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Take The Number 69: Bonding at the Brewery

Welcome to Take the Number 69, a blog by Eric Brook charting his ice hockey journey from being introduced to the sport, volunteering with the Australian men and women’s ice hockey leagues, learning to skate and now playing in the “beer leagues”. Last week we got to know Eric a little better as his journey began. This week, Eric shares his experience of meeting his soon to be team mates, and opposition.

With season one of Beerginners rapidly approaching and already filled after just nine days, the question now is who is playing on the four teams? And more importantly, what team am I playing on?

Potential players were given the option of nominating a team or people who they would like as team mates upon registration.

On a cold and wet Friday night at the beginning of the Queen’s birthday weekend, I ventured into inner western Sydney to meet my potential team mates and opponents in a social setting, away from an ice rink.

A century old winery is now the home of the Wayward Brewing Company, a boutique brewery and sponsor of Beerginners.

Once you find your way into the intimate venue, you are transported back in time – to a time that pre-dates many of the Beerginners.

Readers of last week’s blog post won’t be surprised to learn that I wasn’t going to be getting wayward with my new team mates on the beer that I’m assured is a quality drop.

The easy going atmosphere was supplemented by several dogs who soon become talking points of the evening. We even met the Friday Night Hockey canine mascot – a real life dog!

Being in inner western Sydney and well outside my usual entertainment zone was proving to be a novelty and talking point of its own.

As the night went on and players met each other, it was obvious that there was a wide range of people who had signed up for Beerginners. I remember being told to concentrate on my skating for quite some time before even thinking of picking up a stick.

I thought that signing up for Beerginners was a risk before I had worked out my roster to make sure that I was available to play. I soon learned that some people had signed up prior to purchasing their own equipment. If Ice Zoo’s store and Skaters Network see a spike in sales over the next couple of weeks, Beerginners may be one cause of that spike.

I also learned that there was a lot of people in the room who had signed up for the competition as well as those who did not come out that night. I know some of the players from Ice Zoo’s Monday night hockey development class while there was a large number who did not know that the development sessions existed.

Anyone who knows Sydney knows how spread out things can be from each other. To get to this first Beerginners meetup, I’d spend over an hour in traffic. I would later spend 45 minutes driving home. This would also be the case for Beerginners and Monday night development sessions at Ice Zoo. For me, the quality means that I will spend the time required for travel. I had to explain to several people that for Sydney, these distances and times were fairly standard.

It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with like-minded people. A common theme of the night was that people can spend so much time working and commuting that they can find it hard to meet people with similar interests. This problem was certainly solved on this evening with plenty of conversations to accompany the tasty –so I’m told – beer. There were lots of accents from around the world to be heard that had nothing to do with the beer on tap.

Players in elite leagues may describe the process as team building. Smarter people than me will tell you how important teamwork, team bonding and leadership is. With anything new and in a niche sport, this is even more important.

Beerginners is attempting to fill a gap in the hockey market in Sydney and build on the success of Friday Night Hockey – a similar concept with more advanced players in mind. Beer and newly minted hockey players – what could go wrong?

The enthusiasm in the room for the upcoming Beerginners alone has justified me signing up
for the league. The atmosphere and the company was fantastic even for the sober pylon who doesn’t drink in a beer league. Hopefully this isn’t the last social night at Wayward!

I also feel much better about my ability and experience level after talking to other players. My learning curve is a lot gentler compared to some of my fellow rookies but I would not change my approach. I will be keen to see how the newer rookies progress over the coming weeks. I’ll also be keen to see how people of different ages, skill levels and genders can develop hockey skills together in a fun environment which also has game atmosphere.

Beerginners for adult me is a lot different than what child me experienced too many years ago!

On Tuesday, June 20, it’s game one and first drinks for Beerginners. Over the 10 week season, I can predict many memories and stories that will last a lifetime. One thing that is a constant for hockey players the world over is their first team and their first league.

 

With a little bit more training time to go, number 69 is eager to impress his new team mates. But who will they be? What role will number 69 play and for what team?

Watch this space because it’s hilarious.

Eric Brook has had many interesting experiences since seeing his first game of ice hockey in America in early 2014. After discovering Australian hockey, he became an AIHL and team writer. Eric has been a part of the social media team for the Sydney Bears, following the team across the country and providing updates on their AIHL season. He has also commentated games for both the Bears and Sydney Sirens (AWIHL). He created Harbour City Hockey as a one stop hockey resource for players and fans. This year, 2017, is his rookie year as a hockey player.

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