I don't play and never have, but I love every minute of being at the rink, supporting and watching my kids. I love seeing the young people they are becoming and hockey has helped them in so many ways.
Caleb, you are such an athletic kid and sports, in general, come easy for you. I love watching your passion and your competitiveness. You go out and play with a level of intensity that many NHL players wish they had. That intensity also causes you to get angry quickly and to sometimes react (and even overreact) to situations at times. And as frustrating as that is for you, I have seen you work hard at trying to control yourself. You have come so far over the years. I have seen how hockey has brought out a side of you that isn't the nicest at times but it is also teaching you how to control it. And no one is harder on you than you are on yourself. You don't like getting so frustrated and I see how hard you work to keep that in check. You are such a kind, compassionate kid and your teammates enjoy being with you. Don't let those who don't know your struggles, failures and triumphs place any kind of judgement on you. Keep working at controlling yourself in those moments when it is so difficult and you will be a better adult for it. Daddy and I will continue to love you and walk beside you as you learn to deal with the frustration that comes with being so competitive.
Chenoa, your determination and willingness to learn are so evident when I watch you play. You genuinely love to play hockey. And you have so much fun doing it. You are a solid defenseman on your team and you always work hard. I love hearing your stories about how you saw the game. They don't always seem to line up with your Dad's view of the game but if that is how you saw the game, no wonder you have so much fun playing.
Micah, you amaze me. You were the kid that from early on got pigeonholed as a defenseman because that was the best way to "hide" you. You've tried out for teams and always been on the "C" teams. You are not as naturally athletic as your younger brother but what you lack in skill you make up for in hard work, consistent effort and a very coachable attitude. And that has never been more apparent than this season. Last summer you set a goal to make the AA Bantam team and you spent the summer shooting pucks outside, working on your slap-shot and wrist-shot. You found a dry land program and diligently went out and did it. Then it came time for tryouts and you went in and worked hard and made the team as a forward!! What few know, is that you had been on defense almost your entire hockey life and had only played a bit of the previous season as forward. So you tried out, and started the season at a bit of a disadvantage from the other players. Not only did you have to quickly get more comfortable as a forward but you had to teach yourself to play a game that was a faster pace than you had played before. But you were determined and you worked hard. You took the coaches frustration, rants and corrections and learned from them. You went out every game and gave it your all. Some days you made more mistakes than others but no one ever questioned your work ethic and effort. In the first half of the season, there were times when you were frustrated (and I was too) that you weren't getting played as much as you wanted. You weren't on the special teams either, but you never gave up or let that discourage you. Instead it only made you more determined to work harder. And now as the season came to an end you were on both the penalty kill and power play lines, you were in the top 5 on your team in points and in the last game we watched, you played almost the entire 3rd period after scoring 2 of the goals and assisting on the third in the teams 6-3 loss!! You've become a key player on this team that almost didn't take you and I am so very proud of all that you have accomplished and the young man you are becoming.
There are a lot of "crazy" hockey parents out there. You don't have to search hard to find those stories of parents who push their kids so hard. For some reason it can bring out the worst in some parents and coaches (just ask Micah about some of things he's seen in the 2 years he's been a ref). But hockey to our family isn't about making the NHL or how far you can make it. It's about all the things that my kids learn about being a part of a team, the personal characteristics they are developing and the attitudes they have (and at times have to work to correct). Those are what make every moment spent on hockey worth it.
