Love on ice

 I shivered as a fast, cool breeze hit me as I trotted through the double doors of the arena for the first time. The stench of nasty, sweaty men's gym socks permuted the air of the ice center. I was thoroughly why my friends would drag me to a hockey game of all things to do on a Friday night. I was confused what the whole buzz was about it was just stinky, sweaty guys chasing a small black circle on skates. But as I watched my first game I quickly started to understand the buzz and something sparked inside of me. I didn't quite understand the rules or how it was played, but I understood that I had just fallen in love. It was truly love at first site. The electricity of the crowd's excitement rushed through my veins and my heart skip a beat, that's when I knew hockey was meant for me. 

I then began being a huge fan of the NHL and specifically the Washington Capitals. I would watch the games on the edge of my lazy-boy at home. Yelling, screaming and rooting for the Caps was a common occurrence  in my house during hockey season. I lived for the manly men pushing, shoving and checking each other against the boards. This video is some of the best hits of last season (2010-2011).

Having this new found love when I can to Liberty I habitually and frequently attended both men and women D1 games. I was hooked, obsessed, captivated and  fascinated with this sport. Basically anything to do with hockey I was there.

My love for the sport for sport then turned into a passion for learning how to play the sport. Being raised in Virginia hockey was not a very poplar sport and neither was skating. So before coming to University I had skated maybe five times in my life at birthday parties, but I am determined to learn how to play. 

I enlisted help for one of my friends who is on Liberty's Women's D1 team. She helped my pick out my own skates to buy and has been giving me lessons every week. She also got me my own hockey stick to practice my stick handling with. Learning how to play hockey is harder than I thought, but I love this sport and I am determined to learn how to play it. 

In order to be a good player I take advice from one of the greatest hockey players ever.

A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.  -Wayne Gretzky