A few days ago, I went to a skills session training for hockey. In the off season, you should try your best to stay in shape and keep up with your skills, because if you don’t you can fall behind. My high school hockey coach does a skills session every summer in which he teaches you the basics. Some younger kids go to learn the basics where as the older kids go to keep up their skills.
The training is an hour off ice and an hour on ice. I didn’t know how intense it was going to be but I prepared for the worst. I came to realize that if I hope for the best and pray for the worst in hockey, I will never get my hopes up. I arrived at the hockey rink a half an hour before it began. I got a ride with my friend who also does the clinic. We sat around in the parking lot and talked while waiting for the instructors. I was nervous. I didn’t want to face the fact that I am a little out of shape since hockey season was over. I didn’t want to be the kid behind everyone in the pack because I couldn’t keep up. That wasn’t going to happen, I was determined.
The two instructors arrived right on time and it was time to begin. I hoped that they would start out easy and give us time to stretch. I was wrong. Right after they gave their speech to us they made us sprint. Now, I’m not complaining but when we were on our fifth sprint, I was ready to leave. How could I be so tired? Was it because I was out of shape or because this workout really was difficult? I looked around to see the other kids and their reaction. Yep, it wasn’t just me. We were all so tired and it hadn’t even been five minutes. All I thought to myself was what I was going to do to keep going until the rest of the practice.
After sprinting some more, we had to do exercises. I have never even heard of these exercises and I soon realized why. They were near impossible to do. I don’t think I did one of the exercises exactly right. Although I looked around and tried to fix my obvious errors during the exercises, nobody was really doing them right so I couldn’t even get a demonstration. After, we ran around the building and did some jumping jacks, which was the easiest part.
After the hour was over, I wondered how I could possibly be able to go out onto the ice for another set of skills. What was the worst part of the whole thing? I forgot my water. Luckily, my friend had brought some so I just took some of hers. After getting dressed, I finally headed out onto the ice. We skated around a little bit and I was eagerly anticipating what we would do since I was so tired. Fifty five more minutes, and I was counting until I could take off all my sweaty equipment and go home to drink all the gallons of water in the world.
Surprisingly, the skating part was easy. It was just basic skills that I had already gone over when I was young and just some of the drills we did during high school season. I was so happy! I don’t know what I would have done if the skating was anything like the off ice. Finally, the practice was over. Now if you read my blog, you know how much I love hockey. I will do anything to get on the ice and do anything I can to improve myself. I will not complain, at least not out loud, and I will work hard. Next time I just think that I will bring water and not eat a whole meal right before going.
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