Getting "The Call"

I'm eating lunch and my mobile buzzes crazily. Five texts, from someone who I have no idea, begging me to play goal for them. I am an on-call goalie for several leagues, so this isn't out of the norm, but this catches my eye, "need you to play for Edmonton in the Provincials in two weeks".


Echo: the Provincials... Provincials... Provincials...

Cue the choking on my lunch.

Those who aren't familiar with Women's hockey, the Provincials are a big deal. Women's hockey doesn't have the same exposure as Men's hockey with various pro-leagues. There's no Women's NHL but a mostly unknown Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) league. In Women's hockey, to be a professional player, you're either on the National team or a CIS team or (most typically) both. The next level down is playing at the Provincials. So being on a recreational team and called to join a Provincial contender team is like being on a WHL/AHL team called to play in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.


My knee jerk reaction:

However, my first text response: You do realize that I'm a rec level goalie? (Hey, I have to be honest here, in case this was a mistaken identity)
Provincial team captain: Oh yeah! That's no issue with us. Besides you come highly recommended!
Uh, thanks... who recommended me?
Lynn (a league referee - thanks Lynn!). We're really needing an answer in the next 24h to make the carding deadline. Can you commit?
(Talk about pressure) I am very interested in playing, but there's also the issue of getting a release from my current teams. I need to contact my current rec team Captain to ensure everything's kosher.
Great! Let me know when you hear!


So my people talked to their people who talked to the Hockey Alberta league people, I'm feeling like a young guy on trade deadline day, and suddenly I'm in Banff suiting up for my first game.

We were able to win the first game (3-1, take that Calgary!), but lost the next two games (0-2 and 1-9...ouchie). The last game I felt horrible, but considering that we weren't discipline enough to keep out of the penalty box (note the penalty against us coming up in the last picture) and the opposing team was the team who won the Cup, it didn't seem so bad in the end. And besides, I kept my promise to myself that I would keep any game "goals against" score under 10.


Overall, the experience was fantastic! I never played at such a high level. Although I was very nervous, I surprised myself with denying some break-aways and great glove catches. I felt like a pro player with between period ice floods. A 15 min break/breather between periods in the dressing room, with fresh Gatorade awaiting us - imagine that! My body survived the 2 days, though the next week after I was kindly reminded that I'm not in my mid 20s.


Post game drinks with the team (as I was still trying to remember everyone's name) involved some wooing conversation that "You're not a rec goalie, you're a pro goalie. Your talents are being wasted at the lower level tiers! Come play with us full time next year!" My rec league team captain cornered me right after that weekend and said, "You're staying with us as long as you stay in this city." Nice to be wanted.


I must give a huge thanks to everyone who bought meat/cabbage rolls for this event's fundraiser. I do hate begging for money to something that people can't directly enjoy with me. With every save I managed to make (and I did have a fair share of them), I named each one after you guys.

It's not a game... it's a lifestyle

After a few weeks of repos, hockey heated up for me this weekend. My ice hockey team (MsFits) participated in the annual Boomerang tourney and my winter ball hockey team (the Grrrz) had the championship game on the line. Schedules clashing is common for me, but I have a rule that certain teams get priority. So I missed one tournament game in lieu for the championship game on Sunday (sorry MsFits, but you understand...).


The annual Boomer tourney is one of the best tournaments I've participated in ever. This is my 3rd time playing in this tourney and eventhough my team has yet to win a single match in 3 years, it's still tons of fun. Every year the tourney has a different theme. My first year it was "Pirates of the Boomer" with swashbuckle theme everywhere. The refs were all decked out as Capt Jack Sparrow. We joked that some of the refs wore two eye patches at the same time with some "questionable" calls. Last year was "Budda-Bing-Budda-Boomer" with 1920s gangster theme. Refs this time around were of the Al Capone variety. This year was "SuperBoomer" with superheroines everywhere. There was definitely a bunch of "Ka-POWs", "SMACKs" and "ZAPs!!" on the ice with the hockey action. Asides from the good hockey, it's also for a good cause as proceeds from this tourney go towards city Art Therapy centres which uses art as part of the recovery process for cancer patients. In the 8 years of this tournament, they've raised over $14,000. Pretty sweet for a group of 18 women to organize such a thing!

