The perspective of A Pro Goalie going to A Tournament through COVID-19.

As we near the first day of a Roller Hockey event in what seems like a lifetime, we did not get here without trial and tribulation. TORHS

Nationals will take place in Wesley Chapel, Florida from July 2nd through July 11th, a state that is under heavy duress due to recent spikes in COVID-19 cases.

I’d like to share my perspective and experiences leading up to this event, so that anyone that is not attending this event can understand what may take place for a lot of individuals and families that are blue blood roller hockey people (such as myself).

About a month and a half ago, I was asked to play for a combo team consisting of a couple of my teammates from Konixx and colleagues from Alkali. As many parents, players, and goalie families in particular know, a commitment from a goalie is unique to a skater from a strict numbers stand point. Upon committing, I found two non-stop flights to and from Orlando. This engagement was made in May, when things in our country seemed to be getting back to a little bit of normalcy. The thought of having something to prepare for, our favorite kind of event, a National Championship tournament in the summer, was exactly what I (and I’m sure many of you) needed. It was a mental break for myself. I would come into Skate City every weekday during the month of May and DEEP clean the rink. So knowing that I would be playing in something this summer was very motivating. I was also INCREDIBLY fortunate and lucky that I had access to a rink during this time.

Fast forward to June 26th: I was at the front counter of Skate City Aurora when I saw my dad’s white Toyota Camry pull into the parking lot. I had a looming suspicion of the conversation that we were going to have, and he delivered. He dropped a blow that only a thoroughly concerned parent can do; my old man asked that I forgo this tournament, and reconsider traveling to the state of Florida. My dad has always been a huge role model of mine, one of my best friend’s, a hero. He has survived a couple rounds of cancer, and with those treatments from the past, he has a rather compromised immune system.

Even knowing what this conversation might entail, it still caught me off guard. It was something I was not ready to give up. For the past month and a half I was mentally and physically preparing to play in a tournament, I had an outlet that I think a lot of us can relate to during the months of May and June of this INSANE 2020 calendar year. My first two calls that day were to Nick Boyarsky and Ron Bielsten. Both conversations nudged me in the direction that I would ultimately choose, which is boarding a flight on my older sister’s birthday to head to an event that she had urgently asked me to reconsider attending. Just as I told my dad this past Friday, I had to tell my sister on Monday, June 29th, that I’ve committed to this tournament, to these 10 guys I am playing with, to the companies that I am representing, to the tireless work of tournament owners and directors through the first pandemic in modern memory.

I now sit here typing this EARLY in the morning of July 1st. My flight is at 5:45 PM Mountain Time. I will not return to my parents house until at least July 19th. I will have to quarantine at a very good friend’s house for at least two weeks, and I’ve never felt like such an outcast in my family...

When the opportunity arises to cover a tournament, the fellas here at RDN are usually foaming at the mouth to get to the event. I want to enlighten everyone that the content may be down more than usual on our end during TORHS. I do not personally plan on hanging around the rink to live stream games, in order to keep myself and my family safe, as best as possible.

I write this entry to broaden the view of the overall picture of what our sport is going to go through, at a very individual level. I can imagine that many people have strongly reconsidered going. The Roadrunners pulled out of the tournament just two days before their first game. I can’t blame them, but me being who I am and doing virtually ANYTHING to play in a tournament, even if that means sacrificing not seeing my fiancée, my family and pups for two weeks upon returning... well, here we are.

Although it has been a very trying year, I believe what the past four months have represented is nothing short of being grateful. To not have to wear a mask, to shake the hand of a newly met acquaintance, to sit down at your favorite restaurant with friends and family, normalcies we have not been able to enjoy. Typically people are unable to attend tournaments due to what tournaments they can logistically and financially commit too. A virus running amuck in the country is what we now have to consider. It’s not just time and money now, it is the health and safety of ourselves and everyone around us, something that quite frankly we have taken for granted for a long time.

I am looking forward to seeing familiar (masked) faces when I walk into AdventHealth Center Ice on Thursday. I am grateful that I get to be in a locker room again with one of my best friends Cody Kettler. I am thankful that TORHS is able to put on what will be a first class event in safety and competition. I sincerely appreciate the efforts that Daryn at NARCh, Tim and Greg at State Wars are doing in order to host events as well. Even in a crazy year like this, our sport does not exist without the tireless work of these guys. I was very fortunate through the first part of quarantine to have Jordan and Robb and Rollerdad News. We did a TON of great interviews, got to share the stories of some heavy hitters of the sport! Itan and Jon Jon blessed the roller world with Cali Street Hockey, they were dangling on the strip of Vegas... like, come on. State Wars introduced a podcast and did a top 20 Pama Pro game countdown. NARCh went through a staggering amount of old footage from ‘02 at the Xcel Energy Center that took everyone down memory lane. TORHS had the skills competition bracket that had some amazing goals cumulated over the past years from Wesley Chapel. EVERYONE stepped their game up on the media side of things during pandemic.

These events are what we hockey junkies live for. I sure as hell wouldn’t be writing this novel of a blog the night before my flight if it wasn’t something I loved. It has been a different year, it will be a different kind of summer. All across the age and skill divisions, players will be missing, families will choose not to come to some of these events, and that is OKAY. The decisions made by everyone run deeper than everything on the surface during COVID-19. Be grateful for everything you have in life. Be thankful that we have people in the sport that CARE. Make hard decisions that get you out of your comfort zone. Life is a one shot gig, do what YOU want to do. See ya TORHS!

Dweez, Out!