When most people hear the word hockey, they think about skating, ice, and a puck. What most people do not think about is running, the blistering heat, and a small orange ball, however, I do. That is because I play dek hockey, not ice, meaning that we run, and our season is never over. Playing hockey is my favorite thing to do, and I have so many fond memories. Some of those memories are, playing hockey at Bill’s Golfland, U.S.A. Ball Hockey Tryouts, and playing at Penn Hills Dek Hockey. I started playing hockey about three or four years ago, and I soon grew to love the sport. I started out at Bill’s Golfland in Rostraver, where I met my first coach, Craig Bonari. At first I played in the inhouse league, where there were four teams that played each other and then had playoffs for the …show more content…
I arrived at practice on time and that is when all of the running started. For what seemed like hours, we only sprinted down and back on the dek, until finally, it was over. All practices were like that though, and after a while, I was getting used to it. As for the people, the coaches were nice enough, and I met some of my best friends there. Michael, Julian, Marco, and Tyler were the first people who talked to me. I was still playing with Bill’s for local tournaments, but I was traveling with Penn Hills to places like New Jersey and Canada. Then one day, problems started arising. I was practicing with Penn Hills, preparing for a tournament in New Jersey, instead of going to Bill’s, and they started cutting my playing time. At that point I had to make a decision; Penn Hills, or Bill’s. I chose Penn Hills, and I do not regret it for a second. Later that season, we traveled to the New Jersey tournament and had a blast. In the hotel at night we would swim, play basketball, and relax in Michael’s room, only getting in a little bit of trouble. All in all, playing dek hockey is my favorite thing to
As more of my teammates began to show up, I recognized most of them. However, I learned later that if I went on to play in the Spring, this would not be the same exact team I would play with. With only twenty minutes until we began,I put on all of my gear and my dad gave me a thorough warm up. Time seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, everyone was gathered together as positions were being assigned. I was originally overwhelmed with excitement, but as the game drew closer, the joy I had felt was replaced with anxiety. The lacrosse game taking place before ours ended and we entered and took our place on our bench. I recognized the opposing team’s jerseys quickly and identified them as a travel team from our area. Taking one final breath, I rushed into the lacrosse net enjoying my bird’s eye view, unsure of what was to
Hockey is one of the most dangerous sports to play today, not because of the fast pace of the game, but because of the some of the equipment that is used. The most punishing and non forgiving piece of equipment in hockey is the puck. The word puck became mainstream in 1867 in Canada. It is possible that Halifax natives, who were Irish, introduced the word to Canada. The hockey puck has evolved over the years it came into existence just like the game itself. People have tried and failed to think of news ways to make a hockey puck, but only one way has proved itself to be the only one. Without the puck there would be no hockey culture. Lets lace up the skates and skate our way into what the hockey culture is and take a look at how the puck has created this culture from the beginning of its time.
In 1994, the Canadian Federal government compromised and voted to make hockey Canada’s National Winter Sport and lacrosse Canada’s National Summer Sport. Which Sport should be named Canada’s true national sport? Hockey is in the blood of all Canadians. Millions can vividly remember the first time they put on a pair of skates and stepped onto the ice. Providing nation-wide entertainment, Canadians are overcome by emotional realization that “Canada is hockey.”- Mike Weir. Generations of Canadians were brought up listening to Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday evening on the radio. It is more than just a sport in Canada, it defines the culture. Look no further than the five-dollar bill. One will observe a group of children playing a game of hockey on a frozen pond. The sport is part of Canada’s national identity.
Truly special athletes, the ones that fathers talk about to their sons and daughters, change the game they play. Arguments emerged late in the 20th century about who most deserved to be called the greatest hockey player of all time. Perhaps it was the retirement of Wayne Gretzky in 1999, or perhaps it was a desire to sum up 100 years of a sport that had come into its own and grown exponentially around the world that led to these discussions.
...slapshot from the point. Two minutes later the puck broke loose from one of the other team's defensman and landed on our most talented player’s stick. He is not only as fast as lightning but can also stick handle around any NHL team blindfolded. He made a quick move to the left, and then to the right. He took the shot which went top shelf on the right side. The second I saw the net move I knew we had done it. The underdog team defeated the 1st ranked team in the state championship game for Missouri high school hockey. An uproar from the mob of people could have been heard from two miles away. I couldn’t believe we had done it. We beat the odds, and took the cup. I felt shivers travel down my bruised and cut body. The hard work did pay off, for we had done it. The tears were flowing like the water dropping from the Niagara Falls. We were State Champions.
My sophomore year of high school I played on the Junior Varsity volleyball team. We began preparing for the season by doing two-a-days the first week of August. We worked out hard the first two weeks then had our first scrimmage that next Friday. We won the scrimmage, but it was a pretty messy game. It was like we were all doing our best individually, but we were not working together as a team. The court was silent during each play and each time somebody messed up the rest of the team got mad at them.
