Alright folks, buckle up. Last summer I took the plunge and finally signed up for one of those week-long goalie camps everyone raves about. Thought I knew what I was getting into, but let me tell you, it kicked my butt in the best way possible. Here’s exactly how it went down, warts and all.
Gearing Up and Getting There
First off, packing was a beast. Thought I had all my gear sorted, but turns out I forgot my dang neck guard. Had to hustle to the nearest pro shop the night before camp started – pure panic mode. Drove down to the rink super early Monday morning, stomach doing flip-flops. Parking lot was already jam-packed with minivans and goalie bags bigger than some people. Could feel the nerves buzzing.
Day One: Pure Chaos
Checked in, got this neon jersey that felt like sandpaper, and was thrown straight into the fire. Coach blew the whistle and yelled “Line up!” No introductions, just get moving. We started with basic stance stuff. Sounds easy, right? Hah.
- Stance Drills: Holding position for minutes? My legs were jelly after the first hour. Coach kept yelling “Lower! Wider! Weight on balls of your feet!” Felt like my thighs were on fire.
- Glove Saves: Coach firing these little rubber balls from point-blank. Thought my hand-eye was decent. Nope. Took one right off the collarbone – saw stars. “Stop flinching! See the puck!” he yelled.
- Crease Movement: T-pushes, shuffles, slides. Slid so far once I crashed clean into the net. Everyone saw it. Face burning hot even in the cold rink.
First lunch break? Collapsed on the bleachers, devoured my sandwich like I’d never eaten before. Energy was already totally drained. Thought about calling it quits.
Getting Into the Grind
Each morning started with a brutal off-ice warmup outside the rink. Running stairs, jumping boxes, core exercises that made me groan. Sore didn’t even cover it. But slowly, things started clicking.
- Skating Sessions: Dedicated time just for goalie skating with a coach who broke it down. Started feeling less like a baby deer on ice. Emphasis on pushing out, not up. Legs screamed bloody murder.
- Rebound Control: Huge focus on controlling puck placement after saves. Coach drilled it into us: “Don’t just stop it! Control it!” Worked on directing shots into corners, away from the slot. Harder than it looks when guys are ripping it.
- Angles & Reading Plays: They taped the ice with lines. Made us line up our posts, look for our angles based on where the puck carrier was. Learned to peek over my shoulder to see the net behind me for positioning. Mind-blowing.
Sweat more in a day than I usually do in a month. Gear absolutely reeked by Wednesday. Living out of the equipment drying room became my routine.
Mental Beatdown (The Good Kind)
Thursday afternoon was rough. Scrimmage situation drills. Shooter bearing down on me one-on-one. Got deked, scored on. Next shooter came in. Got beat again. And again. Felt like a sieve. Confidence tanked hard.
Coach skated over, leaned on the net. “Head up. One save at a time. Forget that last one.” Simple stuff, but hearing it right then mattered. Started focusing on the next shot, not the last one that went in. Huge shift.
Putting It All Together
Final day scrimmage had that real-game pressure. Parents watching, coaches timing shifts.
- Applying the Lessons: Remembered the T-push to cut off the angle on a rush. Made a solid pad save. Actually controlled the rebound!
- Tracking the Puck: Focused on seeing around the screen this time, managed to snag a wrister I probably would have missed earlier in the week.
- Communicating: Was yelling stuff like “Cover left! I’ve got the puck carrier!” Felt weird at first, but helped the D.
Still got scored on plenty, but man, made some saves that felt real. Fist bumps from teammates after a blocker save that echoed through the rink. Best feeling ever.
The Final Whistle
Exhausted didn’t cover it. Limping to the car, gear bag heavier than when I came, smelling like a swamp. But buzzing. Could feel the difference in how I moved, how I tracked the puck. More importantly, realized how much I sucked before compared to now. Best kind of humble pie.
So, should you do it? Absolutely. Just go in knowing it’s gonna hurt. It’s gonna be messy. You might question your life choices during off-ice sprints. But damn, you’ll leave a better goalie. And that’s the point.
