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The girl with the flames on her skates and ladies that tap dance



How many of us dreamt of becoming sports heroes? I was going to be the next Wayne Gretzky, no really. For those of us that are of the male persuasion, our icons were and are everywhere. This was true even in the 1970's and 80's, a time when hockey had a much smaller market share in the US. It is only recently that female athletes have  professionals to emulate and idolize. Though the coverage can use a lot of work, it's growing and that is a story and discussion that I will delve into at a later date.

  As adults, most of us have given up on our dreams of becoming sports stars and find inspiration in other places or people. As I begin my journey returning to a sport that I love I have found inspiration in so many places that I could not have dreamt of as kid.

Two of those that inspired my return to hockey, are these. One is completely unrelated to hockey and one is a rank hockey beginner. I have found inspiration from them and they all exhibit "shoshin" in
their journeys.

The ladies that tap are a group of women that tap dance at a studio in my neighborhood. They are a supportive tribe. All ages, sizes and come from backgrounds just as diverse. These women, including my wife, all step onto the dance studio floor, with beginners mind. A desire to learn an enormously complex dance form that incorporates syncopated percussion, using the feet as drums. Watching these women learn to dance is watching shoshin in action. They are constantly resetting and learning a new step or series of steps, a new rhythm or complex choreography. A truly amazing group to watch perform in a discipline far removed, but just as multifaceted as the sport of hockey.

On Sundays I have the privilege of handling the off ice responsibilities for a group of young women ranging from 4-17, all of which are taking their first strides as hockey players.  Of that group is a young woman that began our program as a 3 year-old. She is not a Hilary Knight like phenom, though she might grow into that. What she is, is a girl that enjoys playing hockey, the bond of being on the ice with other girls and has a thirst for learning that cannot be satisfied. She is there every week, doing her best, learning new skills and doing it all with the exuberance of a child. A wise and enlightened child, with flames on her skates.

Returning to hockey after a 25 year layoff I was filled with the apprehension, apathy, and quite frankly fear of failure that we carry around as adults. As a culture somewhere along the line we lose our ability to look at things with fresh eyes and expect ourselves to be experts. I certainly carried that with me as I thought about returning, and then I thought of those people mentioned above and countless others that have taken frightening steps into the known or unknown in pursuits of passions and dreams, big and small. The ladies that tap, the men and women that I play hockey with, and my friend with the flames on her skates. These are the beginners, these are the tribe that is unafraid.

This is my tribe.

- Daniel

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