Alright, so let’s talk about this Framingham hockey thing I got myself into a little while back. It wasn’t some grand plan, you know? It just kinda happened. I was looking around for some local hockey info, stuff about the youth leagues or just general schedules for Framingham teams, and honestly, it felt like pulling teeth.
Getting the Ball Rolling (or Puck Sliding)
So, I started thinking, “Heck, I can probably put something simple together.” I wasn’t aiming to build the next ESPN, just a little corner on the web where folks could find basic stuff. First, I grabbed a notepad – yeah, good old paper – and jotted down what I thought would be useful. Schedules, maybe some team names, rink locations. Simple stuff.
Then, I fired up my computer. I decided from the get-go that this was going to be a low-tech affair. No fancy databases, no complicated backend stuff. Just pure, simple web pages. I figured, the easier it is for me to update, the more likely I am to actually do it.
The Nitty-Gritty of Piecing it Together
My first real task was collecting the actual information. This part, man, it took some doing. I spent a fair bit of time just searching online, trying to piece together bits of information from different places. Some of it was out of date, some was just plain hard to find. I even asked around a bit, talked to a couple of other parents I know who are into the local hockey scene.
Once I had a bit of data, I started building the actual pages. I just used basic HTML. Yep, you heard that right. Just structuring the text, making some lists, maybe a table here and there for schedules. I made sure to keep the design super simple – readable text, clear navigation. Nothing to win design awards, but functional.
I created a few main sections:
- A page for upcoming games.
- A page with a list of local rinks and maybe a map link (though just the address at first).
- Maybe a spot for some local team highlights if I could get them.
Updating it was my next thought. I didn’t want to have to fight with code every time a game time changed. So, I set it up so I could basically edit simple text files that the pages would then display. It’s a bit old school, I guess, but for a one-man show on a small project, it’s surprisingly effective. I found that keeping things uncomplicated meant I could make quick changes without a headache.
What Came Out of It
So, after a bit of tinkering here and there, I got this little Framingham hockey info spot up and running. It’s nothing flashy. It’s not comprehensive for every single hockey-related thing in Framingham, but it covers the bits I was initially looking for. I update it when I get new schedules or hear about changes.
The funny thing is, a few other people stumbled upon it. Some parents from one of the local youth leagues mentioned they found it useful, which was pretty cool to hear. It’s not like it gets a ton of traffic, but it serves its purpose for a small group of us.
It just goes to show, sometimes you don’t need all the latest bells and whistles. Just a clear idea and a bit of persistence to put something, anything, together. It’s been a neat little ongoing project, my own small contribution to the local hockey scene, even if it’s just a few simple web pages.
