Ballers

 I didn't run at all the weekend of April 1st-2nd.

No, I'm not fooling you.

Remember back in February when I talked a bit about goalball? Tank and I have kept playing, and were invited to participate in the Ontario Blind Sports Association's Provincials tournament. The president of OBSA is actually Glen who organizes the Kitchener practices we've been attending, and he cleared Tank and I to play with our makeshift eyeshades (cheap ski goggles with fabric glued inside to completely black out all light and vision). He also set up our team with Kate (a blind lady who started playing goalball with him in November), Tank, myself, and Glen himself as both 4th team member and coach.

The Kitchener Rolling Rangers were given our loaner jerseys at our last practice on March 21st

We were registered in Division 3 - the adult recreational field, versus the kids' recreational and competitive divisions - and were all set to go. We had 3 games on the schedule for Saturday, against teams from Nova Scotia (the Shipwrecs) and Quebec (Team 1 & Team 2), and a sneaking suspicion that these out-of-province visitors might have played more than the 4 times total that comprised Tank's experience...and mine.

How bad could it be?

We arrived early on Saturday - though our first game wasn't until 11am, we pulled into the beautiful grounds of W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario around 8:10am as we'd seen an 8:30am warm-up on the schedule and wanted to give ourselves time to get oriented.

Arriving in sunshine

It turned out the warm-up was just time for those teams playing in the first games at 9am to get themselves ready for competition, but this meant we had lots of time to check out some of the competitive division (D1 & D2) action in the other gymnasium from where we'd play all our games.

With 75 participants, this was the largest tournament in Canada in 2023, with several national paralympic team members competing

Apart from the actual sport, it was interesting to see how all of the people - most of whom had some level of visual impairment, as this is technically a sport for the blind - move through the space and crowds of people. We saw some young fellows we had met when a contingent from the school had come up to Kitchener for a practice (actually the very first one we attended), and wished them good luck. I also ended up assisting a couple of people visiting the school in navigating the halls to the student lounge and gymnasiums, offering a voice to follow or an elbow to hold on to as we walked to where they needed to go.

Soon enough it was time for our first match, which turned out to be against a friendly-seeming group of Nova Scotians we had seen earlier in the student lounge.

We hoped they wouldn't go too hard on us

I started on left wing as usual, with Tank at centre and Glen on left wing. Another lady - Chantal - who had come down from Sudbury for the tournament was acting as our coach on the bench, and Kate sat ready to sub in at any point. It was a very strange experience to realize that the change of venue from the familiar little elementary school gym in Kitchener to the larger, more open space of the gymnasium in which we were about to play made it more difficult to navigate, as did having the net behind us.

We had only had walls behind us with gym mats hung on them previously

The floor was wood, too, instead of the tile to which we were accustomed: this made it less uncomfortable to land on (as it has more give), but the sum total was a bit disorienting. Tank and I - being fully sighted - have less experience at finding our position in space via tiny echoes that you barely even register consciously, if at all. The wider space, with more open air behind us, made it difficult for me to know where I was when I'd move around the court. The raised lines (made by taping down string to the gym floor) helped, but only really when I would sweep around with my hands; my feet aren't yet sensitive enough to let me feel them through the soles of my shoes, and it's not permitted to remove or even touch your eyeshades once they've been checked by the referee (which happens before the start of each half) unless you specifically request permission from the ref to do so, after which they are checked again.

In the more competitive divisions, players wear patches of tape directly over their eyes under their masks to ensure full sightlessness

We were down a few goals at the half, but getting amazing coaching help from both Chantal and a young fellow named Nader, who was playing for the Bytown D1 team and is on track to join the national team in the future. I subbed out for Kate for the second half, but in the end the Nova Scotia Shipwrecs took the game 11-5.

Despite Glen's valiant efforts, on his birthday no less!

After the game, we met as a team to go over some coaching points with Chantal and Nader, and to get a team photo.

We might not be winning, but we were learning and having fun!

