Login

Snuffalupagus · 07-09-2016, 04:49 PM

Code:
Word Count: 2350~ Ready for gradin', please!

Code:
This is a longer article, and the beginning is more “fluff” or backstory. It’s RPin’, babies. In fact, you probably don’t have to read at all.

<center>The Beginning</center>

In the tackiest and most out-dated fashion, the tiny, cartoon mailbox lit up and screeched through the laptop speakers “You’ve got mail!”. Now, when all you want to do is sleep - you know, to crawl into bed and become Buddhist with the recently laundered, soft sheets and high thread count mattress, any sort of high-pitched noise will just serve to anger you. When you’ve spent your entire day exerting energy – pushing yourself harder than you thought possible, pouring sweat from body parts you didn’t even know could sweat from - any thing will anger you.

DEAAAAR DIIIAAARY,

I guess this is what I have to learn now - waking up in the middle of the night for e-mails.

It was my real first taste of being a pro. Sure, the Prospect Showcase was tough – definitely. Not arguing that. The pre-season took it to a whole new level. Where I was skating on one line, now it’s pushed to two. Where I was skating for maybe 20 minutes in a game, it’s now getting close to the 25-minute mark - those minutes add up in my body. That’s not even factoring in that I’m playing with people much bigger and much faster than myself. We’re talking about full-on pros. Point getters like Xavier Laine, Mikael Talo, and Mikko Linna – they’re insanely talented and they’ll make you look like a fool on the ice if you’re not careful. Imposable physical forces like Rising Hippo, Dean Banger, and Blake Battle. They make me wish I’d chosen a different sport when they lay into me.

I know the doctors squared away the myopathy – though the meds are horrendous. Like fifteen different tablets and pills each and every morning. Ain’t easy on the ol’ stomach, yo. I’ll make due, hopefully. Thankfully I haven’t reacted poorly to them - I can manage to keep my food down and my pathetic, little heart seems to be able to take the 21-plus minutes I play. I know my parents are scared when they watch the games, but they should know by now that I can handle this disease – and not the other way around – you know, the disease handling me.
Four weeks into the insanely long preseason - the saving grace of the situation was that it was almost over. We had just finished a game against the Montreal Militia – the defending champs. Fuck, was that a tough one. They are a talented bunch. I remember watching some of their games last season and just being blown away by their play – they do have one of the best forwards in the SMJHL – like Xavier Lane, though he got drafted up to the SHL. Xavier’s a terror on the ice. It’s no wonder how the Militia have done so well. It’s not just him, though, their entire core is. If I had had to pick a group to win the coveted Four Star Cup at the beginning of the season, it would have been them. But it didn’t stop us Scarecrows from trying.

Ah, yes. The Scarecrows. St. Louis drafted me. Should’ve seen the look on my dad’s face when they said my name. I don’t think his jaw could’ve dropped lower - even if it was someone’s butt rockin’ apple bottom jeans in a hip hop music video (hopefully that gets the metaphor across). Third overall, too! Not too shabby for some bum from Pilot Butte. Damn, I remember the feeling, too, right before my name was announced. I remember looking at the draft projections near the pre-season’s beginning, scrolling through the list and finding my name somewhere closer to the bottom. I completely understood - I mean, I’m not Gretzky. Heck, I’m not even related.

Then that pesky regular season came along. Needless to say, I was more nervous than a musical theatre student at a bar where they’re not the centre of attention at. But, like… it didn’t actually go that bad! In fact, I scored a goal – well, like seven. It was insane. Couldn’t believe any of it was happening. After spending a large part of my life believing I wasn’t going to be play any sports, then getting some medical procedures that would allow me to play hockey, then playing Prairie League hockey in a small Saskatchewan area where the talent pool was shallower than a pond, then getting to play on a semi-professional level – I was pretty much in a dream. The regular season was incredible. Coach put some faith in me; named me alternate captain, gave me some first pairing minutes, and allowed me to play with a fellow rookie – Darryl Landry. We actually rocked it. Then mid-season came and we got some new acquisitions and I found some friends in Danny Foster and Joe Kerr. We became a really tight-knit defensive group and I really hope that offenses began to fear us. They assuredly did fear Foster – we’re talking about a 6’6, 266lb dude skating through you. That guy can really lay it down. Shit, I think in one fight he made someone eat his fist. That guy is bananas. Holy shit, that’s probably how he got the nickname. We four became quite the force to be reckoned with. Add to that we had the number one scoring player in the SMJHL – Frans Erichsen – in front of us, we just had it, you know?

