Quitting hockey was a mistake

[cantthinkof1]

First off this might be the wrong area for this, so mods feel free to move it if necessary.

I quit playing ice hockey back early sophomore in high school 2004ish. I'm now beginning to realize it was a large mistake. Yes, most of the teammates were *******s, the coach was horrible, and I didn't want to put in the work. Also money was a large problem.

I first started playing later than most kids, 6th grade, 2000, so I was behind everyone else, didn't have any good mentors, and didn't really know what I was doing. Played on some house teams, had fun, even losing every game. Entered high school, missed JV the first year for some reason, played on it the second. Near the end of that season I got the call to play a few varsity games, and even won one. I was essentially set up to become one of the Varsity goalies. It was one of the preliminary meets just to get people back on the ice, and I ended it by vomiting. I quit that day.

Looking back I realized I messed myself in a number of ways.

1. Gear wise. I had bigger gear, and I never got that gear the fit right and allowed me to play and not worry about gear. Bulky gear, my C/A, and my glove were all too big for me. I'm only 5'7" small hands, at the time i was chubby 180lbs with no muscle really. Now I'm 140lbs but still skinny and weak.

2. I never pushed myself to improve. I didn't bother working out, off ice training, getting in shape. I spent my childhood being poor at sports, as well as porking out, and never pushing myself to excel or be good at anything. To this day I still don't try very hard.

3. I was poor socially. Was annoying, a little bitch, etc.

Now it's 4-5 years later, and I want to play again. I've been playing so rec roller hockey a few times a year with friends, but I'm a poor outskater and haven't had money for goalie gear.

My problem is I'm in college doing 18 hours, then 22 hours of work, and with homework involved, my free time is limited. I also foot a large part of the bill for my education and leave myself with no free money essentially. I really don't spend much money on anything, just car insurance, gas, and thats it. But I feel I could drop somewhere between 2000-2500 on gear. League fees would be a whole other issue.

First of all, I'm curious to how I should become involved again. I haven't skated on ice since then, and I was a horrible skater when I played. I'm out of shape, skinny, and pretty frail. I wonder if I should just start ice skating again, and begin a light workout routine.

Secondly, I don't know what leagues are out there, and what skill level they require. Also, what sort of costs would be involved. Then how often they play, and when they do play. I realize roller is cheaper, but I began on ice, and playing on a non-slick surface isn't as fun. Also, I don't know how competitive any of the leagues are. I'm 20 years old if that matters.

Well, thats my story. I've quit a lot of things in life, never followed through, and never really tried hard, and I feel like I want to play hockey again. I might end up never playing again, but I figure if I don't at least see what's out there I'd completely miss out on the opportunity. Thank you very much.

[puckmeethoof]

I didn't start goal till I was 21. I have the advantage of being small, so getting decent deals on used gear (or getting some from generous friends!) has worked to my advantage.

Right now, I have 4 jobs. FOUR (about to go back down to three). I work 7 days a week, 65+ hours. I also have a horse, who I ride competitively (read: lots of hours and money). Snowboarding (bought new gear, expensive lift tickets, more weekends I don't have free). Hockey once a week at drop in. I support myself and the horse entirely.

Granted, I don't have stellar equipment (or didn't until recently) and I'm not playing league play right now (or for a while, given the knee surgery), but I want to play because I love it and have fun. Not because of the awesome gear or how expensive it is or because of how competitive it is.

Think about your realistic aspirations. If you haven't played in years and didn't put the effort into it, you're not likely pro material. But if you think playing, even drop in one night a week, could enhance your life for as long as you can play, DO IT. MAKE IT WORK. Muster up the motivation, and do it (here's where we cue Starsky and Hutch "do it, do it, do it"). I find it's hard to get started, but once you do, the feeling of accomplishment or enjoyment is enough to make you do it again (and tackle other things, like my messy kitchen or car).

DO IT. You won't regret it. Get quality good fitting used gear, and if you quit again, you can at least recoop your money. Buy piece by piece for a little while, or borrow from someone locally (I promise, if you smile and bat your eyes they actually lend you equipment, sometimes even GIVE it to you ). No, in all seriousness, goalies are a pretty united group (unless you're an A$$hat).


Oh, and to answer your original question:

I start out with drop ins everytime I have to take a break (money, injuries, moving across the continent, crummy equipment). Generally everybody is cool, and no matter how bad you suck or how out of shape you are (*ahem* that'd be me, I'm a noob, round, and I don't stop much from getting in the net), they're generally glad just to have a goalie. I make up for how unchallenging I am by being on time (or early), allowing them to take lots of warm ups, and staying through the end of the session. In the meantime, do some squats and crunches at home, even just for a few minutes a day. It's something.

[Timberwoof]

First, congratulations on losing those forty pounds and doing that honest and open introspection that led to a major change in your interaction with people. Both of those are difficult to accomplish.

I've got a full-time job with an hour's commute each way (uphill all the way, both directions, not to mention the snow), and a house, and two roommates who generate but don't contribute much to housework so I get to do it all... and still I make the time to play at least two games of hockey each week. I started playing when I was 35, having been a skinny nerd all through school. I enjoy playing hockey, and I get invited back each season. :-)

If you're worried about frailty and skating, then at least start out by going ice skating a lot. If you want, get a pair of hockey pants, knee and elbow pads, and a helmet; that way you can fall down and go boom safely when you exceed your performance envelope. (Please don't ask me how I know. ) You don't actually have to acquire all your gear at once, and you don't need to spend a fortune. Decide what things you want and stalk eBay and Play It Again for those bargains. Be patient; the gear will accumulate. When you've got it all, go to skate-and-shoot and pick-up sessions: that's where all we former noobs started out. After you've played in goal for a while, go to a goalie clinic. And keep playing... :-)

[MyassesHam]

20 years old is still pretty young, and you've got decades until your body will quit on you (I played against a 64 year old goalie a few weeks ago, quite a trooper).

