Finally

Who knew 2 1/2 days of work could feel soooo long.  All of the kids completely checked out last week.  I'm pretty sure all the staff felt that way by Monday of this week.  All I could think this week was, "Seriously.  We are still in school and it's 4/3/2 days until Christmas."  Silly NYC schools.  My co-teacher and I managed to entertain ourselves today by dressing as snowwomen.  We wore the white sweater tunics a parent bought us and made buttons and top hats out of construction paper.  The kids loved it for the 30 minutes max that it lasted.  Luckily we only had a half day of school and were done by 12:30.  That could not have come quick enough.  I have been exhausted this week from a combination of work, holiday related stuff, and not sleeping soundly.

Despite all of this I still got off the subway around 1:45pm and though "hmm, I wonder if I have time to go skating...".  I quickly ruled out the thought since I had to leave for the airport at 4:30 and had things to do before leaving.  It's interesting, though, how addicted I've become to skating in the last 5 or 6 weeks.  I haven't felt that kind of excitement since regattas in high school and college.  I think it's this whole combination of the fun of skating, learning something new, picking up things quickly, and being a part of something.  Mauvais Gardien has made comments that basically support my last thought.  Although I cannot say it as eloquently, she has said that when you see someone in a hockey sweater, even if its a team you don't like, there's at least a level of respect because they enjoy the sport.

I was especially thinking about that after my lesson on Monday.  Now that I have my hockey pants, shin guards, and hockey socks, I go to the women's locker room to change at the rink.  One of the women in the intermediate class (Monday adult skate lessons are split on the ice.  Ice skaters on one side and then the two hockey classes on the other) asked when I was going to join them because it looked like I was doing well in the beginning class.  In this case it wasn't about different jerseys but it was about learning hockey.  I felt like, also, beyond learning hockey, we were women learning hockey.  As evident by common knowledge and the pictures on the locker room doors (men's locker room has a hockey player, women's locker room has a figure skating), we are the minority.  As a result, there is a common respect for each other.

After wine at the airport I totally forgot where I was going with this.  My tolerance is so low now.  To sum things up: Hockey rocks.  Skating Rocks.  Wine rocks.  The holidays rock.

JFK does not rock though.

I think you can see the alcohol taking affect through this entry.

Curse the Outside Edge

Just over a month after I first starting skating for real (not counting once or twice a year with rented skated), I notice a big difference in what skating feels like.  The ice doesn't feel slippery, I can still skate fast on chopped up ice, I can do more than just skate in a circle kind of fast, and I know the feeling of the outside and inside edge. 

I can do more than just skate in a circle kind of fast:

• I can do foward and backwards swizzles as well as skate foawrd and backwards.  
• I can also do a hockey stop.  
• I can make sharper and faster turns
• I've pretty much got a crossover down (going to the right is harder)

Doing a crossover on a right turn is hard for me just as turning to the right is more difficult.  I read something in a hockey book that made sense: Almost all skating rinks have a counter clockwise skating pattern.  So if, like me, you were not fortunate enough to be put in skates when you were young, you sarted off skating at open skates.   Even now, in order to practice I have to go to open skate.  My muscles are therefore used to left turns.

I know the feeling of the outside and inside edge.  And I hate the outside edge.  Okay, I don't hate you, you're just scary.  Aside form pure balance, the outside edge takes trust.  You have to trust that your ankle isn't going to fail you.  You have to trust that even though you are leaning (not sure if that's the right word) towards the ice, you will not fall.  One of the guys and I were doing figure eights to practice crossovers on Monday.  We both bit it into the ice quite a few times.  At least he has some pads on.  The inside edge is all fun in games but that outside edge is no joke.  After skating yesterday, I'm getting a much better feel for it now.

Before I can switch to the intermediate class, I think I only need to master a few more things:

• Switching between forward and backward skating (that's tricky for me)
• Backwards crossover (haven't tried yet)
  

I think that's all of the basic stuff,  yes?  I couldn't even stop a month ago so I'm happy with my progress.  Too bad I didn't start skating when I was little.  Neither of my parents can skate, though, so that's probably why.  I guess they aren't Swedish enough.  Maybe I inherited all the Swedish genes- especially the ones from my great-grandma.  She came to America on a boat by herself.  That's what we call an 1800s badass.

Hockey is a Love That Won't Leave You

Monday nights are exciting for me.  They are the night I have skating lessons.  I get to practice old things and learn new things.  Tonight, I learned more about turning and also learned a hockey stop.  I'm pretty good with my left side on the hockey stop but need to improve my right.  I'm happy to have more to work on.  I love hockey skating (I'll call it hockey when a puck is finally involved).  I love being on the ice.  I love gliding on the ice.  I love hockey stops.  I don't even mine falling every once and awhile- that's how you learn after all.  I love turning on skates.  I love gloved fist pounds with the instructor when I do great down the ice.  What have I been doing for 24 years?

Life in the Point

No hockey content tonight.  Although I am typing during commercial breaks of the Wings vs. Stars.  Part of the reason my job has extra stress is that I work with kids.  They are things that you can just leave at work and forget about.  They are humans and therefore you get attached to them.  It's particuarly more stressful where I work because the problems the kids face are much greater than other places (i.e. one boy was emotional in class and he told the director people were being shot outside his building and he hated Halloween because of everything that goes on).  There are things we don't openly tell our parents or significant others.  Things like how a faculty member was almost taken in a van on a night near Halloween.  Or how two of our middle school kids were jumped at the bus stop by kids who had wood with nails in it. 

