It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 12:52 pm
A tailgate Budweiser shout-out to Senior Players and Parents!
Dear Son.
It’s Senior Night.
The past 14 years have flown by so quickly that it literally seems like yesterday you were a 4 year old taking his first overzealous strides on skates. As the parent of an older player, the question I always get asked is “Was it worth it?” My answer is always an emphatic “Yes!”
What you have learned over those years;
• Hard work pays off and the inverse, hard work does not always pay off….but you keep trying.
• Your sense of smell can become so desensitized that you don’t realize what locker rooms really smell like.
• To control your emotions when the last thing your mind and body are telling you is to be “in control”.
• The ability to find a hockey rink in any town…partly because you have played in many of them and partly because you can just “feel” where it should be.
• Sacrifice for a bigger goal does not always give you personal glory.
• Effective time management and preparation are keys to successful daily living.
• No matter how hungry you are and how little time there is between games…don’t order the one pound platter of boneless chicken wings.
• How to handle pressure.
• How to be a member of a team.
• Your performance is always on display and open to judgment from people you don’t even know.
• That most girls really don’t like hockey, but they do like hockey players…..those that like both become hockey moms.
• How to be graceful in victory and defeat….but celly hard and embrace the joy of the game.
• How to shake the referee’s hand and look him in the eye after the game, even though he put you in the sin bin during the game.
• The first name of numerous x-ray technicians and athletic trainers throughout the State.
• Some people have more skill than you do and have advantages you do not….but that does not mean they are going to beat you.
• The list can go on and on, but please realize that you (and your entire family) have been given a gift….many of your life lessons were learned playing the sport you love while being around the people you love.
Your mother and I are proud of you and love you more than words can express. Enjoy your last games and as you grow older…pay it forward.
Dear Son.
It’s Senior Night.
The past 14 years have flown by so quickly that it literally seems like yesterday you were a 4 year old taking his first overzealous strides on skates. As the parent of an older player, the question I always get asked is “Was it worth it?” My answer is always an emphatic “Yes!”
What you have learned over those years;
• Hard work pays off and the inverse, hard work does not always pay off….but you keep trying.
• Your sense of smell can become so desensitized that you don’t realize what locker rooms really smell like.
• To control your emotions when the last thing your mind and body are telling you is to be “in control”.
• The ability to find a hockey rink in any town…partly because you have played in many of them and partly because you can just “feel” where it should be.
• Sacrifice for a bigger goal does not always give you personal glory.
• Effective time management and preparation are keys to successful daily living.
• No matter how hungry you are and how little time there is between games…don’t order the one pound platter of boneless chicken wings.
• How to handle pressure.
• How to be a member of a team.
• Your performance is always on display and open to judgment from people you don’t even know.
• That most girls really don’t like hockey, but they do like hockey players…..those that like both become hockey moms.
• How to be graceful in victory and defeat….but celly hard and embrace the joy of the game.
• How to shake the referee’s hand and look him in the eye after the game, even though he put you in the sin bin during the game.
• The first name of numerous x-ray technicians and athletic trainers throughout the State.
• Some people have more skill than you do and have advantages you do not….but that does not mean they are going to beat you.
• The list can go on and on, but please realize that you (and your entire family) have been given a gift….many of your life lessons were learned playing the sport you love while being around the people you love.
Your mother and I are proud of you and love you more than words can express. Enjoy your last games and as you grow older…pay it forward.