Originally born in Moscow, Russia, I came to the United States fourteen years ago with my parents along with my unrelated brother as their newly adopted children. Transitioning to a new country can be hard, but not knowing the language is even harder. For the first few years of my life, I struggled to speak, write and read any English. Since then, I have become acclimated to the American culture and state of mind and learned English proficiently, but, lost touch with my mother tongue because I spoke minimal Russian. I have always been proud to acknowledge and tell others that I am adopted from Mother Russia. However, over the past several years my curiosity and desire to learn about my native homeland have increased significantly. My interest in the Russian language reignited last year when I overheard a Russian and Kazakh having a conversation in Russian. I soon found myself listening to anyone anywhere, who spoke Russian.
Walking in those familiar doors was the most terrific part of my day, no matter if it was a bright and early 6am practice or a late into the evening game. As soon as I entered the rink my favorite scent was all around me. It was the kind of perfect smell you cannot put into exact words, but it was a mix of something like ice, rubber and the sweaty socks of kids full of determination. The atmosphere was always the same there, full of excitement and anticipation. Growing up the rink was my happy place, I could always depend on it to be freezing cold, just the way I like it. Skating on the ice was an entirely different world. The boards were bright and clean, the benches were so huge I could barely see over them! The ice
It is a hard-hitting, fast faced and ability testing sport. “For many Canadians hockey is more than a sport – it's a way of life. Hockey parents spend every spare moment shuffling their children to and from the rink for every practice and game. Hockey players spend their entire lives improving stick handling skills, trying to skate with a little more speed, and studying the game with the hope that they can one day glide across the ice in front of throngs of screaming fans” . Hockey is seen as a Canadian symbol and national sport, and many believe has greatly impacted Canadian history, identity and culture.
Hockey. A sport I have always loved ever since I was a kid. It was when my dad had taken me to an open ice skate when my hockey life began. I had my first pair of skates as a present when I was four years old. I never really knew of the sport at the time, but now I was able to expirence it. No one was present on the ice as I entered the rink. The cold of the ice ran down my back as I took my first steps on. The cold didn’t stop me though. As I stepped upon the ice, I had a feeling of relief. Hockey is what let me go fast. Always have I been the fastest kid in my class and hockey let me expand on what I loved to do. One stride at a time I went, until I was able to glide upon the ice. My blades of my skates sunk into the ice like a lion tearing at its prey. As the frost beat against my face, I soon realized that I was able to skate. Even though it was all fuzzy in my memory, I remember feeling all types of joy rush all throughout my body. It was the first sign of potential in hockey. It was a first omen.
Little did I know making the decision with my family to become a Colorado Thunderbird would not only be most beneficial to me on the ice, but off as well. Playing for the Thunderbirds was a very key part of my life. The biggest part of playing for the Thunderbirds was not all about how I excelled on the ice getting me to the point I'm at now but also how I excelled off the ice. Im not talking about school or extra curricular activities, Im talking about with my character as a person of this
Growing up as a child I participated in countless sports outside of the school environment, but it was not until I joined field hockey at the age of twelve years old that I had felt a strong passion. At the age of thirteen, I had made it a goal of mine to represent my province at the national championships. In 2013 and 2014 I was unsuccessful towards becoming a part of the provincial team, but never gave up practicing and working hard. In 2015, I was named to the unofficial under-16 Ontario team, but was later replaced due to a leg injury six weeks prior to competition. The previous years of failure had only motivated me to continue trying and improving myself to achieve my goals, which finally paid off when I attended the 2016 Under-18 Women’s Canadian National Championships, representing my province. At the tournament, the first game that we played was against the under-18 women’s British Columbia field hockey team, the top seeded team in the entire tournament. Although the odds were against us, we surprised the other team and ourselves by scoring the first goal, as well as carrying the lead into half time. This was
Participating in school sports helps the athlete, the school, and the community as a whole. Dreams are born in courts, fields and arenas across the nation. They can also be lost with the sound of a swish followed swiftly by a buzzer or by a quick running back on a kick off return with only seconds left in the fourth quarter. Being a part of school sports is often the highlight of the year for some students, such environments harbor friendships that can last a lifetime and can teach participants lessons that aren’t learned elsewhere. Lessons like getting back up, and fighting until the end. Lessons of victory and defeat, and holding your head high no matter what ...
Then as a sophomore I transferred to Hackensack High School. There, I again started as a forward for their junior varsity team. Later into the season I was brought up to practice with varsity. I practiced with varsity but only played in a couple of games. Imagine my disappointment, I joined the soccer team to play, not sit on the bench. I worked so hard in practice to prove myself but it got me nowhere, not even a chance. So I asked to be moved back down to junior varsity where I could play. At least on the junior varsity team I was recognized for my efforts.
From inside the locker room, I could hear the crowd screaming my name among others, "Miller, Miller, Miller! Kulesa, Kulesa, Kulesa!" My best friend Kelsey Miller and I were the co-captains of the USA Olympic Field Hockey Team. We were considered rookies and lucky. Rookies because this was only our first year on the team and lucky because our other team members had voted us, out of everyone to be the captains. Since we were captains we both got to have a "c" embroidered on our uniforms. We have been best friends ever since I could remember and when we both made the United States Olympic team it was a dream come true. This year the Olympics were in Jamaica and the atmosphere of the arena was beyond fantastic. We had beaten everyone from Poland to Russia, and we had made it to the gold medal round. While we were undefeated our opponent was the undefeated Shanghai' team. Since they were known as the best team in the world we knew it was going to be a tough game, because we were only known as the dream team.