So three games of ice hockey, followed with one winter ball hockey match to decide the city league champion. The Grrrz faced this team countless of times successfully but we were shocked when they owned us in the playoffs. This time around we made sure not to take anything for granted and my team put the pressure on for the entire game, player on player, no one giving up any pass, just go and get'em. It was a hard hitting game, but in the end we took home the (invisible) cup! Congrats Grrrz!


So end of hockey? Nope. Next week is the start of Summer Ball Hockey (definitely circle of life feeling). This time, I'm back in the MsFits net as they have a team for this league. But so does the Grrrz. So I'm switching teams and face the same group of women that I just won the Winter league cup with. That's one thing I've come to like about being involved with women's hockey: you meet a large group of women whom you become fast friends no matter which side of the line you're on. Sure there's always the odd chickie who gets her feathers ruffled, but overall it's about sport camaraderie more so than individual teams. I think this sport for women is important regardless of what some IOC president may feel about the program. My life has been deeply enriched these past 4 years playing with this hockey family.

During the tournament, we were treated to music between faceoffs... making the game feel more professional plus it gets everyone in a lively mood. One song that always gets me pumped is the Wiseguys' "Start the commotion". Ciao folks!

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!

Oh snap!

Last week was an interview for a possible post-doc position. The research is awesome! Just the timing is crappy. I'm not giving up the ghost with this lab as of yet, and play the wait n' see game. In the meantime, sending off more emails to more labs for more possible positions. So nothing fruitful so far in the job hunt. But the trip to the city was a fruitful one on a personal note. I got to visit three set of friends in 36h. If anything was successful it was the laughs over the table chats.

Hockey wise, I had my first injury of the season. There was a scuffle in the cease which resulted in a pile of women on top of each other, with me at the bottom. The picture here isn't from the night, but it's a close approximation. Most times this is alright, providing that everyone lays pancake-wise. But this time, an opponent's elbow dove right onto my spine and I swear I heard a "crack". We did end up winning the match, however afterwards I did required a few chiro appointments, a bottle of muscle relaxants, and 8 days of no hockey. This meant 4 games I was sidelined. But all the recoup did me some good as I can play pain free (knock on wood).

In other nuances... I started to play with Wii again. I'm slow on gaming consoles and current hot games. Me, I'm just happy playing Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess, which came out 4 years ago (Yeah, I'm THAT slow). It's a good game being the level of slash n' dash is equally balanced with logic n' puzzles to solve. I haven't found a game that brings back memories like Super Mario Bros 3. Man, I played that game morning, noon, n' night. A lot of my childhood was spent/wasted learning jump sequences and the gaming soundtracks are embedded in my head for eternity.

Speaking of music, a lil' Moby with his "Honey" classic. I rewatched the video for this one, it's how I feel these days, just wandering around trying to figure out where my life is going.

Laterz!

Me and my camera...

By now you know that my #1 hobby is being a hockey goalie. If you don't, you haven't been reading this blog much haven't you? I do love hockey, but it always amazes me that my personal/work life rarely overlaps with my hockey life. None of my close friends play hockey. In fact, come to think of it, I'm probably the only person in my close friends circle that actively plays a team sport. I could go off and analyze this til' I'm blue in the face but it's obviously not a dealbreaker. I just became more aware of this fact when my mom visited me a few months ago for my PhD convocation and attended two of my games. It's nice to have someone on the other side of the rink cheering you on. Maybe this should go on my "future-mate" list somewhere: item 9 = must like hockey.

Speaking of hobbies, there's another one of mine: photography. I really really want to take some courses to learn how to get cool pictures. Of course this will involve the investment of an awesome Leica or Cannon camera. So it's on my list. As mentioned above, my mom visited me a few months ago and we headed out to Jasper/Banff for a few days. I brought my camera along:








Yeah, nothing groundbreaking. I think I do have an eye for the interesting scene. It's just the matter of being able to have the skills to capture it. Something I shall work on.

Music wise today: Edwyn Collins peeps with his classic "A girl like you." I'm outta here!

The more you learn, the less you know...

