It's good to be home

The Shack is back! The last time I was inside the Esko hockey shack was July, as a bunch of parents worked to tear apart and save the moldy, flood-damaged building. (Note that I'm admitting I've done none of the work since.) But some very dedicated people have been putting in a whole lot of labor, and when I walked in the door last night, I could only say 'wow'. It looks better than it did before the storm.

 

 

The fact that the first game of the year just happened to take place exactly six months after the flood gave me goose bumps.

 

And then we stepped outside and felt the frigidly cold temperature and even colder windchill, and I quickly remembered what goose bumps really are.

 

It was Sydney's team that had a game, which meant as Mite 1s there was the typical humor of watching them attempt to change lines without falling down. (Sydney's the white helmet in the background, not the child who fell down. By the time it was Sydney's turn, the coach started lifting the children onto the ice.)

 

It was a particularly un-intense game, which was good, because my camera did not appreciate the cold weather any more than I did, and so typically focused and captured the picture about 2-3 seconds after I pressed the button.

 

Part way through the first period, an exciting thing for Sydney happened. No, she didn't score, but her brother, who'd been hanging out and skating on the upper rink, was asked to help officiate the game. (Translation: skate around a straighten the nets every time the kids bump into them.)

 

That's Sydney in front, and AJ in back.

At halftime, Sydney skated off the ice to warm up, declaring in wonder (and with a mouth guard still in place) "I can't beliebe my big brobber was my referee."

 

As ref, AJ had one other important duty: helping the players - in this case his sister - off the ice when their toes got too cold to skate any longer.

 

 

On the to do list today: buy some hand and foot warmers to slip into their skates.

 

But it sure felt good to gather in that building with so many other equally excited kids and parents. And it just so happens that the Duluth team we were playing also had been flooded out - and remains flooded out because their facilities haven't been rebuilt - another reminder of just how much our community accomplished.