Sexism, Violence, and Forechecking...
In October of 2001, I signed up for the Coed B division at the Brea Hockey Club. Being new to the whole thing, having my first pair of skates, a desire to have fun, and no idea how to play, I was subsequently placed on the Aluminum division team "No Ma'am" (named after the Married with Children episode). So I said to myself, "Self, this sounds bad." Not only was it a division requiring a few years experience (I had ZERO), but the name of the team made me think. They lost a few key members and were being moved down to a lower skilled division. Upon hearing that the division would be ALUMINUM, and mistaking it for COED, they changed the name to No Ma'am in disgust of having to play with women. So there I was, a Crasshole on a team like this. Hmm... the things we do to play a game, eh? Five games into the season (with an 0-5 record), I tear cartilage in my knee and miss the rest of the season. Lo and behold, Ed invites me into Litmus Green and saturdays are no longer free. So I join a beginner division at the La Verne Hockey Club. It's mostly parents, older players, etc. It's real slow (we can barely skate), and a load of fun. My team, the Chiefs, has 4 women. That's half of the players, not including the goalie. Most other teams have 1 woman at the most. Some don't have any. Now, before you start thinking I have a problem with playing hockey with women on my team.... I DON'T. But I'm seeing a problem here. Some teams seem to think that bumping a woman off the puck in a non-checking league is ok. Some guys seem to talk a lot of smack when a woman is playing. It's unfair to the women who are just out there to do their best, have a lot of fun, and hopefully win the game. I can't tell you how many times someone tells me during a line shift, "Lare, go get that bastard for me." Faisal usually beats me to the penalty but my intentions are there. This is not to say it's most of the players, in fact, it's a small minority. But as we all know, a few people can change the tempo of the night. Men are generally stronger and faster and it puts us at a little bit of a disadvantage, but we can make up for it with passing and Faisal's ELBOWS OF DOOM! But try crosschecking a woman on my team and you'll find yourself being hounded.
Posted at 10:41 # G

Listen private, this is how you stall...
When I second guess myself, I'm left wondering whether it's because of fear or forethought. Do I hold off on doing the inevitable because I'm afraid to act? Do I wait a while to rethink my position and possibly choose a better path? Maybe I'll just jump in. Maybe I'll just go get some food. That seems to help sometimes.
Posted at 09:47 # G