Until now, my winter sport has always been ringette. I mean, I’ve always watched hockey on TV, but somehow I never played it personally. This is the year where that all changes. I had my first practice/scrimmage yesterday, and I’m so excited for the rest of the season.

While I theoretically know the rule differences between ringette and hockey, it turns out that almost 20 seasons of ringette will really instill some habits in a girl. For example, even though I know that passing over the blue line is not a thing in hockey, I constantly found myself in the wrong position, waiting for the other team to make a pass that would never happen. It’s interesting – until I needed to make changes yesterday, I never knew how automatic my ability to read the ice had become.

I could point out a million other differences between the two sports that were tricky to adjust to yesterday, but honestly, I’m just excited to be back on the ice with a great group of people. There’s a built-in camaraderie to team sports that I’ve always appreciated, especially now when I’m still trying to make new friends. The other perk is that the local rink feels like it could be another one of the dozens I’ve been to throughout Alberta, so walking into the building felt like coming back to a familiar happy place. In some ways, I’ve come a long way from going to public skate in a stroller with my parents, but in other ways, being on ice continues to give me the same happiness.

Until next time, happy crafting!