Possible 31 year old to take up skating and inline hockey?

[Eireannbaker]

hi guys and girls,

I'm just wondering if it is a bit far fetched to expect for me to get any gain by persuing this sport.
I'm 31 years old and am trying to learn how to skate. its slow progress as of the Irish weather and my slow learning curve.

I bought hockey gear with a view to join a local club here but I have never been. I feel too shy and unconfident and that I will slow proceedings if I go there.

I'm just looking to see have any people here taken up skating and hockey from a late stage like me.
I have never played any stick games and can only skate basics forwards. Am I wasting my time?

thanks!

[Joey]

Originally Posted by Eireannbaker

Am I wasting my time?

LEARNING to skate and stick handle is not wasting time. My advice would be to master some basics before hitting the court with experienced players. If they have a beginners league, great. Otherwise, it really depends on the temperament of the guys playing and how easy it is for them to get enough warm bodies to play.

I started a beginners league years ago. Parking lot outdoors on inline skates. Everyone was welcome including wives, kids, we didn't care. Because it was in a parking lot, there were no boards or walls to deal with, so avoiding collisions with newbies was easy.

But let me make just one point here: Now and then we would get some big dude who could BARELY skate, much less be of any value to a hockey team. For the rest of us playing it was like trying to avoid a refrigerator rolling around at random on the court. He seemed to be having fun, certainly his skating skills were improving because he wasn't THINKING about skating the entire time. But for most of us, he was just an obstacle in the way - even to his own teammates.

If I were you, I would go spend a lot of time in the seats at the rink just WATCHING. Learn to skate forwards proficiently. I don't know how good your local guys are but I used to play with a few ex-pros at times. My backwards skating skills are five stars so I could play with those guys if they needed a few "less than" hockey players to get a game up. I did not grow up playing hockey, so even though my skating skills are excellent, I almost always played with the "B" teams.

Hockey IS skating. If you can't skate, you will be of little use on a hockey rink and likely a source of aggravation unless there is a beginner league or your "pros" are VERY laid back and short handed.

Hope this helps. Now get out there and SKATE, SKATE, SKATE!

BTW...I started playing hockey in my mid 30s. I was already an expert skater and it took me about one year to get proficient playing hockey. So if you have that kind of time, why not waste it skating? This is all up to you.

[Mort]

Nah, unless they are insane serious (which I doubt) , nearly all hockey places seem to welcome newcomers. Regardless of skill. They shouldn't play above your skill level when challenging you on the floor for position or the ball/puck. Thats how the times I have played with others has gone. Now every now and then you'll have an assho!e that wont hold back in favor of being fair to a newer player.

I say, play. Hockey will advance your skating tremendously.

[rhetttro]

Go for it. You are never too old and 31 certainly isn't old at all.