This past week I started in my new lab which will be my home for at least the next 14 months. The lab is just 5 doors down the hall from where I did my PhD studies. In the manner of 2 weeks I've gone from a senior expert on one bacterial system to a junior lab tech with no experience on another bacterial system. But my new lab doesn't treat me as a junior, they keep mentioning, "you're a post-doc". Someday maybe I'll figure out what exactly does that mean! Yeah, I know that I have been taught how to think like a PhD, but the implementing stage is in the infancy stages. I guess it's kinda like a newly minted fresh MD in his/her first surgery... although they have all the credentials, you kinda don't want to be their very first patient. The good news is that within this new lab I'll learn new research skills that I'm lacking. My expertise so far is anything with gene expression and nucleotides. But for glycoproteins, sure, I know what they are, just working with them not so much. It'll be nice to pad my CV with more skills for future job prospects, plus I'm always up to learning new techniques.

I haven't chatted much about hockey although ball hockey has been on-going over the summer. Right now we're winding up for an array of marathon games before the quarter-finals begins. It trinkles down to a game every other day for the next 10 days or so, busy busy.

Today is Sunday and since Transformers are back in theaters, an old but relevant pic. To put new DNA into a bacteria, we often do a procedure called "transformation", where we shove a new circular pieces of DNA into bacteria, thereby transforming the bacterial cell to express new genes it didn't have before. This happens in nature, so we scientist are making use of an uptake system that was already there. With a name like "transformation", this is bound to be linked. Often I even make those classic transformer morphing sound effects. Definitely DNA in disguise.

Finish line in sight!

Alrighty folks, this is the week! Thesis revisions aren't going smoothly as I'd like and there's a lil minor detail that I'm going to need to fetch a signature out of province to get this thing off the ground. You know when it's truly time to finish your degree when your committee members start to retire or run away. Which is this case for me. One is on sabbatical and won't be back for the defense (no hard feelings, she definitely deserves this break!). The other one has migrated to greener pastures and moved to his retirement home. But because he's a great guy (really, he's been a wonderful committee advisor), he's coming back in June JUST for my defense. Awwww... how sweet. But that still doesn't solve the small dilemma on how I'm supposed to reach a secluded town in rural BC. Oh well, I've been able to pull off other miracles in the past...

Hockey still sucks for me. I can't get a break and my team is 0-3 so far in the season. Today, the team we faced were literally bitches. It's not often that I get angry. In fact as a goalie you have to maintain your cool the most. But today I almost hauled off and hit someone - like, manslaughter slash. Sure there's a crowd in my crease, I deal with it. But if I've trapped the ball and the whistle is blown, there's no legitimate excuse to either A) slash my legs, B) slash my head, C) charge and run into me well after the tweet, or D) push me further down in hopes that the ball will come loose. Today I had all four things happen with 10 minutes of play. My D-wings commented that smoke was coming from my nostrils. After a nice "chat" with the ref and a major penalty against them, the other team didn't touch me. Tsk tsk, don't they know the goalie shouldn't be touched... ESPECIALLY a goalie who is writing a thesis? That's like whacking a hornet's nest in an isolation room with a hungry tiger pacing about.

In my ear, (don't worry Char, no moar Ting Tings!) the incredible Brit artist, Joan Armatrading. I love her guitar chords, bittersweet voice, and slow love lyrics. Countless other female singers over the years have done renditions of most of her songs. Here's my ultimate fave, "Weakness in Me".

Back to sorting through data lists for me...

Bruised, battered, and beaten

There's a geek quote I was reminded of not too long ago (I thank Levar Burton for tweeting it): Somedays you get the bear, somedays the bear gets you. So hockey weekend over, 4 games played and not one game won. Collectively I let in 23 goals. Yeah... ouch. The last game was good though, we lost 0-1. Considering 80% of the team was playing their 4th game in 3 days, we were pretty amazed with ourselves. But beaten, indeed.

Bruised and battered, oh yes. My thighs are now spotted again with slapshot welts. None of them really serious, they'll fade in a week. I have some bruises that are still faintly seen even after 7 months. So I'm lucky there. However, there's something I need to make my fellow team mates aware: 80% of my bruises are from warmup! Seriously! The latest example is a bad bruise on my right wrist. Part of warmup is firing squad shots, where my team lines up in a semi-circle around the net and take shots at me. Most part is fine, however there's often a few wild ones that smack me in the face (with helmet on, of course) or catch a piece of unprotected Nanc such as my wrist. Owwwie. It still stings and the bruise is just starting to form. So if any of my team mates follow this blog, my message to you: be a lil more gentle!

