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So a terrible situation here. The one ice rink big enough to play hockey in my state is now out of action. The refrigeration pipes under the slab have been leaking for some time. They closed the rink for a week to repair the leaks, and after two weeks of closure, they've now announced that the leaks were way worse than thought, and they have failed every pressure test, and the Dept of Environment have ruled they are not allowed to refill the refrigerant. The only way they can reopen is to replace the entire refrigeration system. Ice sports in Australia are not a big money thing, so we're hoping the government can help out to save the sport here. If they can get government funding to help replace the refrigeration unit, we are without a rink for a minimum of two months. There are plans for a new rink to be built, but that's not expected to be complete until the end of 2017. These plans may make the government seriously consider whether funding to an old broken rink is feasible. Who knows when we'll be able to play again :(

Got my new sticks from True Hockey. Won them on the Free Gear Friday a little while back!

I didn't play hockey, or football/soccer, though I did catch and play first base in baseball. Mostly, I was a swimmer, so maybe there's a certain independence factor. (Masters/Senior swimming is just way too intense for me, even if I worked up my speed to something respectable. How on earth can people be so gear focused when they wear goggles and a scrap of lycra?) I'm doing better about not being hard on myself - I like to feel like I'm competitive, but at the same time, I don't want to wander into a thicket of despair over playing hockey. I like hockey. I like my teammates. If some butthead hurt any of my teammates, I would set the butthead's house on fire. (well, maybe just his gear.) I want more people to like hockey (that's why I like coaching. I will, ultimately, end up with more teammates that way). And it's funny, because I certainly don't get mad at my teammates for their slip-ups. This league that I used to play for as a skater, and with which I've done a number of goalie clinics, is having tryouts for a C/D level tournament team - just for tournaments, no commitment to play the WHOLE schedule. They're mostly a good bunch of people - it's small, the guy who owns the league is personable and sensible, and I've been skating for them off and on since they started. I figure it's worth a shot, if just for a laugh.