Kevin's+Page

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**About Me:**My name Is Kevin Arnold. I am a senior this year at CU majoring in Political Science. I grew up playing hockey. I got my first pair of skates when i was five years old and never looked back. I truly believe that i would not be the same person that i am today if i had not played hockey growing up. As time passes i continue to look back at those days as the best times of my life, and continue to act on the lessons that i learned as if i learned them yesterday. =====

= **I Believe in Hockey** = By: Kevin Arnold media type="file" key="Kevin Arnold TIB.mp3" align="left" width="240" height="20"

I love hockey. I love the crashing of the boards as both teams race up and down the ice. I love the foul stench that emanates from the locker rooms as a result of twenty men giving their all for the good of the team. I love the feel of the puck as it slides so effortlessly across the ice on the blade of your stick. Most of all, I love what the sport of hockey has taught me in my childhood and as I prepared for my adult life.

When I was younger and still playing competitive hockey we had 2 hour practices 5 days a week and games on weekends. Every second of practice meant that our team would get that much closer to achieving our goal. In practice we gave it our all, and we knew it was worth it. Skating until you threw up. Running until you can’t feel anything except the lactic acid eating away at your legs. Come game day you always gave a little bit extra because you never wanted to let your team down. If you make a mistake, it is on your shoulders to make it right. Some words of advice: Back-checking is key. If at any second on the ice you aren’t giving your all, you’ll be riding pine for the rest of the game. Always try your hardest and extend the extra effort needed for the team to succeed.

Fair treatment is expected of all players. You need to play by the rules, in life and hockey. Nobody wants lumber jammed in their ribcage or a stick scraping on their gums, and if you do these things you let the team down by taking a bad penalty. The exception is that you need to fight fire with fire. If someone is dogging you all game, you can’t be afraid of contact. You can’t hesitate to stand up for yourself and sit that guy down on the ice. The outcome of some games is decided by which team has the last player standing.

Hockey, like life, is a team effort. Being selfish might get you stats on a piece of paper, but the team that plays together will go farther than any individual. Respect the people around you and trust them to do their jobs right, because they are counting on you to do the same. Don’t take stupid penalties. If you’re out on a long shift, get off the ice. If you don’t have the shot, pass the puck. Always evaluate options and do the right thing for the team’s sake.

Skate hard, fight fire with fire, and make the right decisions and in hockey, and life, this will lead to a winning mindset. I believe you can learn almost every lesson to learn in life from a sixty minute hockey game. So sit down and watch a game; you might be surprised at what you come away with.