Let's take a moment to think about hockey...
I am not a hockey player. I just can't figure out how to negotiate the skates and the ice. I fall down, and when I don't fall down, I wobble and stand as still as I can. I love to watch hockey, though. It's a fast, exciting game. I never see a hockey game and think, “I could do that.” Instead I think, “wow, that's amazing.” Players are constantly switching direction, skating backwards one moment and then tearing down the ice at full speed the next, running headlong into the boards, and it's not just skating. In addition to riding two thin metal blades over the ice with nothing less than grace, hockey players have to master the wrist shot, the slap shot, and other more complicated moves with a stick and a puck. If you've ever played street hockey or lacrosse, you know how weird and foreign a stick can feel. Many sports don't bother with these implements. In football and basketball, players use their hands. In soccer, it's the feet. Baseball has bats and gloves, but the bat is more of a blunt object than the hockey stick and gloves don't require as much practice to get used to. A hockey stick, by comparison, can feel very foreign, like a prosthetic limb, grafted onto the end of the arm. It takes practice to get used to using a hockey stick, and using it well is a real skill. I'm certainly not knocking other sports. I'm a soccer player myself and a huge baseball fan, but hockey simply astounds me in a way that no other sport could. I mean, c'mon, it's played on ice!!!
The other thing about hockey is that it is under appreciated by many here in the United States. Americans love football, basketball and baseball. Soccer has even developed somewhat of a following since the introduction of the MLS, but hockey remains the unwanted stepchild of American professional sports. Most of us simply do not watch it. There are a lot of reasons for this. Most of us didn't grow up playing hockey. If you live in the south or the west, ice sheets aren't as prevalent as grassy fields. Hockey requires specialized equipment, and many of us can't relate to a sport originally meant to be played on a frozen lake. All of these barriers make Americans less likely to not only play, but go see a hockey game. Here’s your chance to see the great game of hockey and for a good cause!
Friday, December 16 the Utah Grizzlies play the Colorado Eagles. The Grizzlies, a semi-professional sports team in Salt Lake City, need your support and so does Playworks. December 16th at the Maverik Center is Playworks night. If you buy tickets through our website, the proceeds will go to support physical activity in Salt Lake public schools. Tickets are only $15 (normally $17), and the money goes to a great cause, Playworks.
If you can't go, but still want to support Playworks, consider donating or volunteering. We're always looking for enthusiastic people to come out to schools and help us energize recess.
And in the meantime, Go Griz!!!!
I am not a hockey player. I just can't figure out how to negotiate the skates and the ice. I fall down, and when I don't fall down, I wobble and stand as still as I can. I love to watch hockey, though. It's a fast, exciting game. I never see a hockey game and think, “I could do that.” Instead I think, “wow, that's amazing.” Players are constantly switching direction, skating backwards one moment and then tearing down the ice at full speed the next, running headlong into the boards, and it's not just skating. In addition to riding two thin metal blades over the ice with nothing less than grace, hockey players have to master the wrist shot, the slap shot, and other more complicated moves with a stick and a puck. If you've ever played street hockey or lacrosse, you know how weird and foreign a stick can feel. Many sports don't bother with these implements. In football and basketball, players use their hands. In soccer, it's the feet. Baseball has bats and gloves, but the bat is more of a blunt object than the hockey stick and gloves don't require as much practice to get used to. A hockey stick, by comparison, can feel very foreign, like a prosthetic limb, grafted onto the end of the arm. It takes practice to get used to using a hockey stick, and using it well is a real skill. I'm certainly not knocking other sports. I'm a soccer player myself and a huge baseball fan, but hockey simply astounds me in a way that no other sport could. I mean, c'mon, it's played on ice!!!
The other thing about hockey is that it is under appreciated by many here in the United States. Americans love football, basketball and baseball. Soccer has even developed somewhat of a following since the introduction of the MLS, but hockey remains the unwanted stepchild of American professional sports. Most of us simply do not watch it. There are a lot of reasons for this. Most of us didn't grow up playing hockey. If you live in the south or the west, ice sheets aren't as prevalent as grassy fields. Hockey requires specialized equipment, and many of us can't relate to a sport originally meant to be played on a frozen lake. All of these barriers make Americans less likely to not only play, but go see a hockey game. Here’s your chance to see the great game of hockey and for a good cause!
Friday, December 16 the Utah Grizzlies play the Colorado Eagles. The Grizzlies, a semi-professional sports team in Salt Lake City, need your support and so does Playworks. December 16th at the Maverik Center is Playworks night. If you buy tickets through our website, the proceeds will go to support physical activity in Salt Lake public schools. Tickets are only $15 (normally $17), and the money goes to a great cause, Playworks.
If you can't go, but still want to support Playworks, consider donating or volunteering. We're always looking for enthusiastic people to come out to schools and help us energize recess.
And in the meantime, Go Griz!!!!
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