Rustpot 1 Report post Posted August 12, 2007 I'm 20, I just learned how to skate this past October when the local ice became available. I took a beginning skating class for PE at college, helped me a bit but I'm learning fairly slowly.I'm a big bastard at 320lbs, and I can skate around decently. I'll actually keep up with some of the faster guys when I'm going full-bore. I can skate backwards, but can't count on not falling on my face, can't crossover, can't do the standard hockey stop. I pretty much never got the outside edge balance.I can move with the puck, but I'll loose it in my skates. I have a decent wrister considering I've only touched the puck a few times in pickup/IM games.The guys I played with were always really nice. Never a word on the ice, but plenty of ribbing in the locker room later, but all in good fun. I started using a Sakic curve, but I don't like the lack of control. I've got a P106 Jovo, but don't like the heel, a TPS Messier that I'm diggin pretty well, and I just picked up a Montreal with a really gentle mid/mid-toe that I haven't used yet on the ice. I'm having trouble finding a curve gentle enough for me to like, and finding a woodie that's 63" is a pain, and I can only get Coffey or something similarly large. I've currently got an SL shaft that I got from the equipment manager of the MTU Div 1 team, 2 low-end Ballistik shafts and the Montreal. I don't have enough ice or money to really dial it in, but I'm not too concerned with finding my optimal right now.My skates are an interesting thing. They're CCM V6.5 SMU, size 11.5E, got them on closeout from HM. I know they don't fit right, I have pain over the bottom of my whole foot, tried SuperFeet to no avail. The holder on my left skate isn't mounted correctly and there is a slight curve to the blade, and may be to blame for my outside edge issues. I'm a poor student and can't afford to do anything right now. The skates are, however, going soft on me already, I can feel the sides flex more and more when using them, even though they feel like new when I hold them. I had them F-I-T so no hotspots, no tongue bite thankfully. When I go home to Detroit in November I plan on visiting a good store (JR is in Pontiac?) and getting properly fit and spending $250 on a new pair. My LHS is pretty podunk, they have limited stock and the owner is an odd guy- friendly but not happy, and not very outgoing or accommodating. I just get a weird vibe from him.I had a real blast playing midnight pickup at a local rink, and played with some friends on an IM B team for shits and giggles. Unfortunately there is no summer ice, I have to wait until October.My biggest issue is not having enough ice time. I was going twice a week for class for 7 weeks, once a week for pickup for a few months, and about 4 games. This upcoming season I'm going to as many open skates as possible, wearing my shins and maybe elbows, and working on getting technique and crossovers and stops down.My only regret is not starting earlier in my life, but my parents never wanted to cough up the dough. I hope to play until I can't walk anymore. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remman 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2007 I put skates on 3 years ago and I am holding my own quite well in B division men's league. I put time into it as I wanted to get better and I ran into a group of guys whom I now practice with who are there to help guys get better. One guy played for the Russian Elite team. His son is kind of a pain because he gets pissed when we don't make certain plays but yet we are learning and he played college hockey. But, there is no reason for people to look down at others for being beginners. We all have to learn sometime, and as Chadd said, it is for love of the game... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luckystrike 0 Report post Posted August 13, 2007 well, HNA is here, Brentwood rink and Summit Center in Chesterfield have leagues. Those are the only organized leagues that I know of. Other than that you just need to meet some other players and get invited to pick up games. HNA is great for that because teams rent ice time and have scrimmages with other teams for practice.what is your age and skill level?I'm a little older, 28I can skate but cant control the puck or take passes worth a damnI actually just moved back to the area a couple of months ago and am just starting to get back into shape from a hockey-related injury earlier this year. I'm also looking to get into pick up games here and there this fall, so let me know if you guys know someone to talk to to get involved.I just skated a stick and puck session at Brentwood this past Tuesday, which turned out to be more of a scrimmage/practice than stick and puck. I miss being on the ice quite a bit.Pickup games are harder to come by because it usually involves renting ice and then getting your money back when people show up. Most guys just don't want the hassle. Best way to get ice time is to join a team. If playing HNA is too expensive, all you have to do is pay for the first year, then get on the list to score games, do 20 games during the season and your next season is free. You get paid in credits that you can use to pay your league fees. I did it for a couple of years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jarick 5 Report post Posted August 13, 2007 Rust, have you tried any of the Easton Iginlas? I think you can find Z-Carbs with Iginlas, a mild 3/8" mid curve. 