It's midnight right now, and I've decided that I'm not going to sleep until the tables are finished for the next chapter of this thesis, so looooong night still ahead. Must get back at it.

In my ear while I peck away making pretty thesis tables, a Cdn artist, Feist. I liken her to the newest Alanis. Her fresh songs remind me of Alanis Morissette back in the 90s. Just good tunes. This one has a haunting beat/tone to it despite being titled "Honey, honey".

Typitty type... typitty type...

A rare feeling...

So another day, another interview. This one was for the lab tech of a first year interdisciplinary undergraduate course. I wasn't aware that this course is brand spanking new, so they are definitely in search for someone creative. This comes rare to me, but I'm feeling good about the interview. I personally knew one of the interviewers and that kinda set me at ease right away. I felt that it wasn't an interview, but rather a conversation about this potential job. So I think I have a decent shot at getting it. The only concern is that there's someone else in the interview pool that is of higher caliber than myself. Someone with more lab tech experience, more creativity. I can't control that and besides, if they do get the job, they are better suited for it than me. So whatever may be, shall be.

One funny ancedote I'll share about the interview. They were talking about the extra hours that this job would involve. One "concern" was that there would be a field trip that "would require me working the entire weekend as well". I smiled and said, "Okay, let me get this straight, I get a weekend in Jasper, spend some time outdoors in the mountains, have room n board, get PAID for it, plus get to do some science in the meantime. This is suppose to be something bad?"

They laughed with me. I hear next week the result. Keep your fingers crossed.

Elsewhere, hockey weekend fast approaching: 3 days, at least 4 games, possibly 5. That and writing on the side. I think my Wii Fit will gather a lil dust this weekend. On that note, I'm still enjoying Wii Fit. Weight loss? Not much, but 5 lbs is 5 lbs. I do at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday (except days when I have hockey). When I land a job and can afford a gym again, I'll alternate more. Just doing all Wii Fit can get boring despite the 40 some activities. Another thing I wish is that the boxing segments are longer. 10 minutes isn't much for cardio boxing. I'd like to do 20 - 30 minutes. But overall, I enjoy the Wii Fit. It is a good program to monitor your progress.


Music... hmmm, I'm in an upbeat mood which means Collective Soul is helping me celebrate. Here's a recent one, "Hollywood". I love the piano set and beat to this bright tune. Enjoy folks!

Back in the net

Well after a hiatus of no hockey for nearly 3 weeks (talk about cold turkey!), BOOM! I'm back between the pipes. Secretly, I wish I had 4 weeks off considering what's left to write about thesis, but happy to be back nonetheless. However, holy hell (oooh alliteration again! I'm on a roll!)... can we say overkill? Within the space of 9 days I've got at least 7 games. There's a ice hockey tourney I forgot I signed up for this weekend. And city league ball hockey sweetly starts the same weekend too. I would groan, but it's the same group of women I'm playing with for both leagues, so we just groan together. At practise today it was nice to see our captain back in action. She broke her ankle in two places in a January match (ouchie) and has been on the sidelines ever since.

I'm feverishly writing today too. Yesterday's experiments left no time to write. It's 10 hours of straight science. Kinda a change, but I feel this weight bearing down on me that "YOU SHOULD BE WRITING!!!!" Eh, in 3 weeks, I'll be done this, there will be hockey and research before the defense in June.

On the job hunt front, I got another interview this Thursday for a lab tech position at the University. Cons: it's not research position and doesn't really help advance my career, but pros: the pay is good and it sounds like a lot fun. It's a lab tech position that oversees a special first year university course that takes a different approach to teaching. So I'll be back doing chem, physics, even computer science. No doubt I'll miss research, however there's a part of me that wants this job to re-connect myself to the love of science. Grad school has definitely made me (news flash!) bitter. I miss the innocence and thrill of discovery without the pressure to perform.

They sent some interview questions, so I've got to prep for that. I'm certain there's many ppl like me applying for this job, so I'll have to turn on the shine. Stay tune for details from that.

