Catching An Edge

Monday, March 14, 2011
I spent the better part of the weekend down in town at my parents, camped out in front of the computer, watching the Minnesota High School Boys Hockey Tournament. It was some of the best tournament action in years and we even had the pleasure of having a northern team to cheer for in both the Class A and Class AA championship games.

When you watch a lot of hockey, you notice a fair amount of players take spills to the ice. Most players who end up falling are checked or bumped by other players, but every once in a while you see a player skating along, seemingly uninhibited, suddenly topple. In the world of hockey, we call it catching an edge. A hockey skate is sharpened to have two edges: the inner and the outer. The edges allow you to turn easily, but once in a while you'll be skating on the flat of your skate only to turn your foot just so an edge grabs the ice and throws off your balance. Down you go.


This weekend ended with me catching the proverbial edge. Nothing heartbreaking, nothing terribly life changing, just a bad break.

As a former hockey player (did you know?), I can assure you that catching an edge is embarrassing, always untimely, and never without consequences. But I've caught a few edges in my day, both on and off the ice, and I've learned from those many tumbles.

When you stop sliding down the ice, you've got to pull yourself to the your feet as quickly as possible. Sure you might be a little behind the play now. But if you skate hard enough, you can make it seem like it never happened. And sooner or later, you'll get a chance to catch your breath.

4 comments:

  1. i hope everything turns out! what a perfect analogy.

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  2. I'm thrilled to have found your blog and get to enjoy the words you write. Great analogy. Hope you catch your breath. The bad break brough a great post.

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  3. I enjoy watching hockey, although I never had the knack for skating myself. And no matter the sport, we all have caught an edge on our court of choice. Heaven knows I've had my share of embarrassing moments.

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  4. I have been a fan of Hockey for years and never knew about catching the edge. I can relate to your analogy, to me that is pretty much how I approach parenting. Kudos to you for having a positive attitude!

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