The Off Season

As the summer approaches, and the end of the school year, the off season still lingers. Hockey is a year long sport. It really never ends. The season starts in August and ends at the end of March, no other sport has a season this long. Once you fall in love with hockey it's a part of who you are, your identity. You eat, sleep, and dream hockey.

Since its the off season, I'm having major hockey withdraws. The season is so long that once it's over all I can think is, “What the hell am I suppose to do now?” I'm just not used to having this much free time.

Usually hockey players are multi-sport athletes because if you can master hockey than you can master almost any other sport. So in someways we never really have an off season. For me I spend my off season playing tennis which I honestly don't enjoy that much. It's fun for a solid week then after that I just want to skate and shoot some pucks, not a tennis ball. It is nice to be outside and work on my tank-top tan. Other than that, hitting a ball back and fourth for an hour straight doesn't even come close to playing a hockey game.

The off season is also very important for hockey players, and all athletes. It's a time to step away from the ice, courts, or field and just relax. Playing other sports is the best way to refresh for the up coming season. Since the hockey season is so long, by the end you get pretty burnt out. But once the new season starts you feel fresh and ready to play.

The hardest part of the off season is trying to stay in shape. You just have to accept the fact that you won't be in game shape until the season starts again. This is hard for all athletes because we want to be at our best all the time. Like many other hockey players, I spend my off season at the gym with little time on the ice. A great man once said, “Champions are made in the off season”. The off season is the time to put on muscle weight and to work on agility.

Soon the hockey season will come again and I will be rested and excited to play again. Until then I will hit a fury ball back and fourth while dreaming of a puck and some ice.  (417)