Posts Tagged ‘hockey’
Meet the Razor…
I’ll start by telling you that I am not going to identify him by any name other than Razor… And I’m not going to give you his picture, either. I’ll tell you why later…
His name is Razor…
I heard of him a few months ago. He is an amazing person. I would say that he has more courage than just about anyone. Sure, there might be someone out there than has a touch more… but not much. His courage is in his determination. And he is loaded with it.
He doesn’t ask for anything. He has a ready smile. And he carries a stick. And two blades. But that isn’t why he’s called ‘Razor’.
He also has another weapon… one of Atlanta’s toughest guys in hockey, Dan Sullivan… Sully.
Razor is in elementary school. He has Cerebral Palsy, and has been undergoing therapy from the age of three years old. Yes, he is just a kid. And as long as he can remember, he’s wanted to play ice hockey… There were a few problems, though. The first one was that he couldn’t skate… The second one was that he had some trouble walking.
Enter Sully. Sully and Razor met in Augusta. Razor’s mom had tried everything she could to help him learn to skate, but it wasn’t happening. His physical therapist didn’t think it would happen. Sully taught him to skate. Before Sully, nobody could keep him up…
Now, without his name on his jersey, you might have a hard time figuring out which kid he is on the ice. The other kids like him and respect him… regardless of whether they know about his condition. He is a really nice kid.
I could have made this post prettier with some nice pictures…
But I want you to think about something instead of looking at the pictures…
The easiest thing in the world would have been for Razor to give up. Nobody thought he could skate. Even his therapist didn’t think it was going to happen. Nobody would have looked at a little kid with CP that couldn’t ice skate and call him a failure… except Razor.
And nobody would have had a second thought if Sully didn’t even try… Except Sully. Who would expect that a hockey player… especially one known more for delivering a punch than the puck… would be the stone that would hone the Razor?
I’ve known Sully for about a year. There isn’t much in his world that is more important than helping kids. Right after that is helping kids play hockey. And then play hockey better.
I met Sully’s mom today…
She wasn’t surprised about Sully’s desire to help Razor. But seeing Razor and hearing the story brought tears to her eyes… over and over. Heck, me too.
But Sully’s mom had a missing piece of information. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a hockey player. During the winter he skated on his uncle’s pond… every day. He skated until he was dragged off. He skated until he clothes were frozen solid.
Razor and Sully are cut from the same cloth. Razor will likely not be a professional hockey player, but he has destroyed the odds against him. There were a lot of people that thought that Sully, coming from a single parent home, wouldn’t be a likely pro player, either. It isn’t an inexpensive sport, and the costs aren’t just financial.
Come to think of it, Sully has a weapon, too. His mom.
Do you have the determination of Razor? Of Sully? Of Sully’s mom?
Do you face the same kind of challenges?
View CommentsWe still like the Bruisers… Flashback Friday
Last year I wrote about how Atlanta seems to love it’s bruisers… those hockey players that are charged with ‘protecting’ their team mates. I’ve been lucky enough to meet with a couple of them… and I’ve spent a good bit of time talking with a couple of them. They are really nice guys (note to self: stay on their good sides).
View CommentsWayback Wednesday… Style Points
I wrote a post a couple of years ago this week about my son and his ice skating lessons. He was having issues bending his knees… which had been brought about partially by the type of skates he started with. When he changed from rental figure skates to hockey skates, he was keeping the old (bad) habit he had relied upon.
View CommentsVideo Sunday… Golden Moment
I am a hockey fan, and as I write this, about 10 minutes of the 1st period in the Gold Medal round game has elapsed… USA v Canada. It looks like it will be a very exciting game.
View CommentsCome And Get It… some Hockey Camp, that is…
In hockey, among the tough guys, there is a common call. When they are getting ready to throw down, they often say “Come and Get it”… Dan Sullivan is a tough guy. As he jokingly says, he earns his money in the penalty box. But that is only the Dan Sullivan that the fans see on the ice.
There is another side to Dan… When he was a kid, he couldn’t afford to go to formal hockey camps. And he wanted to do something about that for youngsters that were coming up now. So, five years ago he started the Come And Get It Hockey Camp.
Dan wonders if his path would be the same if he had been able to go to a lot of camps as a youngster. Maybe he would be known for his skating and shooting prowess rather than as the guy that makes sure nobody takes a cheap shot at his teammates.
Hockey camps aren’t anything new. The Duluth Ice Forum, in Duluth, GA, hosts several each summer. 
But Dan’s camp is a little different. He takes kids of all ages and skill levels. He also doesn’t care if kids can’t afford it… he finds ways to help them come to camp. There are sponsors that give away scholarships and options for reduced fees. As long as the ice fees and food are covered, he is happy with it.
And there is something else different. He knows that most parents have to work, so he structures the camp differently. Kids can be dropped off at 7:30 in the morning and picked up as late as 5:00 in the afternoon. Many camps are only half a day.
And the kids are busy during that time… The camp officially starts around 9:00 with an hour of power skating. The kids then take off the gear and grab a snack. They have off-ice activities (classroom for the older kids, games for the youger ones) until they dress in for the 11:30 to 12:30 stick handling session. After theat, they grab lunch and then work on off-ice physical conditioning… and the little kids watch a movie for part of the time. Finally, there is a scrimmage each day from 3:00 to 4:00. That is three hours of ice time, two hours of off-ice training and some down-time.
At the last camp, the number of skaters had swelled so much that they had to be split into two groups. Dan bought some more ice time and adjusted the schedule so that all of the kids got more ice time. The coaches worked double shifts on the ice to make sure the kids got a great experience.
But there is something else cool about the camp… the other instructors. It isn’t about the money for the the other coaches, either. In fact, these guys fly to Atlanta from all over North America to help with the camp. And they basically volunteer their time. Some play in the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League), some on the NHL. Others are upcomong players that are under contract to NHL teams. A couple have retired from professional hockey. Aside from the Gwinnett Gladiators, Dan’s team, the Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres were all represented. There were also a couple of Ontario Hockey League (OHL) teams represented as well. 
Coach Dan, Coach Turtle, Coach Josh and the others love working and playing with the kids. It really shows. The kids are worn out every day and ready to go back the next day.
But there is one last thing… There is a code of conduct. Aside from being required to listen to the coaches and act respectably, there is another layer. The big kids are expected to help the smaller kids. they help get them dressed out, they encourage them on the ice and off. They also are expected to act as good examples. And while the word “dude” is over-used in the locker room, other words and concepts that the little guys don’t need in their heads are not. And when the 5 year olds refer to the 16 years olds as “teammates”, we know that the philosophy is successful.
The Come And Get It Hockey Camp has been on the front page of the Gwinnett Daily Post. There are multiple mentions of the camp on the Gwinnett Gladiators’ website as well. When Dan began the camp in Augusta, the NBC affiliate there did a story about it.
Planning will begin shortly for next year’s camp schedule. If you would like to bring the Come And Get It Hockey Camp to a rink near you, or sponsor the camp, let me know and I will pass word to Dan and his staff wife.
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