We had a bit of lunch - the tournament provided sandwiches and pasta salads, plus fruit and juice for all participants (I brought a small cooler with stuff to eat so I was sure to have something safe) - and Tank and I took advantage of the air hockey table in the student lounge. I also had some time to chat with Chantal, who was astonished that we had never played an official game before, and had no idea we had so little experience! I laughed a bit about not needing to be good at things in order to enjoy them (which also applied to Tank having beaten me soundly at air hockey), then off we went for our second game, 1pm against Quebec Team 1.

Hydration and Chantal offering some coaching

This Quebec team actually had a former Canadian paralympic team member on it, and were definitely shooting harder. Glen was doing his best to keep us in it, though!

(A double whistle indicates a goal has been scored, if that's not obvious from the reactions)

A quick note about different playing styles: Glen has been playing for decades, and the sport began as much more of a running-style game, where players stayed on their feet and would dive for the ball. This has evolved over the years so that most athletes start in 3-point stance or on their knees, which is how Tanl, Kate, and myself play, but Glen has amazing ball tracking (which is something with which Tank and I struggle a bit; the ball has bells inside so it makes noise as it moves, but we're not the most precise at being able to figure out its trajectory) and prefers to play on his feet. 

To see him move, you'd never believe that he's completely blind!

It was just before the end of the first half (10 minute halves for D3 games - 12min halves for the competitive divisions) that I took a hard shot from a Quebec player right in the face. My ski goggles had shifted upward a bit, so the frame was right on the crest of my cheekbone, and I found a dark mark when I subbed out so Kate could play most of the second half.

It didn't look like much yet, but I had a feeling I had a shiner in the mail

Unfortunately the substitution wasn't quite enough to improve our odds: we lost again, this time 11-3. Nonetheless, we were starting to feel real improvement with the great coaching that Chantal and Nader offered us, and were a bit less lost on the court. Baby steps!

The Rolling Rangers and supporters: Tank, Mike (Kate's husband), Kate, Barb (Glen's wife), and Glen from L-R

We had one more game against Quebec Team 2 at 3pm, and this was definitely our best one yet.

Nader looks on from the sidelines as a Quebec player winds up for a shot

We stayed in this one right up to the finish, and my shot was actually coming along a bit thanks to Nader's coaching.

I honestly had no idea I had that kind of stride length in me

This was also the first game in which I got to play the whole thing: Tank subbed out for Kate in the second half, with Glen taking over centre while Kate and I stayed in our winger roles, though I was on the right and Kate was on the left in a bit of a reversal of usual.

Tank took these photos

We still lost, but only 7-6 after a late successful penalty shot by Glen. A goalball penalty shot is an interesting thing: they can be called for a few different things, like the ball failing to hit the floor before the halfway line on the court, delay of game, touching your eyeshades, or failing to return the ball within 10 seconds of it hitting a player. The team penalized will leave one member on the court to defend the whole net (in the case of a ball infraction or other personal penalty, it will be the person who threw the offending shot or touched their eyeshades), while the other team is given the ball to shoot at the full 9 metre net.

I'd had to face one myself for a high ball (my shot did not hit the floor before the line), which I was unsuccessful at defending - that's a lot of real estate for one person to cover, especially one who isn't very good at figuring out where the ball is heading!

With our games done for the day, we grabbed some snacks, then headed over to the other gym to watch some more competitive action.

Including Nader with Bytown against the very strong D1 Nova Scotia team

..and the Brantford Honey Badgers, which included the kids who'd come up to Kitchener to practice back in January

It was about 7:30pm by the time we headed out to grab some Thai take-out and try to get a good night's sleep. I had a missing chunk of skin on my right hand from sliding across the wooden floor, and my black eye was coming along nicely.

Though bruises never seem to show up well on camera

We were back the next morning for our final game at 9:40am - the top 4 in our division would play for bronze, silver, and gold later in the day, but with our 0-3 record (and 6 teams in D3) we were just there for more fun and experience.

Good times!

