Beats a treadmill I started playing five years ago. At the time I was a little overweight and was looking for something to do, looking at health clubs and stuff like that. I never really played hockey growing up other than on the pond with friends, but I found the Adult Hockey Association in an ad in the newspaper. Running on a treadmill isn't exactly the most fun thing, so I decided to do the hockey instead.
Start somewhere I thought I wouldn't be good enough to play in an organized league, but our league does a really good job teaching people how to play from the very beginning. I started pretty much a true beginner at bottom level and progressed up four levels now. Two years ago we made it through playoffs to the national tournament in Las Vegas.
Body check I usually play two nights a week, and I also play a Friday morning pickup session before work. I'm 32 now; I was 27 at the time I started, and it had been a while since my active high school days. I was pretty out of shape at the time, and I lost probably close to 30 pounds in the first year. At first it was kinda tough getting my lungs back and the stamina back, but it's much better now.
Goal: better snowball fights I can do a lot more now, I have more energy. I can spend a lot more time running around with my two kids -- they're 5 and 2. My first was born right before I started [playing hockey], so that kind of got me thinking, 'I'm a little overweight, how am I going to have a snowball fight with my kid or whatever?' I have a lot more energy to play with the kids now, and I coach my 5-year-old's mites program. He loves it; he loves having me out there.
Spread the word When I started, the league had right around 35 teams, and this year it's up to 98 teams. My next-door neighbor, the neighbor across the street and the neighbor behind me are playing now. After I joined they all said, 'Oh, man, that's a good idea, I should get back into hockey.' That's how it grows. Besides the health benefits of getting in shape, it's just so much fun having friends you can unwind with.
SARAH MORAN