All good things...

Alright - hockey announcement time:

I'm retiring.

Yes, this die-hard hockey goalie is hanging up the pads and glove with the first team that got me back on the ice: Bio Sci Roaches. 7 years ago when I started my Ph.D. studies I heard about a women's intramural recreation ice hockey team in my department. They were looking for a goalie. I've been long interested in returning between the pipes for ages, but dilemma, I had no goal equipment. Not a problem, the rec league provided all equipment except for skates. Although I had to brave wearing common, smelly, damp, psoriasis causing equipment (ew!), I returned to the ice and rekindled my love for stopping pucks.

During the early years, I decided to add my own equipment time to time. Saved up enough for a helmet (painted no less!), then blocker, then goalie skates (I started out using just normal ice hockey skates. Goalie skates are about double the price of regular skates), until the point that I was proudly toting my very own full gear with the last purchase being my $900 hockey pads (a gift to myself for my 30th bday). But something was still missing. One game every other week wasn't enough to justify the money spent on equipment and I was wanting more athletic workouts. So I started to look elsewhere, finding women's leagues in city ball hockey and provincial ice hockey.

I still kept playing with the Roaches, them being my #2 team. I had to devise a commitment schedule with the provincial team having first dibs on me, then the Roaches, then city ball hockey, then rec ball hockey, then pick-up goalie status. Soon I went from playing once every other week to playing 5 times a week. People started calling it an obsession. But I found it therapeutic. This was "me" time. I could shut out all the noise (literally!) and daily problems between those pipes. And most of all, it was the only place that it really mattered that I showed up. People were always glad when I entered the dressing room to suit up. And even when I played like crap some nights, I was still accepted, still cheered on, still got "see you next game!". No other place, no other group of people has given me that feeling.

But to cliche things: all good things must come to an end. The 5 nights/week are a lil' excessive and I had to cut back somewhere. Because recreational intramurals are no longer my level of play, I decided to retire from the Roaches. I do so with a heavy heart. Although the roster has changed over the years, this team remains a great bunch of women.

And what better way to leave the team, being on top, undefeated, and the Champions of the Winter 2010 recreational intramural women's ice hockey. Congrats ladies! You did me proud!