In my ear... I'm in a mellow mood today (well, stressed-out mellow mood, is that possible?), so I'm listening to the Brit DJ Bonobo's "Silver" (advice, don't watch the video, the pictures kinda kill the vibe, just play the music). It's kinda a mellow electronic pop. I enjoy music like Bonobo or Moby when I'm writing. The silence of writing is often distracting, but putting on my regular playlist will often result to me dancing, or singing... or both. So, just Bonobo today.

Can't win them all...

Well that rec ball hockey season sucked. Totally got pwned in the semi-finals (5-9). And I'll take personal responsibility for 4 of those goals. So no crappy Tee this year (sniffs).

Today is Tuesday. And for the past few months I've been treated to a good meal with friends. They call it "thesis-bail-out-Tuesdays". Writing thesis means becoming antisocial plus your diet thrives on things that take only 5 minutes to prepare. Of late I've been actually good, many fresh veggies and "ironed" meats to upkeep my energy levels. Dawn and Mike though always treat me on Tuesdays with new dishes. Tonight though a request from Dawn: Nanc's nachos. I didn't think much of them before but apparently my nachos are to die for. Who knew I had a keen idea about cheese and chips? So prepped the meat and cheese last night after hockey and will throw in the hot spices later tonight over at their flat.

Thesis writing accomplished a bit today. Snaps for me. But fuck! These things take FOREVER to write. I just fiddled with graphs and tables today because I felt like it.

Reading more about the Pox virus for the interview tomorrow. Holy crap is that a sweet virus! I get a lot of weird looks talking about nasty bacteria and viruses like they are the best thing since slice bread. Seriously though, microbes are awesome. It has always amazed me that something so tiny, so unicellular can take down a complex multi-cellular organism like me. The coolest thing regarding Pox viruses now days is that we're using them to treat cancer. It's still in its infancy stages, but gene therapy with viruses will be a reality. I'm excited at the opportunity to work with them, learn the ropes. Who knows, maybe I'll become a virologist instead. Wish me luck for that interview tomorrow!

In my ear... I'll admit that I'm a HUGE retro fan. I'm always listening to some great 80s tune. Today on the playlist, a canuck! Bryan Adams. Most probably know him from that sappy love ballad "Everything I do (I do it for you)" from the flick Kev Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. However that's not my fave tracks from Bryan. One with the best memories that I caught in my ear today is "Summer of '69". You play this at a pub anywhere, the ones who are hollering the lyrics are true canucks.

Putting the "P" in Procrastination

It's Sunday night... 11PM, and I've done squat all. So what I do? Write in the blog! Natch.

I've been busily about with hockey. 8 games in 10 days. I still have one to go tomorrow with the possibility that I play again two days later (if we win). My body's doing not too bad considering the assult. Being target practise has its ulginess. Saturday I got a puck welt on the right thigh and the bruise is about the size of my hand now. I bruise easily thanks to inheriting a blood disorder from my dad's side. It's not too problematic, just bleed/bruise more readily than the normal joe.

I spoiled myself on Friday and bought a Wii Fit. I've been eyeing it for a long time. So far it's pretty good. I suck at many of the yoga poses, but I'm sure with upkeep I'll be able to master them eventually. The thing I enjoy most is the boxing segments. What can I say? It's a good stress relief. I miss though working on a bag. Beating the bag gives a lil more satisfaction somehow. I think that that's on my list of things when I move to a bigger place: have a workout room with a punching bag.

Something new this week: interview! I'm looking for temp/contract work for a year in the area before launching into a post-doc. I was granted an interview in a virology lab as a lab assistant. Basically the position is to help upkeep the lab running smoothly. It's not really a research job, though I'll ask if it's possible to have a mini project to work on or at least help collaborate with another lab member. I'm a lil' worried that I'm not qualified enough as I'm a bacteriologist primarily. I did take ONE virology course but that was almost 10 years ago. I'm reading some papers from this specific lab and so far it sounds pretty neat. Hopefully I can convince the powers that might be that I'm well suited for this job and try my hand at virology. Wish me luck!

Before I go, as promised, here's a tidbit of what's in my ear. I've been a fan of Jason Mraz for now over a year. I like his jazz style. My fave song still is "I'm Yours". Enjoy!

Sex and The Crease

Funny thing happened to me... again.

