Tournament Time

The time is here, it has come for the 9th annual USA HOCKEY Disabled Festival.

But here I sit at home. No packed bags. No final check on equipment. Nobody from the Austin Blades are  going.

Pretty sad.

After joining forces with counterparts in Houston last year and winning 3rd place, one would believe that our team would re-group and aim for gold this year.

It never happened.

The idea was actually discussed at a team meeting before the 2012-13 season even began. A meeting that had no leadership in attendance and the ones really doing any of the talking were the leaders ON the team.

After a unanimous vote to NOT attempt to use funds or even raise them as a team to go to this tournament, it was very painful and disgusting to me to hear individual players talk among themselves after the meeting stating a desire to still try to go to Philadelphia.

It made no sense. Why in the world vote NO when your heart is saying YES?

Houston had already made up their minds that they were going to strive to go and that meant doing anything that they could to raise the money.

I believe there were several factors involved for the Austin Blades.

For one, it was estimated that each individual player would have to come up with $2,000 a piece in order to take care of transportation, lodging, and everything else that would be involved in going to Philadelphia. I think that each of the Austin players defeated themselves in believing that they would never be able to come up with that kind of cash. Never in a million years.

Upon that hearing that assumed magic number… each player immediately gave up.

Also, two of our ice rinks were stripped and torn away from us as the ice rink was sold. Leaving us with only one sheet of ice. And that sheet of ice was to accommodate for everything from hockey to skating lessons to figure skating. The sledge hockey team was seemingly thrown into this mix and we’ve not been able to have access to a full sheet of ice during any time that we have had practices.

At the beginning of the season, there was a series of bake sales that took place. With me taking care of my niece so that my sister could at least go to work once a week, I never participated in those bake sales. The scheduling of them was just not convenient for me to attend. And it pissed off the entire team that I was never there. They never quite understood.

There was but a few bake sales and then that disappeared. I suspect that the money that was earned from all of them went towards buying ice time for practices. But that’s information never willing to be confirmed. It would however stand to reason.

Times since then have been very few and far between that the Austin Blades have been on the ice, for any reason at all.

Meanwhile, Houston has been going at full force.

I did make a personal attempt to raise the money for MYSELF to be able to go. But out of the estimated guess of $2,000 that I needed, I was only able to raise $260. The link to the website was even on the Blogroll. Still is. But that’s all I was able to receive.

I found the lack of inspiration and willingness to sacrifice to make it to Philadelphia by the team lacking and pathetic. There’s no drive whatsoever! Only fear and self-intimidation.

This entire season I have been struggling in the back of my mind of whether or not to actually quit the team. But using that as a threat isn’t the point. The point is that the team seems to be slipping back into a comfort zone of doing seemingly nothing to go forward or get ahead. And that really kills my personal dreams and goals of participating in this exciting sport.

I know that Houston would welcome me with open arms if I end up there. They have always been inviting the Austin Blades to join them for a practice or two. Even challenging us to friendly competition…. going as far as to pay for gas and hotel. But the Austin Blades did nothing. It wasn’t even discussed as a team.

See what I mean by lacking??

Sledge hockey to me is not a hobby. Its not just something to do in order to get me out of the house for a few hours a week. It is a passion, a heartfelt interest. I’m driven by the idea of playing. It took more than three seasons to even get jerseys! Or something that would even resemble us as a sports team. And that was only done because I had a fire under me to push, push, push.

So much for the Austin Blades I suppose.

The team going from Houston is playing under the team name of Texas Stars. Which ironically is the same name of the semi-professional hockey farm team nearby. The Austin Blades will be playing on their ice after they play a full game later this weekend. But I seriously doubt anyone will be sticking around to watch us play. We tried that when our team had it together and we went to Houston for the first time. Over 9,000 people in the stands and nobody stayed behind to watch.

But I will be hoping and praying that Texas Stars do well this year in Philadelphia. The teams in that pool are many so there will only be two games played before they start a semi-final round, going by points. They must win five games outright to bring home the gold!

