Imagine a rocket, specifically molded, perfectly symmetrical, prepared to do it’s job exactly how it needs to with no room for error. Seems almost perfect, on the other hand we have the Rockets, my AAA hockey team the summer before sixth grade. It was made up of players from the La Crosse area who played and practiced together every summer for the last few years. We weren’t exactly the most organized team in the sense of having professional attitudes. The ceiling at our practice arena had leaks and water would pour out if it was hit with anything. Naturally, we would skate around and throw pucks at it where our teammates were standing and watch them get water dumped all over them. Summer was winding down and we had our last tournament in Duluth,
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We were leaving the house and, of course, running behind. I forgot to pack my gear, didn’t wake up in time to eat breakfast, and was tired. When my family had finally gotten into the car it was an hour after we had originally planned to leave. After about an hour and a half of driving, we stopped at McDonalds for lunch and then again at a gas station so that we could all use the restroom. The original plan was to go check in at the hotel before going to the game, but that just was not possible anymore. As we drove closer and closer to Duluth the team we were playing that day was the talking point in the car. The Omaha Tropics were who we were facing first of four possible games in the tournament. They were the heavy favorite to win with the reason being because they used this tournament as a tryout team for their winter team. That meant they brought a hefty amount of very skilled players to this tournament all giving one-hundred percent effort skating for a spot on their winter team in Omaha. Not to mention, their team is mostly the same players every year, so in reality seventy-five percent of these kids played together all year long. Needless to say, when I arrived at the rink I went to the locker room to find the rest of my team just as nervous as I
We were leaving the house and, of course, running behind. I forgot to pack my gear, didn’t wake up in time to eat breakfast, and was tired. When my family had finally gotten into the car it was an hour after we had originally planned to leave. After about an hour and a half of driving, we stopped at McDonalds for lunch and then again at a gas station so that we could all use the restroom. The original plan was to go check in at the hotel before going to the game, but that just was not possible anymore. As we drove closer and closer to Duluth the team we were playing that day was the talking point in the car. The Omaha Tropics were who we were facing first of four possible games in the tournament. They were the heavy favorite to win with the reason being because they used this tournament as a tryout team for their winter team. That meant they brought a hefty amount of very skilled players to this tournament all giving one-hundred percent effort skating for a spot on their winter team in Omaha. Not to mention, their team is mostly the same players every year, so in reality seventy-five percent of these kids played together all year long. Needless to say, when I arrived at the rink I went to the locker room to find the rest of my team just as nervous as I