Unfortunately, Glen's shoulder was giving him a lot of grief, so he decided he'd stay on the sidelines - he'd sub in if we needed him, but otherwise it was the rookies' day to shine! I was still able to get some decent power behind my shot, but my aim had gone to heck as my own shoulder rebelled a bit against this unfamiliar usage. Kate scored our only goal in a 15-1 loss to the Nova Scotia Highlanders, and I took a ball hard on the chin that left me with another growing bruise.

My right knee also somehow took a scrape, though the gouge out of my hand didn't get any worse

Oh, and they gave us t-shirts!

Yes, everyone got one - different colours for volunteers and officials

With our own games now done, we headed back over to Gym 1 to watch the high-powered competition going on there.

Bytown in a close-fought game against the strong Nova Scotia team

Ottawa Dynamo in semi-final action

We headed home before the medal games, though, as we still needed to get groceries and sort out everything to head back to work on Monday. We had a limited amount of time to do so, too, as I was booked for some additional fun that evening.

(Which led to another 3 bruises on a forearm, bicep, and my left hand)

So while we lost every game and got a little banged up in the process, we also thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and made huge improvements to our game both as individuals and as a team. Goalball season is now over for the summer, but you better believe we'll be back come fall! It's such an amazing, challenging, and fun sport - I'd highly encourage anyone to try it, and if you're in the KW area please drop me a line and I'll keep you in the loop when practices start up again. There's no cost to give it a whirl, and you can learn so much about the world without sight in the process.

Who knows - maybe we'll even win a game next year!

Huge thanks to Richard & Rana from OBSA for all of their hard work to make this event happen, and to all of the officials and volunteers without whom the games would be impossible. It was well-organized and fun for us as both participants and spectators, and incredible to see the skill level of athletes from 4 provinces in a single weekend!

Interference

 I had mentioned a while ago, I've been doing some stuff other than running (well, and lifting).

Yes, I know - shocking, bordering on blasphemy

One of the extra-curricular activities is goalball - a parasport for the visually impaired, but that anyone can play.

Tank and I use cheap ski goggles with layers of fabric inside to make us completely blind

Because it's played in a gymnasium with a hard floor, we wear knee pads (as my usual starting position is on my knees). I'd bought us some new ones so Tank would have a pair, and ended up with a second pair of the same ones to replace the volleyball knee pads I've had since grade 7.

There's a problem, though: while the knee pads had been ok for a little bit of practice when a school group came to try the sport near the beginning of February, we had a much more intense practice in early March that saw Tank and I on our knees basically for 45mins straight, then for another 25+mins.

The knee pads were not up to this challenge.

Their padding packed it in long before we did, and has not recovered since.
If you're thinking of buying Bodyprox knee pads, don't.

This left me quite sore for the rest of the week, particularly coming hard on the heels of my silly little wander around a snowy field. I had taken the day after that ridiculousness off running, but was back at it from Monday to Thursday. My knees fortunately didn't bother me, but I'd landed quite hard on my left hip during goalball practice as well (with woefully insufficient padding there as well; slider shorts are made for turf, not gymnasium floors!) and that was irritatingly painful while running.

I've since picked up some more protective equipment - more heavily padded shorts, and better knee pads - that I really hope will be adequate!

While goalball is only every 2nd week, I've actually been trying to get out every Sunday (the only available day) to pursue my other extra-curricular:

Waiting for a lawsuit from my old goalie school for wearing their jersey - pretty sure my play counts as defamation of their character

This was a different stick and puck session than the one I'd been going to - described as "family" for ages 7 and up, I wasn't sure what I was getting into.

..but I had some new kit to test out.
(Just the gloves - the mask was new last year)

I was also very uncertain about my first time in net in my new skates: I'd been out on the ice with them exactly once (the day after the snowy field stupidity), but would I be able to shuffle and t-push and not fall on my face in full equipment?

I was doing ok off the ice so far

I had baked my skates the day before to try to get them to a somewhat custom fit.