I was telling a few friends of mine that I was happy to be back in the crease, and suddenly the conversation went sexual. For some apparent reason some men find a female goalie sexy. I'm not sure why, especially considering that you're not dressed in lingerie and smelling like roses. If you've never suited up as an ice hockey goalie, it's like padding yourself with an extra 40-60 lbs of foam and still be "agile". Maybe that's part of the point... you can show off your flexibility in spite of the equipment. Or maybe it's like a steamy package waiting to be unwrapped.

But whatever the reason, sex and goaltending seems to go puck in glove. I have had the interesting experience of being courted right after a practise. Apparently watching and the thought of pucks slamming against my goal jill got him all giddy. It was a definitely the best "cool-down" session I've ever had after a practise. I thought it was an isolated incident, but here again talking about protecting the crease got other men aroused.

It's not just me... it's apparently in the culture. For example, in recent jabs at the American 2008 VP-hopeful Sarah Palin, Conan O'Brien couldn't resist a joke about her being a hockey mom and her pregnant teenage daughter. "It's not known what positions her children play," Conan said, "but one of them's not good at protecting the crease."

So ladies, if lingerie isn't working for you in the bedroom, go to your local sport store and opt for goal equipment. At the very least, invest in a sexy goalie jill strap. Believe me, it's far more comfortable than a teddy thong.

Hockey year in Canada...

cue the "Hockey Night in Canada" theme....

Well that was a weekend. I had a ice hockey tourney Fri, Sat, Sun, then ball hockey practise on Sun afternoon. Can we say OVERKILL?

We didn't fare well in the tourney, only winning the final game of three, which meant that at least we didn't finish last. It was a close game too. And I swear the ref was blind... at least a landlubber - literally as the tourney had this priate theme where the refs were dressed up as pirates and instead of yelling "YAY" it was changed to "YARRR!"

So ice hockey season came to an end and within 6 h ball hockey season began with a practise. I won't groan too much about it as it's mostly the same ppl I play ice hockey with, so everyone was tired. Which do I enjoy the most? It's a toss, but I like being on the ice. In ball hockey, you play either on cement or rubberized field. So sliding/gliding is limited to make sweeping saves. Not that I'm a pro in those style of saves... it's just easier to lunge your body across an area on ice. The other pro about playing on ice with 20kg of equipment on... ice is COOL... muggy rubber arenas are not. I sweat BUCKETS under the equipment in ball hockey. So it means major water treatment during and after the game. I'm not the idea person to hug after a game.

Our first game is tonight. Hopefully my team will be committed in attendance this season. It's hard to hold the line with 6 runners and yourself standing in front of the firing squad.

Tally ho!

being Nanc the Net

Okay, I'm stoked.

I still can't speak much and hack a liter of phelm around hourly.

But... I'm pretty stoked.

I have a hobby, like about 1/3 of my fellow canucks have: hockey. I watch and play it. Ice and ball hockey, so it's an all year activity for me. I luv it. It pumps my adrenaline plus is a great stress reliever. I started playing as a forward before my training bra years. However I am the antithesis of the song "She's like the wind". I'm big boned and according to the BMI index obese, so I wasn't banking on hockey to build my nest egg. However one year, my coach suggested that I could put my physique to good use: play net. I'm big... but that meant I filled up the net. I groaned, I moaned... playing net is like being the sacrificial lamb. Usually if you played net, it was because you drew the shortest straw in the dressing room. However I decided to give it try. The first game I hated it... the second game, meh. But somewhere after that, the position started to feel right. Soon, I traded in my gloves for a blocker and mitt, and for the past 15 years never skated outside the crease unless of course I knew I could play the puck to my D-wings

Am I good? Naw, I consider myself average. However this depends on which team I play with. My provincial league is high-caliber, thus I'm just an average goalie. I can make some big saves. But I also allow crap shots in as well. However with unversity rec teams... it's a lil different. I'm one of more experienced players and plus since I call the goal position, everyone else on the team is relieved that there's no dreaded straw drawings. Thus to my rec teams, I'm considered "amazing".

