Holiday Travels, Part 7

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Last night we went to our coach's wife's mom's house for pizza and hot chocolate and to allow the kids to skate and play pond hockey in the park. It was -5 degrees F.

Now, the "ponds" are really small outdoor rinks in the parks, some with boards around them, some not. This one had boards around it and a few tall lights to light the rink at night. Our bundled-up boys had to walk across the icy street in their boots, carrying their sticks and skates, and tredge along the snow banks along the path to reach the rink where they sat down on hills of snow to put on their skates. Many of the boys had to have help tying their skates because their fingers were so cold that they couldn't maneuver their laces, so the adults that followed the kids over took turns tying skates. The boys that had waxed laces found it the hardest to tie their skates because the wax on the laces had become hard and stiff.

The ice was rough and bumpy. To clean the ice, of course there is no zambonie. I found out that it is up to the people in the neighborhood to keep the ice clean by taking snow shovels out on the ice and scraping it clean and as smooth as they could get it. Pete, our coach, was out there in his boots doing this while the kids hit the ice and skated around him.

The boys then started a scrimage, and, as Derek noted, "there are no rules; just don't get rough." They had a blast! Us adults had to pull them off the ice a couple of times to bring them inside to warm up and get something to eat and drink. They must have been on the ice for over six hours!

The last time they came in the Junior Championship game between Canada and the U.S. was on, so the boys crowded around the big screen TV in the basement to watch that, while many of us adults stayed upstairs and chatted. But we knew every time the U.S. scored, because the kids would cheer! U.S. lost in the end, though...

Now here's a thought about these "ponds": if one learns to skate on these bumpy lumpy ice surfaces, you'll get to be a pretty good skater! I mean, think about it. When you hit the nice flat, shiny smooth surface of a rink that has a zamboni, it should be a piece of cake! So between learning to skate on these rinks and all the practices you have up here, is it a wonder that Canadians are such good skaters?

We'll be going to the Rideau Canal today to skate. It's the first day it's open! Can't wait!