A Year in Hockey... I hope. Part Twelve.

My cunning plan of not really caring what anyone thought, and changing my attitude worked!  I mean, it didn't improve my game any, but it sure as hell improved my experience.  We did some skating drills, including a backwards drill that I wasn't really able to do.  I gave it a try and ended up getting a smattering of stick applause...  You know.. for the effort. The crossover drills were much better and more fun.
Then we did 3-on-3 scrimmages- two groups- beginners and advanced, which was much more useful to all involved.  It was blue v. red for my game. Each team had four players, and we were supposed to change when we got tired.  Unfortunately, my new attitude kept me on the ice for the first 5 or 6 changes.  By the time I was ready to change, everyone was getting really tired, and I kept on having to wait, or the player who had just gone off the ice would have to come right back on.  I'll admit, there were a couple of times my side had only two skaters out there.  We reds got our butts kicked, but we scored a few goals, and I felt much more involved and useful.  I also had some spectacular falls!
Now I just need to crack this backwards skating thing... I'm so close. 


In other news- here's the drying rack I'm using.  It's made of 1 inch PVC and mounted to the wall in our laundry room.  I didn't make specific space for jerseys or socks or anything, because I throw those directly into the laundry when I get home.  There is a shelf for storing the stuff though. 

A blurry picture of the rack in use- taken after last night's session.

Here's the rack sans stinky gear.  I just cut and bunch of PVC and went crazy with joints and glue.  The shelf is left over from a kitchen fixture.

A detail of the top portion of the rack.  You'll notice the multitude of screws on the T joints.  I tried gluing them, but my patience got the best of me.  I had that box of screws laying around anyway, and I've always preferred a mechanical connection.  Total cost was about $22 in parts.