MThockeydad

To learn to skate, probably yes. Take a skating class for a month or so...then hit open hockey. I see a Learn to Play Hockey at the same site: http://pennsauken.flyersskatezone.com/lesson-programs-4/lesson-programs/learn-to-play-hockey It sounds ideal.

Met with our association's coaches tonight. Planning practice schedules 5 weeks out up here, but the girls start weekly clinics in 2.5!!

Beautiful work. I'd love to find a project like that.

My Dad always said, "If they don't bug you, they don't like you." He's right.

That's bullshit. You're not going to end up in the NHL, you're not going to get a college scholarship, you're ineligible for Juniors, and probably not going to the Olympics. You're at or just barely past peak muscle development (not that hockey is a game of purely muscles), and yes, you are beyond the age 10-13 window of peak skill development. Beyond that, it's pretty much up to you. Not that NW Montana is a hockey hotbed, but we have 250+ adult skaters in four league divisions. The top A division is full of people who played pro, semipro, D1-D3, and Juniors. The "less skilled" guys in the division played significant HS hockey. The B+ division below that is mostly people who played through HS, smaller colleges, and generally started as kids--and a couple of very skilled women--plus a few people who started as adults and have pushed themselves really hard over the past 6-8 years. The B division below that is full of the old (55-65+) guys who used to play higher divisions, but are slowing down; and a lot of people who started 6-10 years ago as adults. C division is all people who started as adults, from never-evers who started last year like Caihlen above, to people who have played 10+ years but never progressed beyond that stage. Could you learn enough in 4-6 months to play in this lowest recreational league? Fuck yes. I started only two years ago, at 38. I push myself hard, probably 60-70 times on the ice every year, pond skating, dropins, league, helping coach kids, and running an adult beginner skills course. I hope to get the nod to play B division if not this year next year. The bottom tier beer league is FULL of people who learned as adults, and it's a blast. Don't let the naysayers keep you from playing this awesome sport. If you truly want to play, fully commit yourself and push yourself. If you get into a novice/beginner/learn to play group, don't only learn there. Go to open skate and practice the skating skills you learned in class. Watch YouTube videos. Play pond hockey (12 year olds can humble you). Watch youth hockey games. It's hard to watch the NHL and relate as a beginner adult, but if you watch a skilled 10 year-old, you can visualize yourself doing those things. If you get on a league team, be a good teammate, don't borrow shin tape, bring beer to share, don't take long shifts, laugh if you fall down, stop if you knock someone else over, be receptive and appreciative to constructive criticism, and bring beer to share.

Awesome. Yes, you have. Even if the kid has great parents, they still get tired of each other from time to time. You were an additional positive adult influence in his life. :)

Went out for appetizers and drinks last night, and talked a lot. At least we're on the same page about the girls hockey. She says she likes it once we're in the season, but dreads it when we're not there yet. Talked to my buddy, too. At least he and his wife are on the same page. Their daughter wants to do basketball, volleyball, AND hockey. They're hoping their daughter chooses to play girls hockey only...and vb/bb, instead of girls/coed/bb/vb. can't say I disagree...if she goes girls only, mine likely would, too. Our kid is still recovering from her bout with pneumonia. The 14U girls season isnt quite as rigorous as the Peewees (16 or so games vs 35ish) It would also put her on the same team as big sis. Mucho easier for us, plus less travel overall. She still needs a hobby, but we're on the same page about the kids. We had two guys like that a year ago, Hills. They really can ruin it for everybody. One quit, the other moved up to B. The B players keep him in check. Coed league, he used to board smaller people, usually women. Dick.

My wife is anti-hockey. It consumes our winters, my girls and I love it. I love the way it makes me feel, I am in better shape at 40 than I was at 30. I love what it does for our girls, physically, mentally, athletically, socially. My wife doesn't have any hobbies (besides baking and watching reality TV). She says she misses adult interaction, having girl friends, and laments not being in shape. Duh, I wish she could see that hockey would be a great solution. For my wife, hockey is cold, boring, and a lot of work (volunteering for our girls hockey association)..for my adult games, I just show up, pay, and play. My wife doesn't play, despite my efforts to involve her. I ran the adult beginner program last year. She came twice, it was too late and too cold. There is a local novice womens league...they play slow, and for fun. She won't try it. One of her best college friends plays in a novice womens league about 2h away; I told her maybe she could get my wife into it. That put my wife over the top. (I shouldn't have done that) She and the mother of my younger daughter's best friend were talking about how they planned to talk the girls out of hockey. WTF? Time for a Come-To-Jesus meeting. I hate Come-To-Jesus meetings. I have to fix my own fuckups (both real and the ones she perceives) before I can ask her to straighten her own shit out. Been married 18 years. Seems like we do this on a 4-5 year cycle, and the last big donnybrook was about 4.5 years ago, so I guess we're due. :(

Oldest daughter (01) texted me this morning, "Dad, I decided I want to play hockey again." I about did a backflip. She injured her shoulder midway through the 13-14 season, wrecked it in volleyball, spent that summer getting her rehabbed, wrecked it in volleyball again, took last season off from both hockey and club volleyball..chiropractor determined that she has bad posture (not pulling her shoulders back, muscles atrophied...leaving her shoulder in bad alignment when serving), so after a few adjustments and some posture fixes, she's feeling about 98% again. "I miss hockey and I miss my hockey friends". I love what hockey has done for my girls--athletically, mentally, physically, emotionally. All of it. Now I need to post a corresponding post in the Venting Spot about my wife. :(

I've done that....with a drill press and a cutoff wheel. Works GREAT!