Then my first ever regular season was over. I hit some rookie milestones: like scoring some goals – even some game winners, throwing some assists in there, getting a high +/-. Needless to say, it was a good year.

And that’s not even mentioning the post-season – the playoffs. The next logical step, pretty much. But competition felt fierce and stiffer. We gamed against the Raiders first. Halifax is a tough crowd to play against. They’re loud and insanely supportive to their team, while the visitors are ridiculed to the point of tears. Not that I cried; I’m no baby. Regardless, we fought off the Raiders and took the series. Next, we were challenged by the uprising Montreal Militia - the defending Four Star Cup champs. Their forwards are so next level, I felt like a goddamn Charmander going up against a full blown Blastoise. Their defensemen were imposing too. If it weren’t for Danny, I don’t know if we would’ve had a chance. Apparently we did, though, because we took that series, too. Finally (in the finals, lololol), we met the ever-fishing Vancouver Whalers. A classic from-last-to-the-last story. While their season may not have been reflective of how good of a team they are, their post-season really was a prime example of perseverance. However, we had them, hook, line, and sinker. We finished our series 4-1 with Vancouver and hoisted that cup so high.

END ENTRY

Shit. I completely forgot about the e-mail. It’s like 2AM.

Code:

TO: Kelly Rivet ([email protected])

FROM: Robert Trillby ([email protected])



Hey Kelly,



It’s Rob from the paper – if that wasn’t obvious from the “from” portion at the top, there. I hope this e-mail finds you well. I understand the pre-season is progressing nicely. 



A little update on the town: Susan Cumbersome had her baby, a sixteen-pound giant of an infant. It’s the biggest baby we’ve ever seen. She might have mated with Goliath (the Bible character, not my bull mastiff). The Chinese Restaurant is still without a name, something must be done about that. Your family is doing really good. Your dad volunteered to be an usher at church. It’s a joy to see him working!



Anyway, I’d be remiss if I didn’t get an interview of sorts. So I’ve gotta list of questions. Don’t worry about expanding on the questions, I’ll trim down the fat to fit in the Tribune Sports Column. Not that I’m accusing you of going on at length. But… well, yeah, actually I am.

<u><b><div align="center">The Interview</div></b></u>

Code:
TRILLBY: So you guys won the championship. How does it feel to lift the cup?

RIVET: Good. Like, really good. I feel like a lot of my youth I dreamt of winning something – anything! It took a couple years, but we made it to this point. I want to thank [i]literally[/i] everyone for this opportunity. The coaches, the players, the friends, the doctors – all of you, over all the years. Couldn’t have made it any further than tying my own skates without y’all. 

TRILLBY: A lot of players play with injuries. Did you play through any injuries yourself?

RIVET: No, I was lucky enough to not get injured through the entire year. I mean, aside from some hefty bruises and itchy scars, I came away pretty unscathed. My ego… that will never heal. I’m joking.

TRILLBY: Off-season is a pretty trying time for players. What do you focus on?

RIVET: You’ve gotta keep your body ready. I’ve been using the Scarecrows home gym twice daily to keep in shape. And although I don’t know my role next year, one must be prepared for whatever life throws at them. Plus, there are some things I need to work on if I want to become any sort of “next level” skater next season.

TRILLBY: Speaking of next season. Draft day is edging closer. Do you have any ideas of where you’ll go?

