Wasting Time On the Net So You Don't Have To

Here you go, the lamest effort yet. I have had absolutely zero inspiration and the only project that I have in progress is no where near fleshed out, so it's time to release the bits and pieces of things that just didn't make a full column.

One of the things I really wanted to write-up was sledge hockey. I had the privilege a few years ago to watch a sledge hockey tournament first hand. I know that I'm a big softy, the dolphins make me cry, but it was very inspiring to see this group of people from all walks of life, all ages, coming together for their one common love, HOCKEY. I have stated before that I would be playing this game until they cart me off the ice. . . These men and women cart themselves off the ice, and they just keep coming back. And, this thing is full contact, it's violent and competitive. I don't recall any fights, but it wouldn't have surprised me.

The coordinator of the tournament told me that they have a league in Addison, but I haven't been able to find a current incarnation.




When I was a kid video games were incredibly crude, and expensive. We played outside most of the time, but when the weather outside was frightful, card games and board games filled the gap. Lots of kids played baseball with playing cards, my sister and I created a version of playing card football one summer. My other sister would play one game of chess, then expect me to play ballroom dance with her dolls on the "marble dance floor" chess board.

I don't think I could make it through one quarter of my football game these days, but I think I would rather do that than play this. Some guy created the game and spent quite a bit of time making diagrams and a complete set of rules. Heck, I might prefer ballroom dancing

I have saved a lot of broken hockey sticks over the years, and at some point I will transform them into something special. Inspiration struck when I was visiting the Valley Ranch Starcenter and saw the beautiful deck chair of goalie coach Chris Fries. There are many styles of these things out there, some you can buy complete, others just the plans. This one looks great- simple, elegant, cheap. If you have one of your own, I would very much be interested in a look-see.




If you're new to hockey, this site is a good primer. I found one aspect particularly interesting: The physicist in the "ice" section disputes the theory that your skate melts the ice as it makes contact, letting you slide on a tiny layer of water. He claims that the structure of ice has a quasi-fluid layer on top, that gets thicker as the temperature increases. Your skate slides on this layer, the thinner the layer the less friction your skate has to fight- Colder ice, faster ice.

What about those battery powered skates that actually do melt the ice? I don't know if that's hogwash or not. . .

Hope something tickles your fancy,

In hockey,
bciii