Humour me on how this actually came to pass.
I have clearly explained how much of a super hero my wife is in previous posts. By the time that our own children flew the coop into full blown adulthood, my wife was down a cup or two of motherin' so she cured her mama-bear instincts by helping a friend of a friend with her newborns. That was 5 years ago and she is very motivated to be involved where "her babies" are concerned. Their bio-mom has put them into hockey at a local training facility in Barrie called NTR (National Training Rink) so, naturally, that is where Joyce wished to be.
That's how we found ourselves in a rink on the aforementioned Saturday afternoon.
I will be honest with you that when the suggestion of heading out to the rink to watch 5 + 6 year olds play hockey was posed, I was agreeable but not very motivated. That quickly changed as these youngsters took to the ice. The league is a Sr K + Gr 1 combination which means that most true Canadians can immediately conjure up clear images of the quality of play ... BUT YOU'D BE WRONG! While it's true that there was a wide variation in both skill and ability, the overall entertainment factor was pretty gosh-darned high and I found myself grinning ear to ear. The whole experience screamed red+white Canadiana!
Joyce's babies are a brother-sister combo, who are pretty close in age, and really active. They aren't super competitive and find themselves simply enjoying the present rather than being focused on winning. That being said, the brother leans toward the idea of hockey, while the sister loves skating around the rink, occasionally taking a random swipe at the puck should it pass in her general area. Although I can immediately think of a few parents from my past that would not handle the situation well, bio-mom and Joyce think they are the cutest thing imaginable, and I have to agree with them. In the end, it was one of the better hours we have spent on youngsters that weren't biologically related to us.
If you live in the Barrie area, slide on over to NTR on Huronia Road some Saturday to behold the spectacle for yourself. Oh sure, it helps of you resemble a grandparent so no one looks at you oddly, but it sure seemed to me to be a pretty accepting crowd, so I'm sure you'll be fine. If you don't live in Barrie, I am sure there's a local NTR, but if not, I'm also sure that one of your local rinks hosts something similar. As a true Canuk or Hoser, do yourself a favour and check it out.
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