Warrior Glory Story - September 2009

"A Little Advice, A Whole ‘Nother Level" by Ambler

“Play as hard as you can while having as much fun as you can.  If you've done everything you can then you can play guilt and regret free hockey.” Nate Handrahan, Coach, Weekend Warriors

I stepped onto the ice not knowing what to expect. There were 32 women, 3 coaches and one hour to prove I could do something more than fall on my ass or play hot potato with the puck. Pretty daunting considering I’ve only been playing for a year and have never tried out for anything before. Oh, yeah, did I mention I’m 40….ish?

As we circled the ice, warming up with one of the assistant coaches, I tried to size everyone up and place them at the appropriate level, hoping there were more D’s than C’s because that’s where I wanted to be – on the C team. I wasn’t asking for much – just to move up one level. Just to prove that a year of hard work had made a difference. Gotta admit, at that moment, everyone looked like B’s to me.

“Kick some ass, and don't drink too much tonight!” Rick Parisi, Owner, Weekend Warriors

It’s been a whole year of firsts for me – first pair of hockey skates, first team, first game, first concussion, first shot, first block, first goal, first crushing disappointment, first win, first championship and of course, my first hockey camp.

I came out of the Dallas camp in April feeling a little stronger, a little faster, a little wiser and a little hung-over.  I’d focused on a few of my weaknesses, strengthened some of my strengths. Everyone noticed the improvement and even though I didn’t get that fabled “Warrior Hat Trick” in the spring league (or any at all!) my confidence was at an all-time high…until a week later when our coach said the “T” word.

“The only thing you can control is your attitude, your conditioning, & your competitive spirit.” Nick Carrier, Coach, Weekend Warriors

Unlike the previous season where I’d walked onto the team merely because it was expanding and needed players no matter what their level and experience, this season they were expanding again and wanted to ice a competitive team. Fifty women had indicated interest in about 39 spots on 3 teams – Adult B, C & D. Tryouts were the only way to handle it.

My first instinct was to panic. I’m good at that. I chucked my confidence in the trashbin and resigned myself to a year of solitary hours at stick-n-puck because there was no way I’d even make the D-team this time. Tryouts are HUGE and I wasn’t up to the challenge.

My second instinct was to stop being a big baby and register for the Vail camp. That’s right – two Warrior camps in two months because I’m just that kind of crazy.  I needed an edge. I needed to be faster, my transitions sharper, my ice sense stronger, my shot…who was I kidding? I didn’t have a shot! I needed a shot. A wrister, a snapper – anything that made the puck do more than dribble its way along the ice onto an opposing player’s stick.

I focused my energy into gaining whatever ground I could while I was there (when I wasn’t focused on drinking as much beer as possible of course) – I pestered Coach Jim for 2 days until he fixed my shot and asked the others to get in my face to help me perform under pressure. I brought home a new transition, new ideas on defensive strategy, more confidence in my stick-handling and honestly, a great support system in the coaches who were still answering my questions after camp (some of them MONTHS after camp).

I felt ready.

“Just play your game.... don't do anything you wouldn't normally do in any other game! Keep everything simple.  Don't try and be a Crosby or an Ovechekin...just be you” Rob Boyle, Coach, Weekend Warriors

The warm ups ended and the drills started. New drills I’d never seen before – how is that possible? Ten minutes later I’m sitting on the bench in a red penny next to a B-level defenseman from last season wondering how I was going to keep up with her. I mean she’s only been skating all her life. She only coaches for a living. She only…oh hell, I may as well have been sitting next to Bobby freakin’ Orr.

But I put that out of my mind and focused on the task at hand: twenty shifts, one shift at a time.

I played my game – completely defensive, not straying too far from my zone. I didn’t pinch up. I concentrated on breaking the puck out. I kept my head up and looked for time and space. Amazingly, I found it time and again. Sometimes it was back to my partner, once it was between a forward’s legs, once around the net and once, it was right onto the waiting stick of our forward in the slot – another B-player that one-timed it in. Probably the sweetest pass I’ve ever made in my life.

“You need to be a presence on the ice so be the hardest worker and a bulldog!” Rob Boyle, Coach, Weekend Warriors

The second day of tryouts I found myself sitting next to Bobby Orr again. Worse yet, the coach had loaded the yellow team up with B-players. Red was full of C & D players – including me. Bobby and I spent our twenty shifts that night scrambling. I felt like I was everywhere at once, in the corner, back to the net, back to the corner, try to clear the puck, it comes right back. Ten shifts in and we’re sucking wind, but we haven’t let in a goal.

That’s when she tells me to take the puck up if I get a chance. I needed to show the coach I could carry it in a pinch.

Crap.

I love my blueline. I HATE the other one. For whatever reason, I can make a beautiful run up the ice only to lose the puck one step over the line. There doesn’t have to be a defenseman there. I can lose it all on my own without anyone’s help thank you very much.  But I took her advice to heart and promised myself I’d try if I got the chance. I’d worked on it in Dallas with Coach Nick, worked on it again in Vail, so why not?

"Keep your head up & when in doubt just shoot it... you'll be fine...." Andre Deveaux, Winger, Toronto Maple Leafs

My chance came on a line change. The scrimmage was set to minute shifts, full change on the buzzer, leave the puck where it is. This time, the puck lay on the far side of the neutral zone. I jumped over the boards, caught yellow out of the corner of my eye, dug in for some speed and tapped that puck one stick blade before she did. I caught up to it, swept it up on my backhand, motored through the rest of the neutral zone, deked my way right around a winger, left around a defender and took what can only be described as a wicked point-blank shot at the net from the high slot.

It didn’t go in.  It bounced off the goalie’s shoulder and onto the top of the net.

Did you hear that? I BEAT someone to the puck, carried it PAST the blueline without dropping it, DEKED two players and then MY shot actually hit the goalie ABOVE her skate blades! I couldn’t do any of that in April, let alone all of that together during a game.

I could have retired right then and there with a pleasant wave to the fans and a tap of my stick. Instead, I finished the last few shifts, listened to the post-camp pep talk, packed my gear and tried to walk out the door. I didn’t get very far.

The coach stopped me.

Crap.

“I know you can do it!!!!" Nate Handrahan, Coach, Weekend Warriors

One look at him and I knew my C-team dream was about to die. He knew that’s where I wanted to be – I’d made that perfectly clear to him and anyone who’d listen. I’d played well, had a great tryout, but….

There’s always a “but!”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but you belong on the B-team.”*

*Results not typical. Individual results may vary. Success is inversely proportional to the amount of beer consumed, indirectly proportional to the amount not consumed and directly proportional to cup-flipping abilities.

The quotes above are from all the last minute advice the coaches and friends gave me. Thanks to all of them for their support and to Rick for creating the camp that got me there.