Return to Roller Hockey

I had an interesting start to my week. First, I found out that my position was being cut for the next school year, so I won't have a job after May. Good times.

Then, later that evening, I went to play in my first roller hockey game in about 5 years. It was quite the experience.

Let me say this, I was expecting to be very tired by the end of the game because I am nowhere near as physically fit as I used to be. But almost nothing could have prepared me for how tired I would end up being.

My team only had 4 people show up to the game, and roller hockey leagues play 4 on 4. So all of us had to play the whole game, without any substitutes. If you've ever played any type of hockey, you know how exhausting just a few minutes can be, let alone the entire damn game.

I tried to take things easy, but after about 10 minutes had passed, I was completely and totally gassed and just kind of glided around until the clock had the good decency to run out of time. We lost in a shootout, so at least we gained a point.

On the plus side, I was happy to discover that I still am capable of skating pretty darn well, and that my positioning and hockey instincts are all pretty much intact. I just have to get back to the point where I can play for a while without feeling like I'm going to die.

What's even better, I actually seem to have a better wrist and slap shot than I did the last time I played, so I can call that a bonus!

Hopefully we'll have a couple more guys show up next week so that we can have some subs. If not, I may not be able to finish the game. I was barely able to stand at the end as it was. Ahh to be 16 and in great physical shape again. **sigh**

I'll keep you up to date on how things go! And if you live in or around Colorado Springs and want to join a roller hockey league, check out the Tour Arena website and sign up. Join the North Stars and give me a break from skating that much darnit!!

More Sin Bin on the Bleacher Report

The Sin Bin has been quite busy on the Bleacher Report. Come check out some of the stories that have been published by The Sin Bin!

Why the NHL Should Drop the Shootout

2 Big Lessons the Avalanche Must Learn to Make Next Season Better

6 Teams That Would Have Been a Threat in the Playoffs

Ranking the Playoff Team's Power Plays

Ranking the Playoff Team's Penalty Kills

How Will the First Round of the Playoffs Play Out

Who Could Solve the Avalanche's Goalie Problems

15 Major Unrestricted NHL Free Agents

What the Top 10 NHL Draft Picks Should Look Like

Golf Journal: Cheyenne Shadows

I'm pretty amazed that I have already managed to get out on the golf course twice in the spring. This one I have to thank my neighbor, Bobby, for inviting me to. He is stationed at Fort Carson and some of his buddies were getting together for a round, and they needed a fourth, he kindly asked me to come along.

First off, again, this course was much like Valley-Hi, in that it was suffering from a cold, but very dry winter. A lot of dead grass, and even just dirt in the fairways. Nonetheless, quite a course to behold. It's very picturesque, and also a very challenging course. Not one that you want to walk 18 holes on, as there are a lot of hills.

All in all, a good round. Not quite as solid as my previous 82, but I had some decent moments. I scored par on 2 of my first 3 holes. I drove the ball well, chipped okay, putted pretty decently with only a could of 3 putts. I had trouble with my irons today.

As I had mentioned before, I have a new set of burner irons that I love. I wasn't as consistent with them this time out, for the majority of the round, but found a decent hold of them before the end.

The shot of the day came on the fifth hole. It is a 153 yard par 3 that plays about 40 feet straight down hill. So it's more like a 120 yard hole. Plus, we had a strong wind at our backs. I pulled out my 9 iron and got under one pretty well. Wind took it, but it was drifting a wee bit to the right. It looked as if it was going to land straight in the bunker, but then the most amazing thing happened. The ball landed right outside the bunker, was about to jump to the right, then hit the rake dead on and ricocheted right back. It rolled to about 10 ft of the cup. All four of us could not believe what we had just seen. Sadly I don't have a video of the event to prove it, but I do have 3 good eye witnesses. One of them even called home to tell somebody what they just saw. Sadly, I missed my birdie putt. Had a good roll on it, just sorta rolled over the edge of the cup and off. Nailed a par though.

Again, not as awesome as my 82, but it was still a solid 93. A pretty challenging course that I'd never played before, I'll take it. I still have to enter these rounds into my "handicap tracker" to see what it does for me, but I think that I'll be much lower than I was last year, which is a good thing.

Hoping to get out again here in the next couple of weeks, especially once my play is done. Here's hoping for more good golf!