Everything I do in a day to day basis revolves around hockey. Whether its scheduling my classes around practice and game times, working out in the gym, doing spin classes or just knowing when I need to get to bed early and knowing when I have the opportunity to stay up late and have some fun, it's all based around hockey. Everyday from 3:30-5:00 pm we have practice. In order to be an efficient and winning team, we must show up daily with a fresh mind, willing to work hard and block out any other distractions. Sometimes it can be tough with projects, midterms and other school activities to block it out, but in order to perform it's necessary.
Talking with teammates and coaches and it is clear in everyones mind what our goals and successes are. To date on the season we are in second place, three points out of first place which is a good accomplishment. Having a successful season so far is something to be proud of, but something we work every single day to improve upon. Our goal for the season is to win a championship in our league, the ACAC, and it is a completely attainable goal. If we were an average team we would not set such a goal, but we know we have everything it takes to win, so anything short of that and we will be disappointed. We are also in the top 3 teams in the league in every major statistical category and that is another one of our successes and something we are proud of, and are hoping to continue to improve upon.
As far as opportunities are concerned I think there is one huge one that our team and school is looking to achieve. Mount Royal, as we all know, has recently become a University and has now applied to be apart of the CIS league as far as athletics are concerned. You must be a University to compete in this league and it is something that will hopefully happen for our school within the next 1-4 years. If/When this happens, it will be an exciting day for us as players, coaches, and a community as a whole. In regards to facilities, our team has been lucky enough to have just been built a new dressing room at the Flames Community Arenas, just 5 minutes from school. Our old room was far from special and just three weeks ago we moved into the new dressing room and everyone involved could not be more ecstatic about it. We are also blessed to have a fantastic recreation facility at our school to work out at, in which we also have a locker room there for our gym clothes, school stuff, etc.
In conclusion, it takes a lot of people to build such a great program that I am lucky enough to be a part of here at Mount Royal. From the head athletic director of the school, to our coach of our hockey team and to all the supporting cast, everyone has done a fantastic job about something they are all obviously passionate about and giving the Cougar athletes something to be proud of. We have an amazing group of 26 players, with a ton of experience and leadership. These two qualities are ones I believe to be vital to the success of us as a team, and a community. With the leaders we have, we have managed to become 26 very good friends, which is a lot different then just being 26 guys who play hockey together. We go on road trips together, school together, hang out as a team on many occasions and these are the types of things that I believe make us such a successful team, or community. If we weren't close OFF the ice, there is no way we would have the success we have ON the ice. We all play for the guy next to us and are committed to making our program and building our community to be the best we can be !
When it comes down to it, we strive for excellence in every aspect of our lives. That is our goal for our team. Be the best we can be on the ice, off the ice, and in the classroom and this will help us be a better team, and better individuals in the long run.
Nice post Jordan, I'm excited for the switch to CIS from ACAC as well! I understand what you mean about revolving around hockey as I do the same with soccer. Good luck with the rest of yoru season.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned how much a part of your life this community is. As outsiders, we tend to forget how much stress is put on Collegiate Athletic communities. I enjoyed that you related experience and leadership to success in the statement ““We have an amazing group of 26 players, with a ton of experience and leadership. These two qualities are ones I believe to be vital to the success of us as a team, and a community” because I too believe that they are integral parts of building an effective and empowered community
ReplyDeleteWell done Jordon
It is really great to hear how appreciative you are of Mount Royal and how proud you are, to be a member of the Cougar Hockey Team. Most athletes take what they have for granted but you seem to respect and enjoy every aspect that sport has brought to you. CIS will be great opportunity for Mount Royal - a chance for us to be recognized at not just a power house in the ACAC but to establish Mount Royal as one of the best universities in Canada. Great
ReplyDeleteI got to be a part of a class involving your head coach, Jean, and he always said how the sport is secondary when it comes to coaching a university athlete. Glad to hear how much teamwork, friendships, and dedication for excellence goes beyond hockey. Mentioning the possibility of the cougars becoming apart of the CIS is an immense opportunity not only for the athletes who get to play against tougher competition, but also for job opportunities for perhaps more trainers, video coaches, and operations managers. Hope they can speed up the process and ultimately give us an intense rivalry with UofC.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100% on everything. MRU is such an amazing facility with great athletic programs. The part of your blog that stood out to me was that "We all play for the guy next to us." I think that is the most important thing to remember and truly believe when playing team sports. This can also translate into many other situation, like working for you neighbors and others they may be in your community or team.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on second place standing and good luck in provincials!