Hockey has always been a big part of my life and growing up playing brought fun an discipline to my childhood. As I grew older there was a lot less opportunity to play or sign up on a team let alone getting time away from work or school which is why I was very excited to get on a recreational hockey league with some friends of mine.
Practice is Sunday so Saturday night is a good time to check my equipment and make sure everything is there and in working order, right? Wrong! As I pull out my gear I realize it has been years since I last did so and some of it, well, most of it has seen better days. Gloves with holes in both palms, check, shin guards with missing straps coming an inch short, check, Stick with a lighter flex for a lighter me, check. With every piece I pull out of my bag my worries grow as I realize I have to get some new gear before I play in this league.
Luckily a week separates our first practice and our first game, time enough time to get the gear I need and get everything together. After being heckled at practice for my lack of appropriate gear I was more ready than before to get some fresh equipment. As I ordered up some new shin guards, sticks, gloves, pants and reward myself with a new half shield I got that “new gear” excitement I forgot about. When my new gear arrived I did what any self respecting hockey player would do and suited up completely in my living room and paraded around the house like my favorite star.
The moral of my story is to check your equipment if you are going to be getting back into hockey after some time off. Our bodies change as do our demands out of equipment which is why there is such a wide range of differing styles and sizes of hockey gear. Luckily in my case everything ended up working out and I am no longer heckled for my gear as now the hecklers are envious. Hockey will maintain a stronghold on my leisure life as I grow older and I personally hope to keep getting the “new gear” excitement for countless years to come.
Tags: Blogs, Hockey Equipment
