Some time back, there was a TV commercial that began with a young girl skipping a stone out across the water, a stone that eventually makes it halfway across the world and into the canals of Venice. It’s a good effect to show how far one’s actions can reach.
In summer we, as kids, liked to skip flat stones across the serene waters of a pond deep in the woods. Those stones only skimmed the surface. To make a profound change, you have to drop a stone into the water and watch the ripples branch out in all directions. I have ‘dropped that stone’ by sponsoring my son’s jersey that he proudly wears during away games when he plays on his Peewee AA Rep Hockey team. Now I am curious to find out how far it travels….
In all his years playing hockey, this is the first year I have taken the extra step to invest even more money into his passion for his sport. If you have a son or daughter involved in any athletic endeavor, then you know that the financial commitment parents make can sometimes be steep. It’s not just our fair share of the team’s budget, either. Equipment is expensive. We just bought him a new set of goalie pads that cost over one thousand dollars. A new goalie stick last year cost well over one hundred dollars. Then there is the catching glove, the blocker he wears on his other hand, the chest protector - the list goes on and on. Tending goal on a Rep Hockey team is probably the most expensive position to play.
Our team budget is well over $30,000 for this season alone. Renting ice for practices and games is expensive. We pay for the referees, linesmen, and score keepers. We rely on the parents to pay a percentage of that. We have fund-raising events that augment the team’s overall budget. Team sponsors also contribute to the success of the team with advertising on the jerseys. This year I decided to be one of the team’s sponsors by advertising my evening radio show on his jersey. I did this because he has made a commitment to his team, and more importantly, he has made a commitment to himself.
My son has been involved in goalie schools to take his game to another level. His hard work has paid off. He went from the AE team last year to being selected for the AA team this year. Now he is involved in goalie development sponsored by his league’s association. He runs after school to help develop stamina and strength. We play road hockey with him in front of our house to warm him up on game days. I’ve seen him spending time alone before a game trying to focus his mind and get into what some athletes refer to as ‘the zone’ prior to a game.
Julie Logan , a writer in Los Angeles, quoted in the April 1996 issue of Glamour magazine’s Private Time column, said this about her enjoyment of ballroom dancing for one: “I’m not one of those people who can meditate to clear my mind, but I find that by doing something so physical there’s this release of joy, this moment where it stops being steps and starts being - dancing, and that’s when it belongs to me, that’s when it’s magic. Athletes call it being in the zone. That’s what quiets my mind.”
I’ve observed my son try to ‘quiet his mind’ on game day so that he is prepared for whatever comes his way during the game. What will come his way are pucks being shot at an amazing speed. Out of all hockey players, goalies are a breed apart. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to stand in the net as the last line of defense. At the level he plays, the game in front of him can be intense. He needs lightning-quick reflexes and an eye that must follow that little puck, no matter where it is, in order to do his job right.
He’s made the commitment and now so have I….
If you visit a Peewee AA hockey game in the near future, look carefully at the back of the jersey of the goalie. If you see my name with the CHFI logo, and his number ‘30′, then you know the other team is facing a young man who has set his sights high in this world.
William Cullen Bryant wrote,
“He who, from zone to zone, / Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, / In the long way that I must tread alone, / Will lead my steps aright.”
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Don Jackson
_blu3z
- blu3zI have enjoyed listening to your program over the past 16 years and have listened faithfully. Thank you for allowing us, your listeners a peek into your family life. Having twin boys in hockey I can appreciate the financial commitment and I commend you on sponsoring your son’s jersey. It’s not a small act but the message it conveys on your full support and commitment to your son is huge! Quoting Eleanor Roosevelt….”The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”. May your son live out his dreams!
- Araceli Culliton