WOMEN-IN-HOCKEY Digest 656

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: Change Room Dynamics..
	by June Nejman 
  2) Re: Playing Time
	by Syrilyn A Tong 
  3) Re: Change Room Dynamics..
	by email@hidden
  4) Fwd: Playing Time
	by email@hidden

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Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 12:28:28 -0400
From: June Nejman 
To: email@hidden
Subject: Re: Change Room Dynamics..
Message-ID: 

At 11:50 PM 8/7/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Just for the record...
>
>I play with a great bunch of guys also... and not just the ones on my
>team.  With the exception of one or two,  most of the guys in my league
>are extremely supportive of me playing with them.  
>
>I'm not sure if any of them suscribe to the women-in-hockey list, but if
>they do, THANKS GUYS!!
>
>Joey
>
>
When I mentioned in a message a couple of weeks ago that I change in the
locker room with the guys I was not sure how it would be viewed.  I am so
relieved to learn that most of you share this experience and my reasons for
doing so.  I'm a pretty conservative 43 year old but was not going to be
left out of the whole hockey experience.  When I started playing 3 yrs. ago
the management of the arena provided a room for the female players to
change in, but eventually there was only me and I was not going to change
alone and decided the locker room was the best place to be.  I needed to
feel part of the team and have the guys respect me.  We were all doing
clinics together and learning together.  Now only the refs change in a
separate room and we have a priest who plays pick-up who will change on a
bench elsewhere because he finds the locker room banter offensive.
Thanks to everyone out there, whether you meant to or not you made this
female hockey player realize she made the right choice, for the right reasons.

Jake #8

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Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 10:41:56 -0800 (AKDT)
From: Syrilyn A Tong 
To: Subscribers to 
Subject: Re: Playing Time
Message-ID: 

I found that when I first began, I couldn't stay away from the rink, and
it certainly helped my rapid developement.  Now, I do take the summers off
(or skate out in the summer, goaltend in the winter)


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Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 00:33:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: email@hidden
To: email@hidden
Subject: Re: Change Room Dynamics..
Message-ID: 

In a message dated 97-08-09 12:54:45 EDT, you write:

<< 
 At 11:50 PM 8/7/97 -0700, you wrote:
 >Just for the record...
 >
 >I play with a great bunch of guys also... and not just the ones on my
 >team.  With the exception of one or two,  most of the guys in my league
 >are extremely supportive of me playing with them.  
 > >>


I play "pick-up"  hockey with mostly guys.  Forget the locker room - we just
get changed in the main lobby!!  There is much more room, and it does not
smell as bad.     (I go into the bathroom to change my t-shirt & bike shorts
worn under my hockey gear, but the rest goes on & off outside.)

Jill   :-)

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 01:02:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: email@hidden
To: email@hidden
Subject: Fwd: Playing Time
Message-ID: 

In a message dated 97-08-09 04:57:36 EDT, email@hidden writes:

<< f you are "learning how to play" I would guess you are only on the ice
once
 per week, which may be not so bad, but In my opinion you should still take a
 break at some point during the year. 
 
 My observation has been that for some people, some of the time, year 'round
 hockey is OK, but for the majority of the people playing games year round
 depletes the mental reservoir, and when it comes to competitive situations
 where you need 100% of your mental strength, you can't "take it to that next
 level".   >>

I just started playing in May.  I am on the ice 2-3 times a week (Once
playing pick-up, and 1 or 2 clinics) and playing roller hockey once a week.
  I am totally addicted.    All of this playing is helping me improve at a
much faster rate than if I only played once a week, or wait until  "the
season" begins.   With all of this pracitce,  my goal is to be ready to play
with a B-level team come this fall.   

As for depleteing  mental reservoirs, let's keep things in perspective.
 Hockey is FUN.     I started to play because 1) hockey looked like it would
be a lot of fun  2) I do not like the heat of the summer. There is nothing
like stepping onto an ice rink when it is 98 degrees and 150% humidity
outside!!  3) golf is not as much fun as hockey 4) I can't ski  in NYC in the
summer.    I can imagine how taking time off from competitive hockey can be
beneficial, but I do not see any advantage to taking time off from all
hockey, whether it';s clinics, or just playing pick-up.    If you enjoy
playing, then play year-round!!!

   To make a comparison, I take all summer off from skiing  - after skiing
virtually every weekend all winter, and one or 2 week-long ski trips.  ( This
time off is not voluntary.  It is forced upon me because  of the lack of snow
in the Northeast.)  My worst day skiing every year is the first day.  It is
always a step backward, and I have to re-learn how to ski.  I would guess
that taking a significant amount of time off from hockey would be the same
way.  


Jill  ;-)


---------------------
Forwarded message:
From:	email@hidden
Sender:	email@hidden
Reply-to:	email@hidden
To:	email@hidden (Subscribers to)
Date: 97-08-09 04:57:36 EDT

>Recently someone on the list brought up the fact that hockey hasn't
>started up for many people.  What I found funny about that is that I
>live in an area not usually associated with ice hockey, and we play all
>year long!  We might always have to play in air conditioned rinks, and
>pay a small fortune for ice time, but we get to play all year round.
>
>My husband has said he thought that it wasn't good to go all year
>without taking a break, but since I am just learning how to play, I
>think taking a break hurts my development as a player.  What have others
>experienced?

If you are "learning how to play" I would guess you are only on the ice once
per week, which may be not so bad, but In my opinion you should still take a
break at some point during the year. 

My observation has been that for some people, some of the time, year 'round
hockey is OK, but for the majority of the people playing games year round
depletes the mental reservoir, and when it comes to competitive situations
where you need 100% of your mental strength, you can't "take it to that next
level".  

Clearing your mind and taking a mental holiday from hockey alows you to come
back even stronger and more focused.

I heard somebody once say that the only athletes that are always at the top
of their game are mediocre athletes.  I guess that's a weird way of saying
that if's OK to be inconsistant as long as you are "firing on all cylinders
when it's important"



Liam 





>
>By the way, I think Chuq is doing a fine job with this mailing list.  I
>have subscribed for quite a while, and I have never had any of the spam
>described (I'm not on AOL either).  So thank you, Chuq, for running such
>a fine list.
>
>
>
>
>



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End of WOMEN-IN-HOCKEY Digest 656
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