Our Denver Chiropractor, The 50 year old rookie
Yep, that’s me playing on my first official ice hockey team at age 50. I grew up playing street hockey back e
ast, but never really got play ice hockey. (Long story, but Mike Schmidt, the Phillies third baseman bought the only hockey rink in my hometown and tore it down to put up a strip mall. That story ends with me getting punched in the face by a woman at a Phillies game in 1986. But that’s off topic right now. Ask me next time you’re in).
Anyway, my youngest son Zach started playing hockey when he was 4. He’s 9 now. All along the way I’ve been involved as an assistant coach. I’ve been working on my skating. Hiring a private coach and going to adult hockey clinics. I’ve put in the work. And it’s been hard.
You see, skating is very technical. There is a ton of technique involved- going fast, stopping fast, turning, turning around, skating backwards, turning while skating backwards. And all of that is before having to deal with the puck. Then there’s avoiding collisions, staying onsides, making good passes, taking good shots, and on and on and on.
I’m getting better, but I wouldn’t say I’m good yet. And therein dear reader is my point. (By the way thanks for reading this far:-). The challenge – the process of learning new sport full of difficult skills is the important thing here. First of all, it’s fun. I have always enjoyed learning new skills, like mountain biking, Olympic lifting, and now hockey.
Second, learning new stuff is good for your brain. There is tons of research, google it. And finally learning and playing new sports if good for you physically. Simply going to the gym for the sake of going to the gym is fine, but training for something- whether it’s a sport, a race, a vacation, whatever. That takes it all to another level.
It’s all about pushing yourself, whatever that might mean to you personally. And we would like to encourage you to do just that – push yourself. Find your hockey, find your thing – that thing you’ve always wanted to try or learn and do it. I’d say “Just Do It” bur Nike owns that. Anyway, you go push yourself and we’ll be here if you need us. Have fun out there!
Glenn Hyman, #68
Denver Chiropractic Center
