I called Jeff so he knew he didn't have to rush supper, and suggested he pack Sydney's gear anyway, so she could still do some skating during AJ's hockey practice. Here she is, demonstrating how - in less than a week - she's learned to propel herself forward like a fearless maniac.
Despite her progress, Sydney informed me she's not ready to play hockey yet.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because I don't know how to skate backwards yet."
"That doesn't matter," I told her. "Your brother played hockey for at least a year before he learned to skate backwards."
That was pretty exciting news for her. Almost as exciting as the big helmet swap. (Look for AJ wearing a new, black helmet in blog posts to come. His old helmet was so small it was squishing his glasses into the side of his skull and giving him headaches. Not a good situation. I tried to convince Jeff we should stick with a white helmet because it made AJ so much easier to pick out in the crowd and identify him in pictures. But Jeff seems to think a little thing like teams having a uniform look is important, and so I was over-ruled.) Anyway... Sydney's helmet had also grown too small, and so she was very excited to replace it with AJ's old white one. I suspect once AJ is big enough to sweat, Sydney may not be quite so willing to embrace his hand-me-downs.
And so with new helmet on and her determination set at full speed ahead, Sydney skated up and down the little rink. And she's set her sights on playing hockey next year. Not for the Esko team, she informed me. She's going to play for the Mite 1's.
Some gravitational force must have shifted the world to again revolve around me, because all I can wonder is if this means I have to work twice as many shifts in the concession stand.
P.S. Cousin Zane, if you decide to play hockey or are ready to attempt skating, Sydney has a barely-used black helmet for you to try.
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