Hockey is one of those sports that families rarely have actual holidays.
Thanksgiving we were in Portland Oregon for the Turkey Classic, so having a sit down dinner with all the trimmings was more like a sprint to the airport, check bags, dash through the terminal, and fly to Chris Duffin's city.
Once there, it's another dash to claim the bags and get to the car rental.
Once at the car rental, the sales dude tickled my fancy with the enticement of "upgrading" our mid size to a large for no extra cost. Yup, that Ford 150 with the super cab and the 5ft, 7 and a half inch step up was looking like my WHIP for the weekend.
Truck packed we took a right and headed off into the night. (Bruce Springsteen reference)
Hockey is also a sport in which your kid doesn't only play on a TEAM for a specific coaching staff, but you end up with an extended FAMILY.
People you wouldn't normally have met nor hung out with become more than acquaintances, especially IF you change clubs like we have.
These people never slip out of you life, and the one's that you kid plays with at the moment become more family than friends.
Personalities will clash, brothers and sisters will fight, but in the end you are happy that they are a part of the experience.
I GET to train the boys pre game. As all Strength and Conditioning coaches of a sport become more, they are the liaisons between the kid and the skill coaches.
We WANT them to succeed. If they do, then we do.
I'm not going to go into the all the details of performance, readiness, and psych, but when you have the young athletes tuned up for the pregame instruction, you know your job is as done as it can get at that moment.
By making THEM successful, the S and C coach can then measure his/her success.
It isn't the video you do in the car.
It isn't the Social Media posts and the number of "followers" you have.
It doesn't even matter that you have a studio and do weekly podcasts that makes for what I consider a solid Strength and Conditioning Coach.
What matters is the OVERALL development of the ATHLETE!
I need to apologize to Chris Duffin who is waiting for his newborn to be delivered.
We were in touch with each other and I really wanted to take him up on his offer to "hang out". (next time with a bit more advanced notice on my part, Amigo?)
But the Hockey weekend was indeed for my son, his teammates AND our extended Hockey Family!
Portland Oregon is a really cool city. Much to see, much to listen, and WEIRD as the weird I enjoy (without the politics please)
Many of the people from California were saying how they could "live there".
Aside from the Cold and the RAIN...I suppose?
Naaa, I'm not going ANYWHERE I need pants! (I did sport shorts and my shoeless or flip flop fashion style all week)
I'm home right now nursing a yoked up quad from a slip on wet leaves in the parking lot of the hotel. (at almost 60, I don't bend as well as I use to) Some immediate ice, now compression and electric stim. I'll be fine and back to sprinting in a day or so.
Training from Thanksgiving Morning:
1 Dead Lift @75% of training max every minute for 60 minutes!
That is becoming an annual thing on Thanksgiving morning at Zero Dark-Dark for all of my participants. (and it was a FULL gym I will add)