Well, after a whirlwind introduction into the work of Ice Hockey, I've decided to document my progress, to share my experiences with other players, gain any worthwhile advice, and publicly humiliate myself!
It all started in December 2016, when, on a whim, I booked tickets for a local Swindon Wildcats game for myself and my son as a treat. It was one of those 'always meant to do but never got around to it' experiences, and after watching our first game (we lost to Telford 6-5), we were hooked.
Leaving the game I asked my son 'how do you fancy us both signing up to ice skating lessons'. It's always been one of those things I have wanted to be able to do, having hit the ice once or twice in my life in rental skates, but never really learned properly. He was keen, and so we signed up.
As a Christmas gift, I bought him a Wildcats jersey, and after chatting with the girl in the merchandise store, I was told that the Wildcats run kids 'learn to play' sessions every Friday evening. So, a day before Xmas Eve, we turned up and off my son went (he's 10, very little experience on the ice). We were greeted at the Link Centre by Sam Bullas of the Wildcats, who gave a mighty grin when we asked about the session, and displayed his dental gaps proudly....."there you go son, that could be you" :-)
After a dramatic hour, my son came back off of the ice, elated and sweaty. And very bruised. First purchase - elbow and shin guards.
The second week, he went out on the ice, happily sliding about on his new pads ("erm, that's not quite the point son"). Again, he finished, elated, sweaty.....but less bruised.
Prior to week 3, his enthusiasm hadn't dampened, and so we popped into our LHS for new skates....if he's going to learn, he may as well have his own. At that point I just sighed, and made the decision "ok, let's do it, let's kit you out". Leaving the store a few hundred pounds lighter (alas financially, not physically).
The following day we had our first Learn To Skate lesson. Off he went in his shiny new skates to join the childrens class, and I waddled off on my new CCM Tacks 4092's (ah what the heck...if you can't beat 'em) to my adult class. Where I promptly spend my session within reach of the boards. I could do a very basic glide, but missed the toe picks that I had been used to on the rental skates (but then, my use of them had been a bad habit, not through established technique).
That week, due to a favourable shift pattern I went to the lunchtime skate sessions nearly every day, and when I turned up to the LTS class on the Saturday morning, our group was informed we were going to be graded. I breezed my level 1, and with the exception of backwards marches and CW circles (our public skate sessions run ACW and my feet are not yet accustomed to going the other way) I nailed most of level 2.
After the LTS my son proudly skated over to me, to tell me that he too had passed level 1.
Another weekend of 2 x 2hrs of public sessions, and we're whizzing around the ice (ok, just front stroking and glides, but a lot more confident), and I can just about manage backwards lemons.
And so it came, that 9 days after my first skating lesson, and about 13hrs on the ice (well, 13hrs at the rink....the new skates are agony to break in, so for every hour at the rink I'm probably skating for 30 minutes...I really must get them baked), I took the plunge to go for the late night adult learn to play sessions. I picked up new pads (Bauer Vapor X700 elbow and shin guards...after all I had seen the state of my son after his first session), and apprehensively turned up to the session.
The guys there were instantly welcoming, I padded up, and then headed off to pick up helmet (read "head vice"), gloves, and stick, and then after a few minutes, we were on the ice.
I should have known what was to come. Everyone else just jumped straight onto the ice. I held onto the door and eased myself on to the pad. then skated clumsily around for a couple of laps, and then to the rendezvous point, where we were briefed on the warm up. Alternating circles around the face off circles (great, time for my ropey cw circles), and then diagonal line dashes with hockey stops/turns at each point (yeah, right). All of the confidence I had built up over the previous 9 days rapidly evaporated. I am slow, clumsy, have no idea how to hold a hockey stick, can't hockey stop, and my legs frequently just went into their own little world, resulting in a series of increasingly heavy falls.
We then split into three groups. Group one had to skate around a face off circle (again, cw!), pass the puck to the next guy in the line, skate around the circle again, receive the pass back, then take a shot on goal. My stick control was non existent, still not sure whether I'm a lefty or righty, my footwork was reminiscent of Bambi on ice. My first shot on goal went nicely into the net, but I know in the real world, the game would have been over long before I'd got anywhere near the goal.
Next was an exercise that totally passed me by. i just didn't have a clue. I think we were supposed to be skating around the centre face off circle, then through some cones, all with the puck, but I got sidetracked with a discussion about which hand should be where on the stick, and whether I was left or right handed. I felt pretty intimidated by this point. Intimidated, clueless, embarrassed, and really wondered whether I had made the right decision to even be there.
Finally, we practised our stops. My first attempt saw me hitting the deck, stick waving wildly in the air. I was now getting used to the sharp intakes of breath and murmurs of "is he ok" each time I went down. Someone told me previously that if you don't fall over, you're not trying hard enough.....based on that, I was pretty much (with one or two exceptions) the only one trying! My hockey stops need a lot of work. Maybe getting the rest of the padding will increase my confidence (or be a total waste of money if I give up!).
The evening rounded off with a scrimmage game. By this point you can tell the ones that are in it for a laugh, and the ones with the competitive streak. To be honest, I just didn't approach anyone that didn't smile - I know I was totally hopeless, and I felt conscious of slowing the pace of their evening down, but for the most part, I had some very positive feedback, ranging from 'It's ok bud, we've all been there, just keep coming and you'll get better', to 'I was just like you a few weeks ago, hang in there'.
Realistically, at 45 years old, I know I am never going to play in any serious competition. I just enjoy skating, and would love to improve to a decent level. On one level, I would love to be able to join my sons classes - they are split up by ability, and focus on skating ability and just having fun. I think if i didn't have the stick to focus on, I would probably perform a little better as I could focus on my footwork a little more, but then, it's hockey. The stick is integral to the sport, and so I guess it makes sense to get used to it from the outset.
I left the session buzzing and bruised. My confidence and self esteem at a low point, but feeling happy to have had a go. I have never been particularly sporty....I tend to go for solo activities - mountain biking, hill walking, and not team sports, but unless you try, you never know. I hope I get to a point where I don't feel like the weakest link, but it's going to be a long journey.
I'd be interested to hear anyone elses experiences getting into the sport, especially if they are of a similar age and ability.
As my pursuit progresses, I'll update this thread.
Happy skating!