (30lbs) of the gear, the absolute heat from being confined, the awkwardness of the motion and the never-ending requirement to do lunge after lunge in spite of all the above — it was no wonder that I gave up several 10-goal games.
Heck, I still carry out 2 water bottles and regularly go through them. Darn, tootin’ hot in there I tell ya. |
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| And with a year under my belt, I got a wonderful present from Auntie Susi — a weekend at a hockey camp up in Tahoe. Well, back from Weekend Warriors in South Lake Tahoe and in
4 days, 10 hours on the ice I faced ~ 500 shots (with only 1 really nasty puck-bruise) |
Mega 5-Hole!! |
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Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! |
Gotchya! |
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And with a year under my belt, and my old pads showing their age (3rd generation used) and inadequacy (33″ is just too short for a 6’1″ dude), I had already ordered new custom pads from Pete Smith. These babes are the SP4000’s with the SP2000 graphics. Custom black and red weave. What beauties. Worth the wait (10weeks) and most definitely worth the price ($500 cheaper than mass-manufactured chinese-made pads), my new pads are a goalie’s dreams come true–a goaligasm if you were. The true test? The skaters HATE them!!! Although, they have taken some getting used to. One of my first times out with them (it’s a rec-league, so I put them on right away) I went down in the butterfly, slid across the crease and all the way into the corner. Doh! Great stability, slide and closure. All the sweet features that mass-manufactured pads are just starting to consider incorporating. (Got the matching blocker and glove on order for this October. I can’t wait!) | |
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Total closure in the butterfly! |
First night with the new pads! |
Putting the stop on Teresa. |
Our team has the puck in the corner, or you wouldn’t see that gap by my knee! |
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| Somewhere in all this, I figured skating out (what non-goalies refer to the job of playing a non-goalie position as) woudl be worth a shot. Wanted to learn something about “D” and see what it was like.
Well….. it’s confusing, for one thing. I like having my own little spot on the ice (conveniently marked otu for me) with my 2 best friends (Left and Right Post) behind me. Out there, on the open ice, there’s confusion and mayhem and people running into each other and all sorts of dynamism. Good news, though. A hard season and an even harder Stanley Keg Game. Yup, after 3 periods, it was a 1-1 tie game and we were hanging on! Gerald was doing a phenomenal job in net. Overtime was more of the same, both teams and both goalies getting tired. Overtime ended and we went to shootout. No goals (kudos to both goalies!) for the first 5 shooters. That’s when we put out our “secret weapon”, Tracy. She pounded one into the goalie’s 5-hole, but the goalie got 90% of it. Trouble is, that last 10% was just enough for the puck to trickle (yes, slowly….very slowly) over the line. The bench erupted and we were cheering. The other team had one more shot…..and Geri blocked it! THE RATS WIN THE KEG! THE RATS WIN THE KEG! Back in the net for me! (at least for now…) |
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