Not That I am Bragging

But I my Biggest Boy is going to the BC Provincial Championships for Midget Rep Hockey.

Twas a wonderful, hockey filled weekend.  Check THIS out.

A special thank you to Laureen Carruthers Photography for putting this together.

My Kids ROCK!

A weekend hockey summary ....

In our kids' hockey division there are two rounds of best of three games playoffs. This weekend was round one.

Friday night, Eric, accompanied by Shel, was playing in the city north of us. His team has had a ROUGH year with a nasty coach firing in the middle of it. The team Eric's team had to play to get on to the next round of the playoffs has, in teen speak "owned" them. Bad loss after bad loss with a few more bad losses thrown in. However, good things have been happening and the team has been rebuilding, practicing and coming on strong. All those efforts paid off when Eric's team beat theie nemesis in Game #1 on their home ice, 5 - 0. YEAH ERIC!!

At the same time, Greg's team was on the ice playing the Big City team. A Big City team means they have WAY more players to pick from and a larger talent pool to use, and as such, they usually, more often than not, completely dominate the smaller cities. Greg's team beat them 6-0.

Yahoooo!! Two shut outs in two games! Yeah boys!! One win down, one more to go to move on to the second round.

Saturday morning dawned with much tension in our house as Greg was completely focused on the games yet to play. If Greg's team lost this game, the final and deciding game would have to be played in Big City. It was not an option Greg wanted to face. He awoke exactly as the coach had instructed -- three hours before game time. He consumed a pefectly planned out breakfast exactly as mom had instructed. He paced. He growled. He wanted to play.

Big City Team came out flying and ready to avenge their humiliation of the night before. Greg's team struggled with a combination of nerves and over-confidence slipping behind two nothing by the middle of the second period. Greg was finally able to put his team on the board late in the second with a goal as he slid past the net on his stomach. It was exciting and woke his team up.

At the beginning of the third period, his team managed another goal and finally the game was scored. For 19 minutes the teams battled back and forth with a few scoring chances but nothing connecting. The stress was palatable. Big City Team was playing for their very hockey lives knowing that they were on the brink of elimination. Greg's team was playing for pride and the glory of winning on home ice.

Finally the coaches called a time out with less than a minute to play in the third period. I watched as Greg was put out to play. This is an honor for a kid the youngest player on his team. A visible sign that his coach sees his ability, his talent but also his determination and focus, and his faith in Greg was to be rewarded.

With 37 seconds left on the clock, Greg was perfectly positioned to receive a pass from behind the net and scooped the puck up behind the goalie and scored. I screamed my freaking head off as did every other parent in the stands (and so did the horde of teenage girls that now flock to his games, which is another post all together!). His team won. Big City eliminated!!! Greg the MVP of the series and he was one happy, happy boy!

Immediately after Greg received his accolades and was off the ice, we bundled into the van to head up to watch Eric face his opponent in the city further north. Again, his team "owned" the opposition, finishing with a 9-5 win over a shocked and disappointed team.

It was off to celebrate with good friends the victory of my hard working and talented boys. Most importantly, it means no hockey for Sunday. Thanks kids!.

The Cost of a Sport They Love

I realize that some of you that read my blog do so from areas that are NOT obsessed with hockey and you may wonder at my constant references to the sport that consumes my life. Hockey, in a Hockey Town, with 4 sons that PLAY hockey on 5 different teams means that a good portion of my life is spent at the rink, driving to the rink, working at the rink, warming up from the rink and most importantly financially supporting my kids' addiction.

The time cost is high, and for example since Friday my husband and I have been at the rink, (actually two rinks) combined, more than 24 hours. And its just 9 am Sunday morning. From September to March our life IS hockey. There are practices 5 days a week, and games every weekend. To sleep in past 5:30 on a Saturday morning means the kids celebrate having a "Late Game" that starts at 7:15 instead of 6:15. Three mornings during the week we are at the rink by 5:15 am. Two nights during the week we are there past 9:15, and that isn't counting weekend games. Yesterday morning required we be at the rink at 5:45 am and I stumbled home after my son's last game at 10:20 pm. I have friends who have been waiting to go out for coffee with me since October and the basket of unfolded socks is now two baskets.

The financial cost is also enormous. On top of registrations fees, rep team fees, travel fees, fund raising costs your kids have to wear specialized equipment. Hockey gear when our kids were little was not all that expensive. We hit hockey swaps. We hit up friends with older kids. Our kids wore hand-me-downs quite happily. Once we were even given some brand new gear by the Kids Sport Foundation. All in all, the sport sucked us in and we were blindly unaware of the extent of the cost of this habit as time progressed. Then, surprisingly, the boys got bigger and better and rougher and no longer would second hand equipment or cheap free-bees work.

Last summer we were fortuitously able to get a VERY GOOD DEAL on some VERY EXPENSIVE SKATES for son #1. I won't even tell you how much they are worth because its practically embarrassing but needless to say, they were worth more than my first junker car. The hope was that we could pass them down to the smaller boys as time went on.

I forgot that Son #1 plays very, very physical hockey. He needs, essentially, pro level gear now because nothing else stands up to him. I provide for you evidence of what one 13 year old can do to a VERY EXPENSIVE PAIR OF SKATES in 5 months of hockey, and why I scoff when family members suggest we just go down to the local discount sports store and pick him up the $89 specials.

These are his very expensive skates. Last week the toe busted out completely and yesterday the BLADE (the very expensive, high performance, carbon blades I would point out) BROKE!! (see the top skate?)

And if anyone has a line on some cheap, good quality hockey gear, drop me a line! 4 boys + 1 pay cheque = COMPLETELY BROKE PARENTS!!!

They're Trying to Take My Baby!!!

Ok so its not as if there are masked men beating down my door, these baby stealers are far, far more insidious and sneaky. They send letters. TO MY CHILD. Addressed to him. My barely out of diapers CHILD (ok so that is a bit of a large exaggeration but ... STILL!!!) Sneaky, baby stealing letters.

What are these horrible letters you might ask??? They are letters from JUNIOR A HOCKEY ASSOCIATIONS. Letters of INVITATION to "Prospect Camps". They use flattery. They use incentives. They use pretty pictures.

And they invite him to try out for teams FAR, FAR, FAR away. From ME.

I was under the illusion that he couldn't be scouted for another year. These letters tell me I was in denial. Am I conflicted? Heck yeah!

Proud? Absolutely!! Overwhelmingly so! This is a huge thing for a 14 year old in a hockey crazy town, in a hockey crazy province, in a hockey crazy country.

Scared? Absolutely!! The team that invited him out today is at least a 12 hour drive (and ferry ride) from our home.

Confused? Yah think?? This is his dream. To "make it". To get these opportunities, and who am I to deny my child their dream? But then there is reality, his dream means that he will have to leave home early. This is a kid who ARRIVED home late. What is the wisdom in letting a child who experienced much in his early childhood leave home so young? It's our job as parents to protect him, even from himself. What 14 year old wouldn't want to be asked to play for a team that would undoubtedly be a huge stepping stone for him? Would he regret that we let him as an adult and ask why we didn't stop him? Is he sacrificing his childhood for a sport? Would he hate us for denying him the chance?

Yes, I am jumping about twelve steps ahead of where I need to be because in reality its very, very different from being asked to come out and being asked to play, but it is these thoughts that flood my head when this happens because this is only the first of several invitations to come.

No easy answers. So today I am proud, and scared and wonder what the future holds for my talented baby boy.