Yesterday was my first day at Roger Neilson's Hockey Camp and was a very busy and tiring one. I arrived on Sunday afternoon and was collected from the bus and taken to the ice rink. There I met Amy (first aid extraordinaire) who was helping register the kids who were starting camp on Monday. This first week is different to all the others; it is called day camp and the children, although joining us all week, are not spending the night. Later in the evening I experienced my first adult camp. Every evening from 8-10pm a group of adult novices are taught general ice hockey skills.
This was my first chance to get some photos of action on the rink. First thoughts: the lighting is horrendous.
After that was all done and we had cleared up and sorted ourselves out, Marshall (camp director), Amy and I went back to Marshall's. This is where Amy and I are staying for our first week because the residences on campus aren't ready yet. We were to be up at 6am the next day ready for a full day (7am-10pm) on Monday.
I slept OK and although the sofa was comfortable, I wasn't. I don't like living out of a bag anymore. I'm to old for that, ha! Bleary-eyed, Amy and I were driven to the rink to start our first day. Amy was here last year so she was telling me how things work and what everyone's like. When we got there I got my schedule. There are 8 teams (I won't bore you with the names) and they are put into pairs. Throughout the day the pairs of teams enjoy various activities (hockey practice, hockey games, swimming, team building, recreation, etc), each pair doing each thing at a different time. This is the same schedule they have for the week.
My job was then to witness and photographically capture/document these activities. I spent the whole day chasing the groups around the complex and took in excess of 1000 photos. For lunch we had lasagne (there was a veggie one, phew!) and garlic bread. It was nom nom nom.
The children at camp range from 6 to about 12 (the overnighters include older kids too). The wee ones are so cute. There's one in particular, Max, who is adorable. He's a goalie and waddles out on the ice head to toe in padding and kit; he's barely 4' tall and looks a little bit like R2D2. Bless.
I'm not sure how many of you have watched an ice hockey game, but I'm positive you know how rough and violent it can be. Watching children learn and play is amazing, they are all so talented on the ice. The aggression mounts as the children age as well. The six year olds are all enthusiasm and laughter; the 12 year olds all scowls and yells. They are all agile and very quick. When the games get underway it's really fun to watch. I just have to remember to take photos!
The day dragged a little as I followed the groups and activities around. The heat is unbearable this week as well, in the high 30s but with added humidity it feels like mid 40s. Unfortunately a lot of the team building is outdoors and I can't stand it. Tomorrow I hope it will be cooler so that I can get a few decent shots without my camera melting through my hands. Here's a random shot, don't tell anyone - it's not for here, really...
Once the kids all get picked up at 5pm some stay on for power skating until 6. Then we have a two hour break (Amy and I went to get food and have a seat) before coming back to the rink for the adult skaters again. It was a loooong day. It wasn't until the end of the day that Marshall told me that I don't need to be there for the whole day. Basically as long as I get the shots I need to, he's happy.
So this morning I got up at 8am, edited some of Monday's shots (I'd already spent most of the previous evening doing it) and walked over to the rink at 11am. I lost about 20kg in sweat on the way there, humphing my camera case in 43 degree sun heat death rays of doom. Once I got there I checked my schedule, in terms of the shots I still needed and sought out the relevant teams. Then I had lunch; not so good today. Hot dogs. In my case: vegetarian sausages. They were sick. 'Luckily' veggie hot dogs taste just like regular ones (for obvious reasons). So that was rank. But it filled a hole.
I took a few more photos and then left the rink at 2pm to walk back to Marshall's place to finish the editing and sort out the new batch. Every step sucked out moisture from my soon-to-be-crispy skin. It was nice to have a much more relaxed day. I was then able to sit in the AC and edit the many, many photos while planning what was still needed.
Now I am relaxing on the sofa chatting to Amy about her day (she still needs to stay until after 10om). I feel bad because we shared the long first day but now I set my own hours in a way. Ah well, she's a trooper and will be fine.
In addition to the group leaders (called counsellors) there are staff called 'Rink Rats' who help the children get their skates on (ha) and provide the water and any other assistance. They are all pretty young (15+) but they are lovely. I got to know them all a little bit today.
So far so good. I have two full days now with more photos to take and more editing to do and then the slide show to compile for the Friday night awards ceremony. It's rather fun. I am looking forward to getting into the residence and having my own room (although there's talk of sharing, hmm).
This is enough computer work for tonight. I hope everyone's well and taking care of each other in my absence. I nearly wrote abscess, weird!
Good night : )
