jeepers

Let's not talk about the half marathon on Sunday. The short story is that I bailed after 45 minutes. I was not mentally in the right place to run 21km. We had had a super busy week and busy weekend and my heart was not into it. It was also the warmest day we have had ALL SUMMER!!! The race started at noon....I could not run in that heat. If my head was in the right place, I maybe could have toughed it out, but I just was not up for it. The good news is that I still get a tax receipt for the entry fee as it was for charity.

The long story is that I was super stressed out and had not slept in 2 nights. I felt nauseous I was THAT tired. Why was I not sleeping you ask? Hockey. As in hockey tryouts. For my 7 year old. I was way to worked up about everything. I know...ridiculous...but unless you have children, and want them to have fun in what they are doing and try and work hard...then this post may not make any sense to you....

This is going to turn into a Costco size post...so stay with me here...

My 7 year old played hockey for the first time last year. Some of us, as Canadians, take this particular sport very seriously. If you are familiar with hockey, he played Tier 3 all last year. It was fun, we had a blast, the parents/coaches were amazing and it was a great way to spend our winter. Tier 3 is where they put kids that maybe have never played before, or they are not great skaters etc. I was proud of our Tier 3 team as it was easy and supportive and there was no bullshit as we had no aspirations for our kids....we would hear stories of happenings from the Tier 1 groups that made us shudder. Like coaches scheduling dry land training for teams...sending workouts home for 7 year olds to do wall squats and core work...shortening the benches during games in novice...are you kidding me!!??

Anyway, after the fantastic experience we had last year, watching the Olympic hockey, going to a Bruins home game....OUR 7 year old LOVED HOCKEY!! So we continued on and put him in a summer hockey camp. These guys running the camp were serious. They are professional hockey coaches, they know their stuff, they rode those kids hard. Matthew really did not want to go to the last few practices and I think I posted about his meltdown so we quit. It was summer, he did not want to go, I did not want to take him, he cried when we mentioned it, we quit. No biggie.

Fall rolls around and hockey tryouts have been the last 2 weekends. We go to the first skate, he could have taken it or left it. After the second skate, he says he is having fun again. Whew. He saw all of his buddies, it was familiar, we were having FUN again, so the fire inside him had returned!! I was happy to see him excited to play again. And I really felt we had made the right decision to quit the camp.

Here is where I need help.

After the second skate, someone who knew what was going on with the evaluations called our house and told us that Matthew was on "the bubble" of making Tier 1. Come again??

What do you do with that info? Do you tell your 7 year old ..."Honey, you have to try a little harder so you can play with the really good players and get all the good ice times." No, I don't believe you say that. He has no idea about the Tiers or what a good player is vs a not so good player. He has no idea that people are even looking at him....he thinks these are all just practices so far...right or wrong, this is how we have managed the whole hockey tryout thing.

He plays because he wants to.

And between you and me, I did not really appreciate the phone call. But then I am SUPER SENSITIVE to politics getting in the way of fun and sports....

So we said nothing to him. My exact words were "Work hard!! Have FUN!! And pretend your little brother has the puck...." Haaahhahahahha!!!

Then...we get a second call after the 3rd skate...it looks like he has been bumped up to Tier 1.

Holy God. My protective insticts went into overdrive. I just want it all to be a great experience for him. I will not handle the crap very well. I could not sleep as I was worried that a kid "on the bubble" was going to get trampled by some very good and very talented young hockey players. But he held his own in the last skate, even had two breakaways (I think....Shaun said they were lucky chances, but I saw breakaways...) and one goal!!!

I am bound and determined to have another good winter. He can take hockey with him for the rest of his life. And perhaps I am being selfish, but I don't want to deal with crazy parents all winter!!! I will be the one who shoulders all of it so he will know nothing about it. That will take far too much energy...and hopefully I am over reacting...jeepers I really hope so...but I remember what Tier 1 was like for my brother growing up and everyone thinks their junior is the next "big thing". Fist fights in the stands!! Dad's yelling at their kids!! Coaches swearing at players!! (in fact Shaun overheard a dad coming out of the dressing room after a skate telling his kid he was "brutal"...omg I wanted to cry!!)

So....Here's to another hockey season!! I always say, I cannot afford therapy, therefore I run. Well, watch me RUN this winter!!!

On a more positive and funny note...Matthew had a football game last night. It was the very last play, just about dark actually, and the other team punted the ball. These are little kids, so a scramble for the ball...somehow Matthew comes up with it...he runs through the defense...loses BOTH his shoes in the process....takes it all the way down the field for a touchdown!!! In sock feet!! My husband's ears were sore from my screaming....