RIVET: Yeah, it is drawing ever closer. I have no clue where I’ll go, though. I’ve been approached by some GMs (who have been nothing but helpful, so cheers boy-os) who have asked if I’d be willing to be drafted by them. As for teams, I’m in favour of – I just really don’t know. It’d be a dream to play for any of them, actually; I don’t care who drafts me. That being said, I think me staying behind in St. Louis is very important. I’ve built some very long-lasting (I hope) friendships here and I don’t want to lose those by getting called up. I believe that’s communication, though. These GMs are indeed humans and I’m sure if I tell them my own wishes a compromise can be made. Though, honestly, I doubt I would get called up; I’m not exactly ready for “the big leagues” yet. 

TRILLBY: You didn’t have the easiest start to your career in the SMJHL. The Prospect Showcase wasn’t that good for you, right?

RIVET: I took my defensive prowess for granted and didn’t focus on it as much during training camp, and I think it showed. The stats certainly point out how my priorities changed. My plus-minus tanked to a -3 in the Showcase, which hurts my pretty-boy pride. In the Prairie League, I don’t think I was ever on the ice for a point against. Hopefully my regular season stats can speak to how I was able to grow during the pre-season. The Scarecrows coaches were able to work on a lot of my issues and I am thankful for that.

TRILLBY: What do you think you can offer potential SHL teams?

RIVET: Dedication, perseverance, and loyalty are three words that I believe describe me well. While some skaters may lose interest, I will continue, because I’ve really been enjoying almost every aspect of this all. Where some skaters may become down-trodden due to hefty workloads, I will persevere. I will see a job done to its completion because that is how I was raised (thanks, dad). Loyalty is something I’ve seen very common in this sport. A lot of players will stay true to their teams. I’m one of those players. I have a strong sense of nostalgia and sentimentality which is where that loyalty stems from. In my heart, I’ll always be a Pilot Butte Storm and a St. Louis Scarecrow. Nothing can change that. 

TRILLBY: What do you plan on working on and improving over this off-season/pre-season?

RIVET: Hopefully I’m not coming across as too proud of a person, but I’m sure I could work on being humble and extending credit to those who deserve it. What I’ve been focusing on mostly is conditioning. I’ve found that it’s one of the most important abilities for any skater. We all deal with getting tired as these games go on – you know, 45 seconds straight of sprinting maybe 25 times a night is draining. I’d like to be a prime example of someone who can last those 25 minute Iron-Man-games. I also think I could work on my discipline. I got waaay too many penalties in S29. That really hurt the team that I cared about. So, officially, I’m sorry guys. I just have to learn to control myself, I know. 

TRILLBY: Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions, Kelly. Any comments you’d to leave for viewers/readers?

RIVET: Don’t give  up. I know it can’t get more cliché than that. I’m sorry for even saying the words. But each and every story you read in sports tells you to not give up, so maybe you just shouldn’t, right? Perhaps all these stories of trucking on when everything in your body tells you to quit are onto something? That’s just what I want to leave with the kids of today. Sorry for being so trope-like, guys, but just keep on it. Commit for once in your lives. I know it’s hard – of course! There are so many things that will distract you from goals, but you can do it. You just have to try.

Sorry, Rob, was that too preachy?

TRILLBY: Nah, that should be fine. Like I said, I’ll skim the fat and hopefully, we’ll get some good quotes out of this din. Hah, I’m joking. Thanks again for taking the time to answer the questions! Have a good one, Kelly.

RIVET: Thank you, Rob. Have a good sleep, man. Your words mean a lot.

Well, that’s one thing done. Hopefully, I can sleep now.

As Kelly pulled the sheet covers over his bare body, another tiny red blink came from his right. On the bedside table, his phone lit up and buzzed to life. The familiar marimba song played on the iPhone speakers.

I guess it doesn’t end.

crutch · 07-09-2016, 05:54 PM

hnnng

im a sucker for these kinds of articles

1 luv champion

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us