Tonight I was walking to the subway with my co-teacher when we saw a rowdy group across the street.  A mob of fist fighting, cursing kids moved form one side of the street and into the street.  We started walking faster and saw they were crossing the street.  We then walked as fast as possible to the other side of the street and booked it for the subway. 

The thing was, we weren't the only ones.  Two kids who were with the group took of running away and everyone on our side of the street crossed over when they saw it coming.  We all had the exact same thought- we need to avoid this group because god only knows if they have knives or guns.  For my co-teacher and I, though, we get to the subway and hop on a train to the Upper East Side.  We go home where we know it's safe.  Our kids don't get the same chance.  It's hard to know the the 6 and 7 year olds that you spend 40 hours a week with are painfully aware of what's going on in the world around them.  And it's not like you can really explain to them why they can't go outside and play or why those women with short, tight clothes are knocking on cars or why the have to hear gunshots at night. I don't know if that's getting soap boxy.  It's just the reality of how you start to feel.

Skating is the Perfect Remedy for Anger

It was a typical day in the classroom today.  The kids were good overall minus their amnesia to our silent sign.  Little things they do drive me nuts.  I'll still take it over fist fights, chocking, and flipped desks (sometimes all in one day!).  I went through quite the range of emotions today.  From tired to teaching mode to annoyed to tired to REALLY ANGRY to excited and pleased. I'm not going to go into full details but there was a lot of yelling that wasn't words and WTF was repeated a lot.  Long story short some men suck even months after first realizing the suck. 

After that incident I was very happy I would be going skating.   I knew that would release some agression.  I got over ot Chealse Piers and signed in for class.  I got on the ice and started warming up.  I love my new skates.  I can feel how much faster they are than rentals.  I skated a few laps around and rather enjoyed doing some.  One f the instructors then stopped me.  She asked me if I was interested in hockey.  I told her I was.  She said she saw that I ha da good amount of speed and inquired if I would like to be in the beginning hockey class.  OF COURSE!  I had to leave the rink and get a rental helmet and then I returned to the ice.  The instructor gave me his gloves to use for the class.  There are 3 men in my group and one instructor.  I was even more pleased when I found that the men were impressed with the fact that I've skated maybe a dozen times in my lifetime.  I learn fast thus far when it comes to skating.  Like I've said before, I'm swedish therefore I was born to skate. 

During me lesson today I finally learned how to stop.  I'm good at using my right foot to stop but I need some more work on my left.  Once I master that I can learn the side stop.  I also started learning some basic skating technique.  I can go fast, but now I need to learn some actually skills.  I thouroughly enjoyed my lesson.  I am very happy when I am on water, generally it does not matter the form- river, ocean, pool, frozen.  Tonight was no exception.

 
After the lesson, I stopped by the pro shop and bought gloves and a helmet.  Those are the gloves.  They were the first ones I saw and they happen to fit.  Not easy with my little hands.  That might be a picture of the helmet.  It's something like that.  Also about the only one they had that fit.  I'm happier with them in my posession.  My bank account not as much.  I can't wait till open skate so I can get in some more practice before my lesson.

Where to begin?

Nowadays when you are about to embark on an interesting journey you think, "It's occasions like these that warrant that start of a blog."  I totally don't think that is sad or pathetic.  Other people have done it and I'm sure there lives are far less interesting (Is that arrogant to say?  Too late.  I already did.).  

I am a New York City teacher, but the story starts long before that.  I grew up in a small town a few states over.  I had a typical small town life... minus my affinity for doing totally random things with my friends.  I had a friend who liked hockey (Ms. Mauvais Gardien).  Liked may be quite the understatement.  Eventually this translated into my own enjoyment of hockey, especially hockey fights.  My love of hockey fights then eventually translated into an enjoyment of the entire sport.  My life eventually took me from college to NYC where I started teaching.  That's a whole book right there.  I was young and had crazy kids who fought all day long.  Now, a few years down the line, I'm in a slightly better place having left the DOE behind to teach at a charter school- which is not without it's problems because it's still a school in the South Bronx.

After an epic whirlwind weekend tour which included a trip to Toronto, Canada where I went to the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Leafs vs. Red Wings game, my innate love for hockey resurfaced with a vengeance.  I think it clicked when I saw the Tre Kroner hockey jersey.  I'm completely in love with it.  You see, my heritage is over half Swedish.  The little part of me that is not Swedish is French-Canadian.  My grandfather was also from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan and my theory is they must have played hockey there because what else would you do in winter?  So, basically, I was born to love hockey.  

One week later, I bought my first pair of hockey skates.  Bauer Vapor X:20 ice hockey skates in 4EE.  Ah, yes, do you see where else this journey is interesting?  Not only am I a woman, I am petite- just 5' 1''.  Playing hockey just got 10x more tough.  What I lack in height and weight, I will have to make up in fiestyness, speed, and a low check.  Did I also mention I've never played hockey and am at the beginning stages of understanding the sport and its history?  All is well though.  I will learn through experience, my friend, TV, and blogs.  Tomorrow I start skating lessons at Chelsae Piers.  Yes, I do know how to skate.  I haven't done it often, but I can do it.  Minus the whole stopping thing.  After four weeks of skating lessons, I can take Adult Hockey Prep.  I'll have to see how things go from there.  They have Division I (NCAA and maybe pro experience) to Division VIII (beginners) hockey and also have a Gametime Hockey/ Instructional Program.  I hope to be a part of the Division VIII hockey by mid-winter.  

So this is the start of my true hockey journey.  The little South Bronx teacher from a small town is going to learn hockey.  I can't wait to give the first guy that messes with me a low check that flips him over.