Tonight we had ball hockey finals for my university rec team. A T-SHIRT was on the line folks. That's our holy grail in which we strive for: a 100% cotton T-shirt. So, despite my lungs at 50% capacity, filled with phelm and a voice softer than a mouse, I'm committed. I still suit up. We believed that we had a pretty good shot in nabbing it. However within 2 minutes into the game we're 0-1. FUCK! The opposing team had us on the defensive for most of the 1st period. We weren't getting any chances in their zone. Despite the goal that was my fault (I do take blame for some goals and that was definitely my error... I was late shifting), I was doing pretty good. I figured they had about 15 good chances which I denied them.

2nd period, we're determine to get even. Half way into it: BINGO! 1-1

Alright, now we've got a game. But still need another for the win. They have us on the run. We're getting more chances though in their end. However 3 minutes left in the game, a shot into back boards... which you need to know are just make-shift boards from 1 ft benches on their sides. This is a REC league, we're playing in a standard gym. Unfortunately, the boards aren't continuous and easily moveable with minor scuffles. My D-wing passes behind the net to my other D-wing, however the ball catches an exposed bench edge and gets deflected outward... to THREE tangos! Scuffle.. shoot, save, scuffle... rebound, I dive... too late. 1-2.

The clock is ticking. FUCK FUCK FUCK

However, I see determination in my team mates. They are pissed just as me over that frickin' board edge. Being pissed about something can work to your advantage though... you start to REALLY play. But the clock is ticking, the ball is passed back to zone from zone... no real chances.

45 seconds left, nothing much to gain, the opposing team is stick handling the ball to tick down the clock.

30 seconds, we're starting to think who wants another crappy Tee anyways...

23 seconds, Laura takes the ball and runs it to their zone, bats it to the back boards

18 seconds, they try to dump it back out, but fail, my D-wing blocks it, dumps it back in

10 seconds, a shot! DANG wide

7 seconds, well there's always next year

5 seconds, a scuffle in front of the net, a shot! nope, rebound! AUGH... but Connie's able to get a piece and...

2 seconds, SCORES!

ZOMG! UNBELIEVABLE! Even the refs are in shock.

But but but WAIT... this is the FINALS... tied game. Only enough crappy Tees for one team!

Now the words that every player dreads to hear: SHOOT OUT

At this point, I honestly don't care... I run over and congrats my team for pulling off a HUGE upset. Is the pressure on? Sure... but honestly I've handled this scenario before. Both good n bad outcomes. I'm just stoked about that last second game tieing goal.

The refs come over, the captain needs to choose the shooters for our team, I go back, don on my painted mask and start focusing on what's going to happen next. I see that the opposing team is picking their best player to start in the line up, so the first shot will set the tone.

Now I must let you all in on an aspect about myself. When I play hockey, I'm deaf. For day to day living, I wear two aids which enable me to function so-so and I speak two languages fluently. But the mask make it impossible for me to wear aids while playing. So I just go au naturelle. This is often a plus for me, as I can maintain total focus during the game and not be distracted by colourful remarks from players and fans. My team mates know this. So in order to pump me up, they bang HARD on the wooden floor to cheer as I can feel the vibrations.

It begins... I size my opponent up right away. A lot about being a goalie is psychological. You must read your opponent's body moves, but also become menacing to them. Stand your ground. So bring it on biatch! She fakes a shot then just shoots straight ahead, easy save, I smother that ball and feel the floor come alive.

Our forward Sara L is up first for us... she takes her time, shoots. BOOM! 1-0 for us.

Half way there girls!

I look at my 2nd opponent. She's predictable... she'll try to shoot left, I make a half butterfly slide to my right and bat that orange beaner away. The floor comes alive again.

Next for us Christine. Strong player for us again. Like Sara, she takes her time, shoots, but too late, their goalie bats it away.

Final player... if I save this one, we go home with our holy cotton grail. The floor roars for me. Then all goes quiet. The player advances, I get into position, the ball comes closer.

Now freeze.

Looking back on it, I see everything in slo-mo. The tension in the gym was high and all eyes were on me. Eventhough I don't hear it, I feel the gasp of the shot and my decision on how to bend my legs. Thinking about this, this is why I'm majorly stoked. Because eventhough it's a rec league for a crappy Tee, for 5 seconds there tonight, it was up to me. There are few times in a person's life that you have a moment like this. This is why I LUV hockey and being a goalie. This is my moment. Whatever happens, I own it...

... along with a shiney new crappy T-shirt.

Final score 3-2, WTG Roaches!