It's generally very easy to get involved in organized leagues (St. Louis isn't a hockey black hole as far as I know). Start by finding used equipment from ebay or this board. You can find pro quality stuff for a third of the price easily. Ask on this board if there are any St. Louis goalies willing to help you out with used gear.

Then, attend as many drop-in sessions as you can. They are generally very beginner friendly. Once you feel like you're good enough to spare, ask around. Goalies are always in demand, and you'll always play for free.

This is how I started at 19 years old. I've always wanted to play minor hockey, but we didn't have enough money at the time. Now I've got more requests to play than I have time to fulfill!

[Sprawl]

20's young. I started playing hockey at 20. goal at 23. I'm 27 now and loving it (most of the time).

just remember. play for fun

[goalies-r-us]

If you think that your skating is weak, invest in a few sessions of ice skating lessons taught by Figure Skaters (twirl girls ) rather than Hockey Players.

My son Dom is only 8yo, but ever since he was 6yo we have gotten compliments on his skating ability everywhere he has gone, whether it was a public skate, drop-in hockey, pucks-n-sticks/dads-n-lads, etc. I always give credit to the twirl girls - he took group skating lessons for about a year (the US Figure Skating association has a Hockey Skating curriculum that is offered in addition to its Basic Skills curriculum -- Basic Skills is more for the "twirl girl" minded), and at roughly $10/lesson, it was absolutely the best investment we could have made in his hockey instruction.

(USFS also has a "free classes" promotion going on right now with some of its clubs -- go to Welcome to U.S. Figure Skating to get the coupon and find a participating club in your area.)

A year ago, at the age of 7yo and having only been a goalie for 7 weeks, he attended a spring team tryout for a Squirt A team in another town (in Michigan, Squirt A is "travel hockey for 9yo kids" -- Michigan's A and AA system refers to first-year in an age division (A) or second-year in an age division (AA), not to the quality of the hockey, other than it's travel vs. house).

When the coach called to tell me he didn't make the team (we didn't really expect him to -- we really just wanted to get an objective evaluation of his goalie abilities, as his regular coach was a bit biased), the coach made a point of telling me that the kid "skated like the wind" (this was in full goalie gear!). We had noticed at the tryouts that when they did full-rink skating drills, Dom would usually pass 1-2 kids when skating forward, and 4-5 kids when skating backwards (they were all skating out, while he was in goalie gear, and they were all 9yo, while he had just turned 7yo).

Granted, some of his skating prowess is just his natural athletic ability combined with his love of hockey/skating, but he never got any special attention from people the first two years that he played hockey -- but after he took those skating lessons from the twirl girls for a year, he got noticed *everywhere* he skated. (A former pro player who runs a multi-state hockey camp told me two years ago that Dom was "one of the best 6yo skaters" he had ever seen. It's been two years since Dom attended his camp, and that coach will still call or email me a couple times a year to see how the kid is doing. He freaked out last year when he found out the kid "turned goalie" on us.... "NOOOOOO!!!!! He's too good a skater to be a goalie!!!!!" )

If you're going to pursue this (which I think you should, if you like doing it!), just remember that your gear and your skating/training are an investment that will pay huge dividends in the long run.

Another idea -- ask around at your local youth association to see if they need a "volunteer goalie coach" to work with the kids in the cross-ice and Mite age divisions. At that level, you're going to be working on the most basic fundamental skills, so your lack of 'advanced training' won't matter. Plus, you'll be able to log extra time on the ice (for free!) and do all the drills along with your students. The high school kid who has been working with Dom's team this season mentioned to me that after the first month of helping out with the kids, he noticed a huge improvement in his own game -- he was doing the shuffles, c-cuts, t-pushes, butterfly slides, etc., right along with the newbie goalies, and that focus on fundamentals translated into better performance in his own Midget games.

Most associations will reimburse you for the cost of attending the USA Hockey coaching certification class, and you only need a Level One certification to work with Mites. Available time might be a problem, depending on your school/work schedule, but if you can work it out, it would be an excellent way of improving your own skills while also "paying it forward".

[moving target]

I only learnt to skate at 30

Hockey at 31...

[rony]

I learned how to skate at the age of 29. I have been playing goalie for just over 2 years now, I turn 31 this year.

It's never to late, just do it!

[vinny]

I started at 33
AssesHam is absolutely correct
Drop In
Good quality used equipment (get pics sent to you from seller)
AND get out and play!

So much fun and FREE once you have all your equipment.
Look into Smith, Battram and ******* gear also if you are on a budget.
Excellent gear for the price and if you can find it second hand and in good condition? Even better.

Put your name in Sparegoalies.com
Most leagues have websites and there are bulletins on their homepage...
Alot of the time teams will be looking for goalies. You can even post something about willing to sub when you feel ready.

If you have any questions about gear along the way let us know.

[xethicx]

Id played a little goal in my past but I pretty much only started last year when I was 28 years old and I learned butterfly from absolute scratch with some assistance from friends and family. Ive had nothing but good times ever since.

Its never too late to learn!

[West 49]

I started to play goal last September, so 6 months I been playing. I'm 32, so you got lots of time to start and play. It's alot of fun and once you get the gear, for the most part you play for free. I basically self taught myself the butterfly and recoveries, etc. Mostly from watching some of the videos posted on this BB, like the Mont videos, Corey Wogtech, etc. and just went out and tried the moves on my own. It's a work in progress, but it's fun.

Hope you get back to playing!!!