Taking a Chance and Scoring

I’m always telling the kids not to be afraid of taking chances, not just in hockey, but in life, and in a way we walked the walk with getting their ice skates. I know, I know, big deal, right? Well it is when you're a parent.

First, some background. The kids had an early morning practice last week, and everyone was dreading it. N’s practice got rescheduled, and though he was relieved, I think life would have been easier if we’d just bitten the bullet and gone, but such is life. Some things are beyond our control.

Either way, N got to sleep in and A and I headed over. There was a pretty good turnout, and since it was right after Christmas, you could see a lot of the kids had new hockey equipment, A included. She got new skates, and was in the process of breaking them in. Fortunately, she was able to try them out at open stick and now practice before an actual game. It’s good to know if your skates feel okay before a game situation.

When I first used my skates, I wore them to practice and they hurt my feet. I was bummed, but then I wore them the next day at a game and not only did my feet ache, but they chafed my legs to the point that they were bleeding. I know, probably too much info, but man did it hurt.

Anyway, at open stick, A mentioned the balls of her feet hurt a bit, which is what happened to me, as well, but I told her that her feet were adjusting. All in all, she did well, and wore her skates the entire practice. A few of the other kids did not fare as well, and at some point during the drills, they skated off the ice and changed back into their old skates. I completely understand, but from a parent’s POV, it’s a complete bummer when you take a leap of faith on a present and it doesn’t work out. That’s what happens when you try to surprise your kids with ice skates, something they should really be fitted for, and they will outgrow in a year or two. Trying to save a little money complicates it even further, because skates are probably the single biggest expense for a player. You can usually get better deals online, but you can’t try them on... sort of.

When I got A&N’s skates, I did exhaustive research and in the end, I think I got lucky because so far, so good. I was able to get them at clearance prices, as well, which speaks volumes to my frugal nature. I’m just glad they like them, because when you’re young, there is the “coolness” factor to consider. I know most people don’t even notice, but that never stopped me from being neurotic about it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to cakebuds for the pic.