Not even kidding - into the oven then on your feet to mold to shape
(Though this is one of Tank's, not mine)

..and I'd been working since Tuesday on breaking in my new trapper.

Fun fact: most of them don't open OR close worth a damn when brand new

..but I still wasn't sure what I was getting into. Would there be any adults there? Would I get a decent workout in? I wanted to work on butterfly slides if I could; would I be able to spend a fair bit of time on my knees? Would I be able to work with my new gloves? Would I stop a single puck, or just flail around like a beached whale?

Well..

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and (basically) yes

I was swarmed by gradeschoolers. There was one teenager, plus a couple of adults, but I spent the majority of my time on my knees being deked out by the U10 crowd. It turns out I could actually move decently in the patterns to which I'm accustomed (shuffles, t-pushes, and c-cuts on my feet) in the new skates, but butterfly slides and c-cuts while down? Those are going to take a bit more practice.

And it's possible that this batch of new equipment might take more than a single session to get used to
(ok, I've used the pads 3 whole times now)

All that time on my knees showed me something else, though.

..apart from the fact I should probably just take up macrame instead..

I'd bought a new pair of goalie-specific knee pads in early February to protect me with the new-style leg pads, especially after taking a nasty shot off the inner knee at the charity tournament with my old thigh boards last year.

John Brown makes amazing quality goalie equipment

The problem is, in an effort to save some cash (which is almost always a bad policy when it comes to goalie equipment), I'd bought their lowest-end knee pads. Those were still specced on the website as having an extra pad on the inside of the knee to protect you when down in butterfly, but it turned out the website was a bit inaccurate in that respect.

There's a bit of soft padding in there, but not nearly the full-coverage 0.5" gel I'd expected

So, once again my knees are bruised and sore. I've since brought this up with Brown, and to their credit they are going above and beyond to fix my issue and prevent anyone else making the same mistake. However, that doesn't mean my knees feel any better in the meantime! 

While it would probably be a waste of time and money to invest too heavily in new goalie kit for just one tournament per year, we've actually just signed up for weekly hockey from mid-May to mid-July.

Just shinny - not a "real" league - but that keeps it low-pressure for us

So despite feeling awfully beat up from my non-running exploits of late, I'm hoping that some new gear will help keep me in decent condition, as I've no intentions of giving up on these fun sports! Our goalball season will actually end soon, with the Provincials tournament the first weekend of April, but we've got at least 3 more months of hockey until I take another break.

And I definitely don't intend to quit running!

I'm hoping that as I get more practice on the ice - and maybe some better-suited knee pads - I'll build some fitness and toughen up a little. With any luck, maybe I'll even get a bit better at stopping pucks and balls, and be able to help my teams!

Possibly with more than just a silly pre-game dance!

Happy St. Paddy's day, everyone! ☘️

Dimensionality

 It does no-one any good to get stuck in a rut.

Even if it can be a rather scenic one

Saturday was business as usual: run down to the market in air of the sort of cold that frosts everything it touches.

Even when wrapped up in warm wool

It was -15c/5f when I left the house, but the thermometer rose nearly 10 degrees celsius by evening, which brought a snowshoe romp of transporting beauty under a bright, crisp moon.

Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it

Sunday brought a trip out to a spot I've not seen in some time - the Lions Lake Trail around Woolwich Dam & Reservoir in Floradale. It almost always seems to be a chilly, grey, windy day when I head out there for a run, and this outing was no exception.

I'm sure I've run it once in non-winter, but I can't say I recall ever seeing the sun shine there

The temperature had continued to rise through the night and was well over the melting point by the time I hit the trail, with the snowpack destabilizing underfoot as I clomped along. I didn't need spikes, but everything felt the unsure surface: ankles, knees, hips, and even lower back as I ran it counter-clockwise and then clockwise.

And by "ran" I mean "walked along eating cookies and occasionally breaking into a brief trot"

So far, so normal, right? Well, Sunday evening is when things got a little unusual..

!

