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I am a frustrated goaltender right now.
Today was my first time on the ice in my new pads. And they are gorgeous and shiny and fantastic. And I know that my game will improve, once I get the hang of them.
Unfortunately I do not have the hang of them yet. *glower*
I really shouldn't be surprised. I remember how munch I hated my old pads when I first got them (back when I was 11). They were so much bigger than my previous pair and they felt so unwieldy when I started playing with them. It's the same thing that's happening this time.
My old pads, which are in storage in Ontario right now, are 31". The ones borrowed ones I've been using this year are 32". I didn't really notice the size change too much because I hadn't been on the ice in ages and I was busy getting used to wearing someone else's gear anyway. The (shiny, new, frustrating) pads are 34". A full two sizes larger and with considerably more padding around.
Some photos for comparison:
Guess which are new. Yes the black ones are held together with packing tape.
And this is what they look like on the leg side. I think this is actually a much more significant difference. Look how little protection the back of my legs got with the old pads! Admittedly, I've never been hit there with a puck before - but I'd much rather have the extra padding for the one time it's necessary.
And here's a close-up on the inner knee padding. Which is a huge difference maker for when I'm going down on the ice. Although right now I'm pissed at the extra padding because it's why my five-hole was so open for two of their goals tonight. Also it makes skating hard.
The problem is that because they are so much bigger and have padding in places that the old pads didn't I don't know where the holes are where the opposition can get pucks through. So They scored 5 goals on me tonight (and thank the gods it wasn't more); at least three of them were the direct result of wearing new pads. I felt clumsy and slow. And it's super frustrating because I know that I would have been able to stop a few of those shots if I'd been wearing the smaller pads. One of my Defence even mentioned that she noticed that a couple of the goals were clearly the result of the new pads. But in the long run I know these pads will be better for me. I just have no idea how long it will take to figure them out.
Things that I was not expecting:
- I had to undo the attached knee padding and pull them out from under my pants because my pants are too tight to fit them underneath and it was making it harder to move. :(
- I have to stand up straighter while wearing these because they are significantly taller - which means that I have to use my leg and lower back muscles more when I'm in my stance, and that's super tiring.
- I didn't get nearly as many puck marks as I was expecting/hoping. They are still remarkably white.
Grrrr...
Well, I'm going to be getting some practice time soon (yay!) so hopefully that helps too.
The process of buying them was very easy and nice. The store we went to in Surrey was great and they had lots of gear. The whole basement was filled with goalie gear and there was a whole wall of goalie pads. It was beautiful. The sales guy was also quite nice. He helped find a few sets of reasonably priced pads that fit and explained the benefits of each of them. He clearly knew what he was talking about and he was in no way phased or judgey that I'd never bought new pads and only played rec league. One thing that was cool was that he just grabbed me a pair of goalie skates in my size for while I was trying on the pads. Obviously that makes a difference in the fit and how they feel, but I really wasn't expecting it.
He was also pretty cute. But while we were chatting he mentioned that he plays Junior - which is high-level hockey but the age limit is from about 16 to either 19 or 20. J and I complained afterward that it made us feel like dirty old women. I must say, it's weird getting old enough that there are people old enough to be dating and having sex that are too young for me.
Today was my first time on the ice in my new pads. And they are gorgeous and shiny and fantastic. And I know that my game will improve, once I get the hang of them.
Unfortunately I do not have the hang of them yet. *glower*
I really shouldn't be surprised. I remember how munch I hated my old pads when I first got them (back when I was 11). They were so much bigger than my previous pair and they felt so unwieldy when I started playing with them. It's the same thing that's happening this time.
My old pads, which are in storage in Ontario right now, are 31". The ones borrowed ones I've been using this year are 32". I didn't really notice the size change too much because I hadn't been on the ice in ages and I was busy getting used to wearing someone else's gear anyway. The (shiny, new, frustrating) pads are 34". A full two sizes larger and with considerably more padding around.
Some photos for comparison:
Guess which are new. Yes the black ones are held together with packing tape.
And this is what they look like on the leg side. I think this is actually a much more significant difference. Look how little protection the back of my legs got with the old pads! Admittedly, I've never been hit there with a puck before - but I'd much rather have the extra padding for the one time it's necessary.
And here's a close-up on the inner knee padding. Which is a huge difference maker for when I'm going down on the ice. Although right now I'm pissed at the extra padding because it's why my five-hole was so open for two of their goals tonight. Also it makes skating hard.
The problem is that because they are so much bigger and have padding in places that the old pads didn't I don't know where the holes are where the opposition can get pucks through. So They scored 5 goals on me tonight (and thank the gods it wasn't more); at least three of them were the direct result of wearing new pads. I felt clumsy and slow. And it's super frustrating because I know that I would have been able to stop a few of those shots if I'd been wearing the smaller pads. One of my Defence even mentioned that she noticed that a couple of the goals were clearly the result of the new pads. But in the long run I know these pads will be better for me. I just have no idea how long it will take to figure them out.
Things that I was not expecting:
- I had to undo the attached knee padding and pull them out from under my pants because my pants are too tight to fit them underneath and it was making it harder to move. :(
- I have to stand up straighter while wearing these because they are significantly taller - which means that I have to use my leg and lower back muscles more when I'm in my stance, and that's super tiring.
- I didn't get nearly as many puck marks as I was expecting/hoping. They are still remarkably white.
Grrrr...
Well, I'm going to be getting some practice time soon (yay!) so hopefully that helps too.
The process of buying them was very easy and nice. The store we went to in Surrey was great and they had lots of gear. The whole basement was filled with goalie gear and there was a whole wall of goalie pads. It was beautiful. The sales guy was also quite nice. He helped find a few sets of reasonably priced pads that fit and explained the benefits of each of them. He clearly knew what he was talking about and he was in no way phased or judgey that I'd never bought new pads and only played rec league. One thing that was cool was that he just grabbed me a pair of goalie skates in my size for while I was trying on the pads. Obviously that makes a difference in the fit and how they feel, but I really wasn't expecting it.
He was also pretty cute. But while we were chatting he mentioned that he plays Junior - which is high-level hockey but the age limit is from about 16 to either 19 or 20. J and I complained afterward that it made us feel like dirty old women. I must say, it's weird getting old enough that there are people old enough to be dating and having sex that are too young for me.
