Monthly Archives: February 2021

an (very) unusual hockey season (during a pandemic) comes to a close

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Hey Camden & Madigan! 

Congrats to both of on your 2020-2021 hockey seasons!  
Even though we never saw you in person, Grammy and I were were able to watch your progress via LiveBarn streaming, which, while not ideal, was nevertheless a perfectly adequate window into your hockey playing during a very funky, unusual year.

Camden, your first year of high school JV hockey was such a positive experience. We were so proud watching you centering your line, displaying your skating, passing, shooting and defensive abilities. 
You’ve become the consummate team player, passing to the open man and trying to set up goals vs. selfishly looking to score. You have a deep knowledge of the sport, are a leader and skilled player.
Grammy and I are so proud of you! such remarkable progress since your first official team sport hockey season in 2011.
And then there’s Miss Madigan! 
This was your first year of competitive travel hockey but the progress you from October to February was nothing short of amazing.  You transformed from a tentative player with basic skating skills to a confident, mobile, smart player who knows how to position, pass, play defense and move down the ice. 
Having your Dad coach your team was epic; you’ll always remember this special season. He taught you a lot and to your credit you listened, learned and remembered!
 
 Can’t wait to see both of you play hockey up close & personal next season, fingers crossed, with no more Covid!

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Sophomore year inspiration

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“Memorable” is the word that comes to mind when I think about your Freshman 2020-2021 hockey season. That’s because it was right smack dab in the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Attendance was restricted at games – I only saw you in person one time; Grammy never did. The photo tells the tale: players – and anyone in attendance – had to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the virus. I have no idea how you guys could even suck in enough air to skate your shifts. LiveBarn was a two-edge sword: good because we got to see you play; bad because reception was generally horrible with cameras at different venues placed in awkward positions that often made it impossible to even spot #8, let along see a puck reach the net. Oh well, onward and upward! Proud of how you handled yourself Cam, you overcame adversity and learned valuable lessons. We’ll all be so happy when the world returns to “normal.”

COVID-19 and your freshman year of ORHS JV hockey

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With a global pandemic (aka COVID-19) sweeping the globe in 2020 and 2021, your Freshman year of ORHS hockey was anything but normal.

Grammy and I watched you play in person for an entire season (I saw you one time in person, see photo below), relying instead on the very unreliable LiveBarn service to see you in action. While a lot better than nothing, reception was uniformly sketchy and ice length visibility sometimes nil. The first time your Mom watched you play remotely (us too) we all thought your team had white uniforms, watching the entire game believing this was true. Later on, we all found out you were the other team. Doh!

As the photo attests, you and your teammates played games with Covid masks on; no idea how you could get enough air skating up and down the rink.

Proud how you gave it your all Cam. Next season (your Sophomore year) will hopefully be a lot better, with fans back in person vs. glued to mobile screens.