I know exactly what you're talking about, louierev07. I have a shop full of tools and prefer those pliers to a cutoff wheel to cut for length and abrasives to fix the threads. Maybe your wire stripper pliers are loose? You're 100% correct that using the correct length bolt is easier than any cutting method!!

This style of wire stripper has holes in the middle for cutting small bolts down, and works great. I'm not sure if they're available in metric in the UK?

1/2" (12mm) bolts fit my XR5's. Some were too long and had to be filed down. If you had a really thick spot on your outsole (usually heel), you might need 4 or 8 16mm long bolts.

A #6 bolt (6-32 (32 threads per inch)) is 0.1406" (3.57187mm) A #8 bolt is 0.15625" or 3.969mm. Your M4 is the closest..a tiny bit bigger than 8-32

I rebuilt the city pond hockey goals this summer. The old ones were more than a bit haggard. (Pics in the DIY Gear Repair/Restore thread) ...but after finishing them, I said to myself, "Self, you need a backyard hockey goal...and you should probably do a backyard rink this winter." So I dug in my steel scrap pile and built the uprights/crossbar out of 2" SCH40 steel pipe (2 3/8" OD and almost 1/4" wall like the NHL goals--HEAVY!) and bent up the lower frame and top shelf. I made the lower frame only 28" deep instead of 40" deep--so it takes up less space in the yard.

Completely agree, MN. Working with the figure skaters to put together a better plan. They need a longer season, and are willing to pay more $$/hour for it. City's projection was to increase everyone's rates to compensate for the season extension....which could have set us at each others' throats, but cooler heads saw through it. Prior years had an average $60k shortfall--but visitors to the rink drive $2M+ in economic activity (mostly hotel/motel/restaurant/bar, some shopping and entertainment--based on State of MT tourism stats, not made up by us!) This past season saw major organizational changes, ran in the black, but the Parks board refused to run with the same numbers. The other plan was presented by the figure skaters, but dismissed by City Parks. Same net revenue as the city's plan. It needs to be investigated, and if acceptable, endorsed by the other groups and put forward again.

Up and down relationship with the nearby rink where I play adult hockey. We have a great hockey community, get along well with the figure skaters and Junior team, and are big partners with the youth hockey association. (I'm actually on the board at the other rink, but both are important. Kids and I play at both rinks). The local Parks board wanted to cut the season back from 10.5-11 months to 6 with an allowable extension of only +2 months to make it 8. Without 11 month ice, the figure skating association and Junior team would go away, and everyone else's rates would skyrocket. There was a tense city council meeting last night attended by a lot of decision-makers from our various groups. One of our 12 year-old 14U players stole the show, though, when she approached the mic and rationally, eloquently, and emphatically supported the rink and its programs. Barely a dry eye in the house. This young lady only started Fall of '13 with my daughter, and was on the 14u state championship team with her. It's pretty awesome to see our girls becoming good hockey players. It's even more rewarding to see their passion for hockey leading them to confront adults about issues that concern them, and to see them becoming great people.

Our girls at the open livestock show on Saturday. It's a lot of work, they're not highly successful in the ring--but they're learning a ton.

Thank you. I hope you get the ankle rubbing issue fixed.

What Bauers were you in? Would a D Mako be similar to a D Vapor..or Supreme?

My guess is it's 10': http://stepskates.com/blades/step-steel/

Fix it with some dental floss or heavy nylon thread before they unravel more. A few missed stitches or incomplete start/stop isn't a problem now, but it will be when a dozen more stitches unravel!

^^^^ Cheers, EJB. Celebrate two lives well lived. Mine's not quite so powerful, but still fun: My oldest daughter made it up on her very first try on a kneeboard and 2nd try on a wakeboard. She made it a couple hundred yards. Try #4 was a couple mile lap of the lake. Younger daughter got up on her 4th try on the wakeboard...she's been kneeboarding for 4 years now, and big sis had to catch up to her. She was on our (only) adult-sized wakeboard, and she bought a nice, used Hyperlite junior-sized wakeboard with her babysitting money last night. I kneeboarded and linked several 360's....and didn't get hurt, which is sweet. :)

Who ever says, "Jeez, I need to get on the ice less. All this exercise is killing me. I'm having too much fun." ;)

The city finds the funds to pay for a free public beach and numerous parks that are all free to users (and a cost to taxpayers), but doesn't want to manage an ice rink that could operate at net zero. They have made a valid point that the current refrigeration system isn't efficient for making ice in July and August, yet resist the efforts of user groups to upgrade the refrigeration system and install a low-e ceiling insulation system. Figure skating parents are willing to stroke some BIG checks--and unlike some rinks, figure skating and hockey groups get along very well....it's the curlers who think they should bump youth hockey 7-9pm ice times so 8 of them can use the entire rink. Hockey pays for itself, adult hockey tournaments were a profit center, but they stopped actively managing adult hockey...when concessions were a loser. Now adult hockey operates on its own (and in the black), the city cut back on concessions...and now they want to increase ice time costs by 45% because they're still losing money. Well, duh, you gave up all that windfall tourney income. The indoor facility was built with user group funds, so there's no loan to pay off, only utilities and labor...the mechanical system is a city baby.