I write with two (recent) examples.
Number one; I was linesman in a Major Atom B game the other night. (Atom is 10 and 11 year olds, and "Major" indicates that it was a competitive game.) As a linesman I have to tell everyone on the ice when a team (depending on which end I have, and they play is in) is onside or offside*.
It's something as simple as yelling (or in my case "projecting my voice") "No!" or "Clear!" when they're onside, and washing out at the blue-line (which is like the "safe**" signal in baseball). And "Offside!" repeatedly until they are once again onside, when you then say "Good!" or "Clear!"
When you officiate hockey at the Novice level (ages 8 and 9), they sometimes need a little more encouragement. To get them to respond to being offside (which they haven't the faintest about) you need to yell numbers, names and colours, and tell them to "get out." To get them to go back in it's "ok, you're good," "go go go!" and "go get 'em!" :)
Anyway... After doing this a few times in front of the visiting team's bench, the back-up goalie leans over the boards and says, "You got some lungs on you!" It was the cutest thing EVER! I couldn't turn and face him, but I thanked him, and couldn't hide my gianormous grin.
Later his blocker was hanging over the boards, and I bumped it by accident, as I skated by, and he was like "Sorry!" I said, "No problem buddy, it's alright."
He was a cute little kid. Makes me smile just thinking about it. :)
Number two; doesn't really involve a kid, per say...
The guy who refereed the game I did today noticed afterwards, that I had a pump. He knew it was a pump right away, which was cool.
He started asking a whole bunch of questions; "Do you wear it when you ref? ... Is it difficult to use?" stuff like that. After a bit he told me his 9 year old daughter has type I diabetes too. Then he asked questions about other stuff. I let him know I'd had diabetes since I was 3, and that I can relate a little to how she feels.
He told me that she felt like "her life was over," and all that. 9 year olds eh?
But she knew that *shiver* a Jonas Brother has diabetes too. I told him yeah, and there've been hockey players with it too. So it only really limits you if you let it. "For instance," I used myself as an example, "I want to be an NHL referee, and" I kicked my ref bag "I'm not gonna let it stop me."
He smiled (because he could see his daughter'd be fine), and told me "Right on buddy, and you got no fat on yeh."
I told him a pump is just a small adjustment from syringes (because it pretty much is), and that it's all a comfort thing. That it's pretty simple. You just dial in your blood sugar, tell it your carbs you're eating, and it does the rest.
He was all curious about knowing carbs in food and stuff. He thought it'd be hard. I told him that stuff at the dinner table - like mashed potatoes, for example - is guess work, but you get the hang of it. I said that stuff you eat regularly becomes habit. "Like, I have the same thing for breakfast every day; toast and peanut butter," not true, I have that most days, but I was making a point. "The package says how much is in how ever many slices of bread. The first time you check, the second time you're checking to make sure, and soon you know exactly how many carbs are in two slices of toast, and peanut butter." 40g at my house, just by the by. :P (42g at Ashley's, depending on the bread.)
I saw the realization click in, and he was a little more relaxed about it. I finished out by just saying that if they want to learn more about it, or think it's a good idea, to just talk to their doctor.
He piped up, "I might just have her talk to you," in a 'she needs to see someone with it that is getting along fine,' sort of thing. It warmed my heart. :)
We talked a bit more, and he learned that I'd only been using my pump a month or two. I think he got a little more comfortable with the idea of his daughter maybe getting one from that. Just the fact that I talked about it, and found it pretty easy, and could explain stuff to him in ways he could understand, in that amount of time, helped.
Anyway, so there's my "Wee Ones" stories.
:)
*When the puck crosses into a team's offensive end and one or more players of the attacking team (with the exception of the player in control of the puck) already have both skates in the offensive end. (The "offensive end* is indicated by the blue-line.)
**When a player running the bases makes it to a base without being tagged my the player holding the ball.
I was just being a dick, 'cause it's fun...
No comments:
Post a Comment