Mite 1 * Year 3

When Alex started hockey, I brought my camera to just about every practice and certainly to every game. I took dozens of pictures each time showing Alex's progress learning to skate and the fundamentals of the game.

Last year, I still did a pretty good job in the role of proud hockey mom. Not quite as many pictures, but still plenty.

Now it's year three. We're about halfway through the season. And I finally remembered to bring the camera.

 

Here he is at practice. He's the one in the white helmet. It seems like just yesterday he was one of the boys in the middle of the rink, pushing a chair for balance. And now he's the tallest kid on his team, skating faster and more comfortably than I can. (Can I use that as my excuse for the lack of photos? It's tough to get a clear shot of him now that he's so fast. Almost as tough as it is to take a picture when you forget the camera at home for two months.)

The biggest thing Alex needs to work on is his aggresiveness. More specifically - his lack there of. He skates fast and shoots well, but if there's a group of kids swarming for a puck, Alex is much happier waiting back in hopes his team gets the puck and passes it to him. Among the shouts I hear from his coaches: "Get in there! Fight for it, AJ! We don't have goalies in this game." (The coaches still call him AJ, most of the time. They've figured out, as I have, that while he prefers to be called Alex, he responds more quickly to AJ.)

Next year, when he advances to Mite 2s, which uses goalies, guess what position Alex hopes to play. I wonder if he realizes he'll have to confront all kinds of skaters in that position?

Last Saturday, he played in his first tournament. We missed three of the four games due to family Christmas events. (Who thought it'd be a good idea to schedule a tournament on the weekend before Christmas? That's such a calm weekend. Nobody has anything better to do that weekend like shopping, wrapping presents, baking, Christmas programs, Christmas parties, etc. Brilliant!)

Anyway... here's a look at how he's doing. Sorry for the blurry video. My camera's not used to having to focus in cold ice arenas.

In theory, practice moves to the outdoor rink right after the New Year. As warm as the weather has been, we'll have to see how that goes. But I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures. Maybe not of Alex, but of Sydney, who will be starting in the Learn to Skate program.