I noticed that their second match is against G.L.A.S.A., the same team that ruined us last year. I hope for some athletic vengeance on the ice. Games can be watched online at fasthockey.com, but they are not free! I think its something like $7.99 per credit. And of course if you buy more credits, the price goes lower per credit.

I am hoping for the gold. And at the same time, I know that deep down I will be totally miserable about it…. KNOWING that members of the Austin Blades, including myself, could have been a part of it.

So I will wear my green and black this week. And then I’ll be on the ice this coming weekend in our Austin Blades jersey doing my best to represent.

Speculation and rumor has it that the tenth annual tournament will be in Florida. NOW is the time to start planning for it, for those of us who didn’t go to Philadelphia. I’m going to be busting some serious ass to raise enough funds for that to happen. Even if the rumors are wrong, I will do what I can to get there and it doesn’t really matter where its located. Just as long as I AM THERE!!!!

 

 

Dark Secrets

“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. “~ Albert Einstein

It would be foolish to assume that not everyone has a deep dark secret. In fact, by some definition of the term, we all have secrets in our lives that we would prefer to keep away from the rest of the world.

 

However with the Peyton Place style of life in which I live, news came to me that was something that got leaked out. But “leaked” is such a judgemental term. I just ended up getting the news from someone who had heard it directly from the soure. Gossip? Maybe. But I can see how in this case the gossip wouldn’t be woven in lies but in truth.

 

It was difficult to hear that one couple who lives here, has some how been able to screw the utility company. 80% of it though, is from non-payment. And they still have their electricity on. They have not once been turned off.

 

In this state, it is a law that the utility and power company cannot shut off electricity for those who are on a medical need. Such as oxygen, and other assorted medical equipment that needs to be plugged in to keep that person alive.

 

There are some neighbors here that are on oxygen 24/7. But the ones that I am writing about… are NOT. At some point, they contacted the electric company and actually lied by saying that they were on these machines that had to be kept running day and night. They knew about this law, and they abused it.

 

Now their electricity bill has grown to over $2,000.

 

I do not know just how much energy that they actually use from daily living. I know that they are in a 2 bedroom, and I am only in a 1 bedroom. So there’s going to be more usage for cooling and heating purposes.

 

And so the thing about it that honestly blew my mind, is that they’ve never paid their electric bill. Obviously they haven’t for some time if it actually has gotten that high. For myself, that’s like nearly five years of usage! Who knows how long it has been since they’ve even dropped a penny at it?

 

I am reminded of my last relationship. My ex-girlfriend’s father was similar in his wicked ways. Not so much by telling sob stories and lying to the power company, but rather never paying the bills. Her father was an active member of movie and music clubs. Her parents had a enormous collection of DVD’s that numbered into the thousands, and was fast approaching ten thousand. The number of CD’s that they also had in their home was insane as well. Because they kept ordering and never paid.

 

I cannot imagine a life of dodging and ducking paying bills. It must have been hell for her parents.

 

I remember the conversation I had with her father when I asked how he could afford it all. He said, “Just let them come after me and try to collect. By the time that they catch up with me. I will probably be dead. At least, I hope so. Then they can take it out of me.”

 

It really bothered me to hear that from a man that my then girlfriend looked up to and adored the ground he walked on. Combined with the fear she had for him if she were to go against his wishes.

 

Nonetheless, the neighbors here will still have to pay that huge amount. They ARE using that much power and have accumulated that much debt to the power company. To believe that they are just going to “get away” with it, would be very foolish. It was just so shocking to hear their attitude about it. I thought they were a bit smarter than that. But it would explain a lot about their own personal lifestyle. Which is their own business of course, but living in this small place that I do… one must be careful of what they do and what they say.

 

I do my best to keep out of a major part of other people’s business who lives here. Mainly because I would not want them so deep into my own business. And learning my own dark secrets.

 

Many have assumed that because in the past, I have spent a lot of my free time with this couple that I would hang out with them a lot. So others believe that it was okay to ask me “Where are they today?”. I’m not their keeper. I had luckily put an end to that one by simply not answering the curious crowds.

 

This dark secret of my neighbor is out. It’s quite a shame.