5.5 lie is nice middle of the road.Good work on picking it up. With a sensible diet and hockey, you ought to drop weight like it's going out of style. I've met a few guys who've done that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doctor Hook 0 Report post Posted August 13, 2007 I don't mind noobies, as long as they're trying hard to improve and giving it their all. It's a bit frustrating at times at pickup, but hey we all started somewhere. But a noobie swinging an OPS is way questionable :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rustpot 1 Report post Posted August 13, 2007 Rust, have you tried any of the Easton Iginlas? I think you can find Z-Carbs with Iginlas, a mild 3/8" mid curve. 5.5 lie is nice middle of the road.Good work on picking it up. With a sensible diet and hockey, you ought to drop weight like it's going out of style. I've met a few guys who've done that.Thanks for the kind words.A buddy of mine has an Iggy ST, but damned if he'll let me try out his $130 stick. It's an 85 flex and with my build they tell me the 100 shaft I have gets a nice bend, though I don't feel it and can't get power on that shaft. I pretty much just bought cheap $15-20 blades for my 3 shafts from my LHS in 3 flavors to see what I liked. Sakic was my only choice for a tapered blade unless I went composite.I pretty much skip over wood sticks though, I walk by the rack and if there's a stick as tall as my nose, I check the curve and it's always a Sher-Wood Coffey or a Bauer P88, or some Koho God-awful thing. I've been keeping an eye on the sale forum here but whenever a nice cheap shaft or stick comes up it's either from a short guy who cut it down too much for me, 110flex, or left handed. Not much of a market for used wood blades, either.As far as the weight goes- it's not my primary concern. I may be overweight, but I'm 6' and have a BMI of ~25% is all (most of that is in the belly, I've got lean legs and arms, and no butterball face). My legs will press upwards of 900#, I think that's one of the reasons why I can get going pretty fast when I'm going in a straight line. I'm playing racquetball 3-4 times a week right now for a good cardio, but I won't be able to get in enough hockey weekly for it to really take effect.The nice thing is that guys never want to mess with me on the ice. I wear RBK 6K shoulders in XXL, size 60 custom Tackla pants (46-50"), big Jofa shins, 15" high-cuff Jofa gloves that are actually a bit small on me, an XL Bauer 4000 expanded halfway with a full beard under the cage, and I wear goalie cut jerseys. I had a guy try to hipcheck me and he ended up faceplanting when he ran into me about thigh-high.The other tough thing is getting all that shit to fit into a bag! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyerman 0 Report post Posted August 14, 2007 I don't mind noobies, as long as they're trying hard to improve and giving it their all. It's a bit frustrating at times at pickup, but hey we all started somewhere. But a noobie swinging an OPS is way questionable :)This is the GREATEST game on the planet. I encourage anyone who is remotely interested in hockey to try it out, girl, boy, man, women -- with skating first, of course. It is an extremely satisfying feeling to help out a new player, particularly an adult who is eager to learn and improve but has to learn how to learn as a beginner (different for little kids). In (semi-competitive) Rec games it can sometimes be frustrating when a player is far below the level of play -- for them and for the team. I encourage this player to continue to develop and work on their skills through clinics, stick and pucks, drop-ins, and open skates so they can work on the basics without the pressure of "screwing up" in a game situation. I think it's more fun for everyone that way. After playing as a kid myself, I left the game when I was a midget to focus on soccer as my main sport, and because I really wasn't that great of a player having started relatively very late compared to the other kids on my team (I was 12 when I started playing, most were like 6). But I came back to the game as an adult in my late 20's, and then when I blew out my knee playing soccer, it became my only sport, and my obsession. The best thing I ever did for myself was go to a CAN/AM camp up in Guelph, Ontario one summer as a birthday present to myself. I always wanted to go as a kid, but was really intimidated by the prospect of being the shittiest kid there. Going to hockey camp as an adult was really cathartic for me, and it was one of the best things I could do to improve my game, particularly address some of my bad skating habits by guys who knew what they were talking about. Plus it was a freakin blast!The only thing that bothers me and I get judgemental about is the newbie who goes out and spends tons of money on top-of-the-line equipment, skates and sticks before he/she (actually, it's always a "he") can even skate, stickhandle, pass or shoot fundamentally well. So, instead of buying those tempting $100 OPS, my advice is to save your money and invest it in ice time -- particular a week-long camp -- to improve your game. Experiment with wood sticks/blades to find your right lie, curve, etc. Like someone here said to me, "Don't buy into the Hype." Enjoy the GAME! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tlminh 0 Report post Posted August 14, 2007 I don't mind noobies, as long as they're trying hard to improve and giving it their all. It's a bit frustrating at times at pickup, but hey we all started somewhere. But a noobie swinging an OPS is way questionable :)The only thing that bothers me and I get judgemental about is the newbie who goes out and spends tons of money on top-of-the-line equipment, skates and sticks before he/she (actually, it's always a "he") can even skate, stickhandle, pass or shoot fundamentally well. So, instead of buying those tempting $100 OPS, my advice is to save your money and invest it in ice time -- particular a week-long camp -- to improve your game. Experiment with wood sticks/blades to find your right lie, curve, etc. Like someone here said to me, "Don't buy into the Hype." Enjoy the GAME!Oh thanks, NOW you tell me. I just got XXX gloves Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doctor Hook 0 Report post Posted August 14, 2007 Buying top notch protective is one thing. But if somebody can barely skate end to end without falling 4 times, maybe they shouldn't be using a One90 stick and could invest in some skating lessons. To each his own, though. I'd rather see somebody giving the sport a try than never at all! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LilCharlie 0 Report post Posted August 14, 2007 I don't think it's cool to berate somebody because they are new to the game and in general, be an arse towards somebody because they're new to the game. However, I do think that any player, new or old, needs to be aware of the game they're getting into. By this I mean that if you are going to play at a pick-up game or a drop-in session, whatever you want to call it, you need to be aware of the fact that if it's open to all skill levels you may be out there with people who are new to the game and some who are more experienced. Those who are more experienced need to remember that at one time they were not so good so try not to be a jerk to the newbies. On the other hand, the newbies need to realize that this is a game that moves at a pretty good pace and it can be very frustrating when you have a line with four experienced players and one newbie because you might get a good rush going and then the puck gets to the new guy and the play falls apart, the puck is turned over and you suddenly find yourself sprinting the other direction on a backcheck. It happens to the best of players too ("botching" the play) but when it happens all the time and you can't get a good rush going or keep a somewhat sustained attack going, it get's really aggrevating, no matter what the format of the game is. As I said before, with a pick-up game that is open to all skill levels, ALL players need to be aware that it is open to everyone, some of whom might not be so good, so just be prepared for that and try not to be a jerk to those who are newbies. If however you are talking about a pick-up game that has a designated skill level or a beer-league that has designated skill levels then you really need to be aware of where you belong. At the rink I play at we have A, B & C levels with C being beginners and A being the most skilled. In this league I have seen players that play in A but should be in B and players in B that belong in C. In this case, where there is a designated skill level for the game being played I'm a little less tolerant of players playing out of their league because if you're not going to play according to your skill level then what's the point of having a league where teams are differentiated by skill level? As Much as I would love to play in a NHL game (or even a minor-league game), there's no way in hell I would survive out there and therefore I have no business playing in one of those games. To be fair, it goes the other way too where players are obviously more skilled than the level they are playing at but choose to play there so they can rack up a ton of goals and that bothers me just as much, if not more, than guys playing at a level higher than they can keep up with. Bottom line: Regardless of your skill level or amount of experience, this is the greatest game on Earth so if you're not having fun out there then you might as well not be playing at all. This game costs a lot of money, time and energy to play and that's a lot to give up for something you don't enjoy doingSo to all the newbies out there, have fun and enjoy yourself because you've just become part of something that more fun than you could ever imagine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites