I'm still here!
My blogging buddy, Mark Roulo, sent me an email a week ago to make sure I hadn't fallen off the face of the earth. It's nice to be missed by somebody, and I've felt guilty about being away for so long. But blogging takes mental energy, and I just haven't had enough left over to do this lately. As I told Mark, I set the blogging aside because I have been so involved in my two jobs--teaching and coaching hockey.
Even though I've done it for 33 of my 34 years in education, I guess I forgot how demanding coaching is on one's time and attention. After taking a year off, I came back into coaching last year and although I worked with the varsity goaltenders, my main responsibility was handling the junior varsity team. Hockey is huge in northern Minnesota, but there is far less pressure on JV than there is on varsity teams, so when it comes to enjoyment vs. pressure, it was one of the most enjoyable years in coaching I've ever had. This year I was moved to varsity assistant, and our team is very good. As a result, the pressure has increased, and the amount of energy demanded from me has gone up with it. I thought I'd be able to hang in there with the blogging through the season, but I underestimated how hard that would be.
Our team finished it's regular season on Tuesday with a record of 23-2. We begin our section playoffs next Thursday, and we have to win three games to make it into the state tournament, which is our main goal every year. Right now, it appears that we have a legitimate chance to not only make it into the state tournament, but to win our state championship. There is the very real possibility, however, that we will get knocked off in our section tournament, and if that happens, it will be hard to view our season as a success, regardless of our impressive record. That is pressure! I'd love to tell you that I handle pressure marvelously and that I will be calm, cool, and collected throughout the upcoming ordeal, but the truth of the matter is that at times like these I remind myself a lot of Barney Fife. As I told Mark, at least I'll be able to put my Metamucil away for the next couple of weeks.
I'm posting this because we have a nine-day break between our last regular season game and our playoffs, so the head coach has given the kids (and me) a rare weekend off. I might post again soon because we only have school two days next week. We've got Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off because our girls' hockey team made it into their state tournament. You think that doesn't add a little to the pressure? In any case, don't worry about me. I'm still up here in the frozen tundra of Warroad, and hopefully I'll be able to get back into blogging when our season is over.
posted by Dennis Fermoyle at 2:26 PM
7 Comments:
Woo-hoo! Good to have you back!!
Missed ya, friend.
I was hoping a busy hockey season was the reason you hadn't posted in ages. It's good to hear from you again.
(Well, either that or Obama had made you his special education advisor, the guy he goes to and says, "My hotshots are telling me X. What aren't they telling me that I should know?")
First, I think Roger's parenthetical remark deserves a second from someone who didn't get here in time to make the motion in the first place, so I second that.
Second, I can't imagine the cajones it takes to coach hockey in Warroad. My first skates got wet when my weight pushed them through the ice on a drainage ditch in Roseville, though I didn't get my first stick until years later, when I played on a flooded tennis court west of Mankato a couple dozen miles. I never had the chance to play organized hockey (stoopid basketball and wrestling down there in corn country), but even from that background, I know it what it means to play you guys, much less beat you. You're the Yankees of Minnesota HS hockey. And now the ladies made the tourney? Oh, lordy. You don't have to just get there, you have to win all the marbles.
It's been forever since I rooted for the Warroad boys, but I'm on your side this time
Hey, thanks for the welcome back! Mrs. C., you're wonderful. Roger, I'll be waiting from that call from the pres. And Amerloc, thanks for the hockey support. We'll take all of that we can get right now. We have a good team, and we went undefeated in our section during the season, but there's three other goalies in our section who can beat you by themselves, especially the Thief River Falls guy. Good goaltenders on the other teams scare the heck out of me.
Glad to see you back! Please post how your hockey team does in the regionals. You tell such a good story when you write (as any good History teacher should) that it is fun to hear about your team.
Thanks, Joe! I'll keep you informed.
Nice to see you back, Dennis.
There is much to talk about these days.
Throw us a bone.
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