Righting the sportsman’s ship

It’s been a week since I last posted, and in that time we played two games. The first was last Friday against the Ice Dawgs.  On the following Monday, we also played the Dirty Dozen for the first time, who we will play again tomorrow night.

This game against the Ice Dawgs was the first time our teams met since they eliminated us from the playoffs last season, and robbed us of the magnificent glory of being able to hold the greatest hockey championship that could ever be awarded to a rec league hockey team in the reknown hockey metropolis of Roseville, California. 

Yes, Skatetown’s playoffs are just that grand.  In fact, I’m probably understating the case just a little.

Sarcasm aside (and there is method to that madness) the final score turned out to be a bit one-sided (to say the least) as we took our game against the Dawgs 6-0.  However, I was more impressed by the good sportsmanship displayed by not only our team but by the Ice Dawgs, who took their lumps but still were able to leave the game with a smile and a handshake.

Even though this is recreation, losing such a hockey game is not easy.  I’ve been on that side of the scoreboard many times during my playing days with the original Foothill Flyers, and I’m sure I’ll experience losses like that again.  We had several seasons of four or five total wins, and yet I still had a lot of fun.  It’s really a test of sportsmanship for the losing team to maintain a good attitude.  I wasn’t always successful at being a good sport (and I’m not always successful at it today), but in the end I played because I love the game and that’s what kept me coming back.

Being a good sport isn’t just about how you deal with a bad loss, but also how you deal with a handing out that bad loss.  On this team, (no thanks to me) we’ve had our share of handing those out too.  But one thing I’ve always tried to maintain is not to brag about it or rub it in.  I think just about all the guys on our team are the same way, and I hope the other teams would agree.  For one, I’m not that good a player that I can brag about beating another team, but second, as I described above, I know how it feels to lose, lose badly, and lose a lot. It’s a bitter enough pill to swallow without having someone throw it in your face as well.

Most people in our league are pretty good sports.  Occasionally, there are some exceptions.  Some people may get carried away by emotions but once in a while, you also just come across a jerk or two.  At some point, you need to stop yourself from being a person in the former category to becoming someone in the latter category. 

(For the record, I should also say that I’m not directing this at anyone in particular, but just given what has gone on in our new league these past couple of weeks, I feel motivated to comment.)

We’ve seen some back and forth public smack talk on team websites by a couple of players on opposing teams over the last little while.  While I have been known to run my own mouth, things between those two groups were descending downhill pretty quickly.  However, I do want to give credit to a captain in our league who I believe has gone to some effort to try cool the feud brewing between the other two teams.  She has reminded us about why we play the game, and at least for now it seems like things have begun to cool off.

We play hockey, and pay a lot of money for it, because we love the sport, our teams and teammates.  Every single person plays because they have fun doing so.  If we’re leaving the rink pissed off or bitter, then what good is coming from it?

Interestingly, early this season I had somewhat of a personal epiphany where I just decided that I wasn’t going to take hockey that seriously anymore.  In many ways, I’ve pulled myself back from things that weighed me down in the past.  Regardless of what other people might be saying about me to my face or behind my back, I’m reminding myself that rec hockey is about having fun with friends, whether they are on my team or not.  While I haven’t always been the perfect sport, I’d much rather come to the rink laughing and leave the rink the same way.

Singh10.