paveleck@ihldt.UUCP (Bob Paveleck) (12/04/84)
I'm a member of an NNHL team in the newly-formed Chicago-area branch, and so far, it seems to be OK (I skated with the team for the 2nd time last night). They're starting with skating, stick-handling and passing fundamentals, all of which we inexperienced players need. I've already acquired some valuable info about skates (mine didn't fit properly, which accounts for much of the trouble I've always had with skating), so I feel like it's been worth it. The only trouble I've had with the NNHL is with the size of our sessions. We've got 2 teams skating at the same time in our rink, and frankly, it's too damn crowded to do much of anything! Last night, for example, I wanted to practice some of the skating moves they taught us earlier. Since most of the guys just like to shoot the puck around, people like me end up by dodging them all night. I think, however, that this situation will end after the 8 weeks of basic instructions are given (at that point, we'll probably just skate with our own teams). Until then, I guess I'll have to practice what I want when I play some pick-up hockey games or skate in public sessions. Bob Paveleck NNHL-Cobras (Bridgeview, IL) ihldt!paveleck