I have been playing Ice Hockey for 12 years now, and I have loved every second of it. Well, almost every second, I’m kind of a sore loser. However, I still love the game. I love how in a game, one play can change the entire atmosphere of the game, whether its a goal that lights up the crowd, a hit that keeps the glass shaking, or a bad call by the ref that has the entire arena booing at the guy in stripes. But most of all, I love how the game has a way of comforting those who play it, like me.
“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. “ (Nelson Mandela). In the novel, Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, a young boy named Saul was introduced to the idea of love in a very odd way. In a world full of hatred and racism, he found a way to love himself as well as the world around him through the hardships he encountered. Wagamese portrays love as the most powerful emotion in his novel through Saul's grandmother, his undying passion for hockey, which overall allows him to discover his self-love and self-worth.
“Coop, you’re up.” Championship game. This isn't the third period or overtime, shootout. Three people from each team get their chance at a breakaway, one on one against the goalie, and I was chosen. I had the tournament on my stick. I put my gloves on, get a couple taps from my teammates, hop the boards, and I’m on the ice. Here I am, standing at center ice with a chance to win a game we weren't even supposed to be playing in. If I score, we win the game, if I don't, we lose the game. My heart is pounding. My vision is tunneled, my body begins to tingle, and the loud cheering of the crowd begins to slowly fade away, to the point where I can only hear myself breathe. I close my eyes. Envision the white mesh cradling the puck as my team clears the bench. My leadership and hard work was going
Ever since I arrived at the high school, there has been one man that was my teacher, coach and friend when I needed one. This is coming from a person you really wouldn’t expect to be be this person in your life. Coach Minnich, Mr. Minnich, Ryan Minnich, (only off school grounds). The high school life has been a struggle, but he has made it a little easier.
The summer of my junior year I had a severe injury which made me led me but no choice to let go of my other sports and my after school music activities. It was a burden on my shoulders because I loved doing all the activities but in the end, it was all about getting better grades, improving my playing skills and most importantly for me to get healthy again. I worked through the difficult times so I could be there for my team. Teamwork was possibly the most valuable lesson I learned from Lacrosse. Learning to work together with other individuals to achieve a common goal is a skill that I have used and will continue to use, for the rest of my life. In the future, I will continue to use teamwork even if it's not in a team setting. In that team environment, working together every day in practice, I learned how to work efficiently and communicate effectively with a group of people different from who I am. I was a self-taught goalie. I taught myself how to
Lacrosse has been around for decades, played by those who look for a real sport. It’s been said to be the fastest game on two feet, which is no understatement. It requires strength, endurance, and heart to be able to play the game of lacrosse. All these reasons are why I love to play lacrosse and why it has been my favorite sport for years. I can remember when I first started back in second grade, I didn’t think about why I was playing, it was just another sport to me. But as I continued with the sport, I soon realize I was playing for my town and for the people watching me. It didn’t take long for lacrosse to become my favorite sport and my main passion. Since I loved playing it so much, I was curious to learn about the history of lacrosse and how it all started. I wanted to know what the original rules were and how they change over time, what they played with, and most of all what they played for, so I did some research.
Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese is undoubtedly captivating and entertaining. Even so, a close scrutiny of the novel reveals the novelist’s careful development of Saul’s character not only with the aim of capturing the journey he embarks on, but also linking his journey to the theme of suffering. Thus, rather than presenting a static character, Wagamese chooses to present a dynamic character whose emotional state evolves over time as he goes through various crises in his life. Saul goes through an emotional journey that is marked by pain, isolation, loneliness and fear, numbness and resignation, excitement, a relapse to isolation, and freedom, and this journey builds on the theme of suffering.
Author Richard Wagamese conveys a message in his novel Indian Horse displaying the idea of sacrifice. Specifically how people must sacrifice belonging for survival. Wagamese uses Saul 's experiences, choices and general story to express this message. Throughout Saul’s life he is forced to make sacrifices for himself and the people around him in order to survive, his isolation is what gets him through. Everyday people see the reproductions of community and how surviving isn 't an easy thing. Personal sacrifice can be nearly impossible, but is a necessity in life. This first began in the novel when Saul loses his family, persisting at the school and surfacing again once Saul 's hockey career gets serious.
As each day passed, Saul became that much better of a hockey player. It was obvious to many that he was put on earth to entertain, however Saul played for the pure enjoyment and freedom; “I would not let go of my dream of it, the freedom, the release it gave me, the joy the game gave me. It wasn’t anybody else’s game to take away from me” (Wagamese 145). Saul had dreams of playing in the NHL one day, but that was never the reason of why he played. The release from playing the game was something intangible to Saul, and the time he spent on the ice
The variety of sports which take place on ice are very limited. The main two sports that come to the general person’s mind are hockey and figure skating. Although those are the main two sports, forthrightly, hockey is much more popular than figure skating to Americans. In general, most people would rather go to a hockey game than a figure skating competition. A hockey game is a lot less complex than a figure skating competition, but people find hockey games more regaling. A hockey game consists of watching a team try to score goals against the opposing team, much like soccer but on ice with a hockey stick. On the other hand, a figure skating competition consists of a figure skater trying his or her best to make it through a four-minute program,
During my short life, I have not had many life altering experiences; however, one thing that has changed me for the better is playing hockey. Since I started playing hockey in eighth grade it has been something I have become passionate about for various reasons. One reason is my love for the game in general, and more specifically for playing goalie, the one position that holds the balance of the scoreboard. The second reason is being a part of a team. This is important to me because it gives a strong sense of purpose to the player. Playing hockey has allowed me to meet new people, learn to work with others towards a common goal, and also be a leader to those who need it.
You never really know the true value of something, until you almost loose it. Growing up I was always involved with competitive sports. I would always make the highest-level hockey team that I could for my age group. Hockey has always been something that I was naturally talented at. When I was fourteen I moved one 1,932 Km away from my family, friends, and home to play for a prestigious hockey academy. With being at that academy and around that competitive nature I learnt perseverance, sportsmanship, as well as how to stay humble.
Throughout my life I have come from and created a few identities for myself. Perhaps, the most dominant identities that have been apart of my life are being an athlete and being a family orientated man. In this paper I will write about how my identities have shaped my life.
The Sport is a devastating road to heartbreak and failure. (I suggest, To experience sports, you have to experience heartbreak and failure - sounds a bit awkward to say “the sport”).
Failure is not easy to cope with. Failure gives people a sense of apprehension, a lack of confidence that they are not capable of achieving their goals. Although it does not feel the best at the time, this is where success is made. Starting off my ice hockey career at the age of 5 I met many new faces and did not realize at the time that one sport would have such an impact on my life. Through the ups, and the downs, ice hockey has taught me how to be a hard worker, contribute to society, and most of all, how to handle situations when the tide is against you. Here is where my journey, and also the most dreaded part of the year comes, tryout season.