I had done some searching, and found a Sunday evening "stick and puck" session at RIM Park in Waterloo. The idea is basically an open practice: you can wear full equipment (though only helmet and gloves are mandatory, and go work on your skills. Scrimmages are strongly discouraged, and I figured I could go get my gear on without too much stress. Just relax, feel the equipment a little, face a few shots, and work on some positioning and drills.

With more than 20 years since the last time I played regularly, I could definitely use it!

On to the ice I went, just barely managing not to fall on my face here and there, and after a few laps and some stretches to warm up - including my right knee doing something quite alarming the first time I dropped into butterfly - I skated over and got in the net at one end.

That, my friends, is when I learned that stick and puck is possibly the most intense experience a goalie will ever have.

Imagine facing 10 or 15 guys, all of whom have pucks and will come at you with shots one after another, wheeling around the ice once they've fired it and picking up another puck, then circling back toward centre ice and turning back in for another go. No defense, no whistles, no breaks.

I found out later that the goalie at the other end would occasionally just skate out of net for a few minutes, standing over in the corner and drinking water, or even sitting on the bench for a rest. Apparently most of the skaters (22 of them, with 2 goalies on the ice) took a breather here and there, but my dumb arse just stood there and took it. I think I managed to sneak in three 30sec breathers to gasp and chug some water, while sweating more than I believe I ever have in my life before. In 45mins on the ice I must have faced 200-250 shots: for perspective, a really busy night for an NHL goalie is 40 shots spread out over 60mins of stop-time gameplay, with commercial breaks and intermissions between 20min periods that stretch the whole game out close to 3 hours.

By the end, I was ragged.

My braid was literally dripping sweat for 15mins while I got undressed - I had to wring it out when I got into my street clothes!

To make matters even more interesting, most of my equipment is from the 90s, and while I knew about some of the vulnerable points in it..

This one is an old friend

..some of them came as a complete surprise.

Well that's new

I mean it stands to reason: even if only 1% of the pucks find spots that'll give you a stinger, with the kind of volume I had flying at me it was only natural a couple would leave a mark.

I had Monday to recuperate, by which I mean going back to strength training and running. Repeat on Tuesday, and then out to a local public school for a totally different kind of fun that evening.

Have you ever heard of goalball?

Let's assume you haven't: goalball was developed after WWII to rehabilitate veterans with visual impairments, but because everyone wears an eyeshade to completely block their vision, even fully sighted people like Tank and myself can play.

There are purpose-made eyeshades, but they're a bit pricy - Tank and I are using pairs of cheap ski goggles with fabric glued inside the lenses

Two teams of three line up on either end of a court (or a small school gymnasium) and try to hurl a ball - around the size of a basketball, but heavier, with almost no bounce, and with bells inside so it makes noise as it moves - past the opposing team.

The green lines are twine covered with tape, creating raised marks for players to orient themselves

The defending team tries to hear the ball coming, and sprawl to prevent it getting past them. 

Self preservation tends to take a back seat

What does that look like when done well?

Glen from Ontario Blind Sports and some kids from W. Ross Macdonald School for the blind ripping it up

It's a lot of fun, and more challenging than you might think to judge the trajectory of the ball, or to bowl it in the direction you want. I can only believe that it might help my goaltending as well - it can use any help it can get!

So there you have it: even in the final stretch of the 100 runs in 100 days challenge, I've managed to step outside the bounds of my usual run-and-lift-and-work playpen to have some fun in both new and old ways. There's still a bit less than 2 months of goalball season, and I'm definitely hoping to get some more ice time in over the next 9 weeks as I'm once again going to participate in the Let's Body Check Cancer hockey tournament with my company!

For lack of any other goalies among my coworkers, at least

So here's where I add my appeal: the tournament - as you may have guessed by the name - is a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, who use the money raised to fund research into cancer prevention and treatment, advocate for healthy public policies, and offer vital supports for both those living with cancer and their families. I hope you will consider making a donation via the secure site at this link to support their efforts to create a world where no-one needs to suffer from cancer. I'd be so grateful for your sponsorship, and every little bit helps!