Hailey Starts Playing In Her First Rec Hockey League

In action

A year ago, she didn't even know how to skate and now she's playing in her first rec hockey league. Make that a coed rec hockey league (they aren't allowed to check but there's still lots of falling down). She definitely has come a long way and is improving each week. She has practices on Fridays and Saturdays and then games on Sundays (which is great for our weekend schedule and going to Michigan!).

She can get almost all the gear on by herself except the helmet and the skates but she can get it all off by herself which is a bonus because going into that locker room twice might make me seriously ill because it smells so bad. 

But she loves it and there are quite a few girls too. More girls than have been in any of her other practices/drills/hockey classes. The only issue is that this is where it tops out. She has maybe another year and a half in this league. She started too late to be a serious contender for a travel league at this age and the rec program ends after 8th grade. So not something that she is likely going to be doing for awhile but it makes her happy so I guess we let her enjoy it for now. 

Austen was home last weekend and came to watch one of her games where she almost scored her first goal. (More on his visit in my next post.) He can't even skate so he was impressed with how far she's come given that he hasn't seen her on the ice in awhile. 

Faceoff - she's in blue

I wish if she loved it so much, she would have started sooner (maybe). I'm not a fan of starting sports (especially very expensive ones) much later in life. I think you are just too far behind the others in your age group at that point and the hockey age bracket has her playing with kids much older than her too (2012 and 2013s, and she is a late 2013 bday). So not great odds for her. Still, she finds joy in doing it so we'll let her continue to play for awhile.