Here we see some lovely photos of the team warming up. Normally we just stand in a circle and not on bleachers, but I kind of like the way the one on the bottom looks sort of like dancers in a musical, no? (and we all know I wish life was a musical). And the top is our team huddle, where we clap and yell "whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" (I know, my powers for description are captivating.)
Onwards: I am such a poet, eh? (Re: my title. "Eh?" I'm also turning into a Canadian thanks to Laura. And, coupled with my tiny bit of Danish and all the catch phrases I'm sure to pick up everywhere else, I should have one interesting dialect upon my return to the US).
Onwards: Denmark. Who knew it existed until I came here? And now look how "famous" it is. I think it's a good thing I'm leaving soon! Though I haven't seen anything myself I know there are a lot of protests going on around here and there are a lot more police sirens than usual. I had a really interesting chat with, Bodil, one of my "interviewees" today over lunch. She actually is an Anthro. student studying the Islamic experience in France and a bit in Denmark so has a learned and insightful perspective. As she put it, it's just become a lot of stupid people saying a lot of stupid things and not listening to one another. I'm not really concerned about my safety, but I never really am when these sorts of things occur (what does that mean, Caitlin?), so perhaps it is good that I'll be out of here for good in a few weeks....if there is some sort of attack it better not happen at the airport and popular train stations that I'm always going through, that's for darned sure.
Onwards: life is good. This is my last night at Tine's before I head to Italy. I've had a terriffic time shadowing her and really becoming one of the fam...and definitely loving the fact that they all speak English.
Hockey is great! I still can't get over how well I'm playing! Some wall has broken where I no longer have to really think about the technical aspects of the new skills Heikki is teaching me and it's all coming really naturally. He and Tine are really impressed as well and the other day he laughed as he said to me, through translation of course, that he bet I never would have thought I'd come to a tiny hockey country like Denmark and learn so much. True that, Heikki.
Onwards: I'm really getting into the coaching life. Though it makes me certain I want to keep playing because just watching is not enough, I really love being able to help other girls learn. I've donned the coach's cap for the past 3 weekends, first at the national camp, then they camp I set up in Jutland, and this past weekend I coached the younger girls on our own team at a local tournament. The first stringers took the weekend off from the tournament in order to give the younger girls a chance to play as much as possible and make the competition more equal, since it usually isn't among these teams. It was a wise choice and the teams we usually beat 20-0 wound up coming out within a few goals of us. One of the main problems facing DEVELOPMENT here (which is what I'm studying after all) is the club mentality: Clubs only want to develop their own players and WIN. Thus, Heikki at times will sit some of the weaker girls during games when we're already up by double digits, just so the top players can practice and resultantly humiliate the other team. The clubs then wind up hating each other and no one thinks about the development of the national program. I'm so glad that didn't happen this weekend.
I also had a real break through in my personal relationships with the younger girls...who it seems are FINALLY comfortable enough to talk to me. Yeah, wait until I leave in two weeks, thanks gals! It's great though, and some girls who just giggled around me before are now talking my ear off. I know it's time to move on, but it will definitely be hard, and strange to say goodbye for good....I mean, this could be a kind of "forever" goodbye that I don't want to think about.
Upwards: I've been working on another "samling" in Jutland and was able to get ice for next week, which is incredible for Denmark. But, again, the lack of concern for development strikes again: I'll be in Italy so I need to find coaches, but they just don't care. I finally found a national team player willing to help out, but it might be two late and 4 good hours of ice time will probably be wasted because the Jutland coaches in particular aren't in it for the betterment of their players as a whole.
Eslewards: (new word?) Well, I'm honing my PR skills by writing university recommendation letters for some of Laura's national players and really enjoying it (that's the English major in me of course), I'm honing my baking skills by baking banana bread like whoa (Nicholas said it was the best cake he had ever tasted as he and his sister proceeded to eat an entire loaf in one sitting), I'm still pushing my essay contest and have decided that if I get enough entries I may start another website as a place where I'll put all the self-written stories I gather from the different countries, and I am of course getting psyched up for Italy (I leave Friday!). Like I mentioned, I'll be meeting up with some guy I know from back home so it will probably be nice to catch up with him a bit. Then it's back here for two more weeks and off to Africa (said in the fun African way like Becky Mahoney-Phillips)!!!!
And in conclusion: Congrats again to my HoCroWoHo Seniors!!! Well done on a super career (though I know it's not over yet...especially since I've also made the decision that each of you will come to Europe and play for a bit before taking on 'the real world'). And some advice to everyone else: do yourselves a favor and go cheer them on at the ECAC Open Tournament at the Hart Center the last weekend in February....send VBs my love and tell him I'll be back to coach with a slew of foreign recruits.
Peace, love, puck,
19
PS: Don't let me forget to tell you about Ulla - former national team coach, breast cancer survivor and living inspiration who was told she's never play again and now is able to come back every once in a while and remind everyone that we play because we love it.
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