The Road Back

It's Sunday again, but now its March. The days, weeks and months stopping for no one this winter as we soldier on toward Spring. Six fresh inches of snow the other night reminds us that despite the unseasonably warm weather we've had to date, winter still exists and we still have to work through it; nothing comes for free. The neighbours fired up their snowblowers for the first real use this season, mine being buried behind the house and trapped by the backyard rink I made for the boy, sat quietly as I made my way down the new driveway the old-fashioned way, by shovelling.

 We almost needed that shovel last Sunday night as we made our way home from the hockey tournament in Altoona, WI, winter hitting our return path with fury, stranding cars and trucks and semis in the ditches around Fargo, ND, the interstates like skating rinks, a far cry from the weather we just left behind in Wisconsin, a place where it seemed Old Man Winter had yet to visit - the ground bare and brown everywhere except on the shaded slopes, pavement dry and easy to drive upon, footwear choices simple and comfortable.

 That's the way we found Altoona and neighbouring Eau Claire when we arrived last Thursday after our all day bus trip down. The Metropolis Resort made us feel very welcome and looked after our team's needs and accommodations with familiar Mid-Western hospitality and friendliness; a standard that we encountered everywhere we went during the trip: the local Mall, restaurants, shops and stores, and even at the rink, the central gathering place for our crew, where the coffee was decent, the service first rate, and the tournament well run and on time.

 Of course it helped some of our clan that there was a small local bar just across the street from the arena, one that welcomed us as friends and neighbours with a good stiff drink and a willing smile. It's a good thing the tournament only lasted 3 days - I don't think we could have kept up that pace for much longer!

 The boys fell in love with the water park and amusement centre in the hotel, and spent most of their waking hours in the water Friday although they had a game that evening there were no sanctions imposed by the coaches to stay off the slides or out of the water or eat certain foods so many hours before game time, no, this was a fun weekend away from playing hockey, a chance to be a team of 13 year olds, in a foreign land, experiencing everything together, strengthening the bonds that sport strives to create, away from the realities of everyday life back home. They should have been tired after that long day Thursday and playing in the water park all day Friday (we parents spent our day checking out the deals at the mall) but they didn't show it on the ice that evening, and skated away with a well deserved shut-out victory 6-0 over a team from Lakeland.

 Saturday brought us two scheduled games with time in between for the boys to check out the Adventure City amusement park side of the hotel, a $25 all-day pass gave them each unlimited access to most of the arcade games, laser-tag, batting cages, bumper cars, go carts and whatever else they had hidden back in that massive kid-freindly warehouse of fun! It was great to see them acting like kids in there, away from the pressures that the game places upon them, that we as parents place upon them to play and try and do their best, and win, not at all costs, but in reality at the expense of some childhood innocence for sure; here they could be what they are, kids hanging out doing stupid things together, sharing a laugh and making new friends with the guys that have shared a dressing room and practice ice all season but who somehow, you never quite really got the chance to know.

 Out here on the road, that changes.

 Maybe it's the long bus rides, or the pool or the hallways and hotel rooms away from the parents and coaches or maybe it's the freedom to be what they really are. Whatever it is, they found a way to take that next step and become a tighter, closer group, and we could see it developing Saturday on the ice, where they picked up a second victory 7-1 over host Altoona, then ended the evening with a lopsided 12-0 drummming of a lesser skilled team from River Falls.

 That game taught the boys the life lessons of fairness and respect and compassion in sport, where the mismatch in abilities was obvious from the first puck drop, and thanks to the tournament's rule of only posting a 6 goal differential no one except the time keeper knew the real score. The boys didn't try to run up teh score, or take liberties with hitting their opponents at every turn, no instead they decided on their own to tone it down a bit, to pass more and shoot from the outside lanes, and at the goalie and not the open corners or five-hole, where certain success would be found. They have been on the other end of those score this season together, and know what it feels like. As parents in the stands it was awkward and uncomfortable to watch, and we cheered for both teams good plays to help compensate our uneasiness.

 Afterward, back the hotel, which we found we shared with the River Falls team, their parents and coaches complimented us on our boys' behaviour and composure on the ice, and their respect for the game and their opponents abilities.

 We didn't want to tell them our boys were a year younger than theirs - we'll take that knowledge back home with us.

 Unfortunately in such a meaningless game, the frustration of being outplayed so completely is never lost on the losing team, and one boy on the opposing team took out that frustration on one of our players with a hard hit to the head that resulted in a quick loss of consciousness, and half a night's observation at the hospital and a concussion to take home as a nasty souvenir.

 Sunday's final game was even more meaningless, as our boys had already secured enough points through the round-robin play to take home first place regardless of the day's outcomes, but you have to finish what you started, and so playing a man down they faced Onalaska in a more evenly paced game to start, our boys seemed worn out from the weekend of fun and the early morning wake up and pack up a Sunday game entails, but after the final whistle had sounded, another shut-out victory of 7-0 was in the books and our boys mobbed each other in a group hug / huddle that has been a season in the making. 3 victories in 26 games of a regular season can have that effect on you. After the customary hand shakes between teams at center ice, both teams lined their respective blue lines to be awarded their tournament medals and then the awarding of the first place trophy to the St Vital Victorias, and also the trophy for Best Sportsmanship - earned as a result of taking the fewest number of penalties during the games - but also, I suspect for the way they handled themselves in the obvious mis-matched games.

 We watched the boys congratulate each other and themselves, the smiles difficult to contain, the pride in their accomplishment evident but tempered with humbleness and courtesy for our hosts and opposition, the weekend a success beyond any expectations or hopes just days earlier. For the coaches, another tournament victory to add to their numerous City and Provincial titles over the years, but they were certain to ensure the boys took their time celebrating after the game, posing as a team, posing with the trophies, enjoying the moment, a moment not everyone gets to savour in sport, that of being a champion. For a team that had little success to show for a year of hard work, determination, tremendous growth and personal accountability, a championship trophy and celebration felt like their Stanley Cup. And they deserve to be proud of their achievements.

Sometimes you need to travel a ways to find the very thing you've been searching so hard to find back home. That's the great thing about road trips, about the open road, you never know what you're going to find, or how you'll react. Last weekend we hit the road looking for fun, team growth and a bit of relaxation.

 As our bus pulled back into Winnipeg sometime after midnight Monday morning, we knew that our boys had discovered something much more within themselves, a maturity and responsibility to themselves, each other, and their opponents that will forever change who and what they are, and what they become.

 The season may have been a write-off, but after this trip the road back through the playoffs just got a whole lot more interesting, regardless of the final outcome. Have a great week - Go Vics!