Hockey players are in phenominal shape. They're practicing and working out constantly when they're not playing. Take a look at the last few ESPN Magazine body issues and tell me Tyler Seguin and Hilary Knight aren't completely ripped.
On the other hand, you have me. All six foot two and three hundred and twenty glorious pounds of me. I've always been mildly athletic, at least. I played baseball through my teenage years, ultimate frisbee and soccer in my early 20s, and more recently, tennis. I'm built more like an NFL lineman than a hockey player.
Hockey was something that's always interested me, though. As a kid and through my early adulthood, there's always been things holding me back from trying, mostly time and money. This is probably what keeps a lot of people from playing, it can be a stupidly expensive sport. Ice time and gear adds up.
I've also been stuck in a bit of a rut lately. I work a dead end gas station job that mostly just frustrates me, and the job market around here is dire. I've been forcing myself to try new things just to find something I'm either good at, or enjoy. Cooking has been fun, though I've worked at restaurants in the past and don't want to go that route. I've also recently started customizing guitar pickguards, and that's working out alright for me.
When my friend started taking his sons out on the lake last winter, I wanted to join in, but didn't really have time. A few weeks ago he told me about beginner-level adult shinny at the local rink, and encouraged me to give it a go. I've found a cheap pair of skates and some gear, and I'm excited to start. Getting skates in the mail today was great. I haven't had my own pair in almost 20 years, and haven't been on ice in probably 12 or 13. I laced 'em up and hey, I wasn't too wobbly standing up on carpet. Maybe it'll be like riding a bike and all come back to me. More than likely I'm going to fall all over the place for the first few weeks. Also, as a kid, I never learned how to skate backwards. I've been watching a bunch of instructional videos on YouTube, though.
Let's hockey! Maybe this will help me start to get in decent shape. I'll take to the ice next Thursday, and let you know how it goes.