Hockey Players

Richie Center has a very nice skating lesson program. It also offers free public skating sessions, where my kids can hone their skills outside of class. The biggest impression this event left (well aside the gal with short sleeves and a bare belly button on the ice), was left by the pre-teen hockey players roaming the rink that day.

As usual, these hockey playing kids were menace incarnate to anyone else on the ice, toppling less able skaters left and right, not actually with contact in most cases, but by rushing alongside other skaters at high speeds and narrow distances, going fast enough that they wiped out themselves a number of times. Of course, the irresponsible parents of these children thought that this was great fun themselves and did not disapprove.

What kind of monster (and quite a few bear visible signs of their own hockey injuries past themselves) wants to raise his kids, at great expense, carrying mammoth oversized suitcases full of modern day armor, to be hooligans on ice? I've never understood the attraction, but year after year the arrive in droves and try to ruin the day for the rest of us.