B.A.D. Hockey
B.A.D. (Beginning Adult Development) Hockey keeps 'em young at heart
He drives 60 miles – each way – to play hockey.
He’s a born teacher, but has become one of our game’s greatest students; and his “typical” day looks something like this:
• 2-3 mile hike with his huskies
• 90-minute singles tennis
• Mow the lawn
• Quick, 15-mile bike ride
And then he drives north to play hockey.
Looking at that schedule, the vision of a young, healthy, energetic
specimen pops to mind -- likely a collegiate athlete of some sort, or
perhaps someone in the service.
Meet Ron Geyer of Elkhart, Indiana. He’s healthy and energetic, and
did indeed serve our country. Not in the Persian Gulf, not in Iraq or
Afghanistan; Geyer served as a Naval Ops Officer on a minesweeper during
the Bay of Pigs (Yes, that one; the invasion that was launched back in
April 1961 in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.), and he’s 71 years
young.
Geyer grew up skating on the St. Joseph River and frozen-over tennis
courts in Elkhart, but never played the game. Now, he drives 120 miles
up to Kalamazoo and back to learn a game that he loves. How many 70+
year olds do you know with a bucket that includes learning to play
hockey?
He’s realizing his dream of learning how to play the game, thanks to
a program offered by the Kalamazoo Optimist Hockey Association (KOHA),
typically a youth organization, that’s geared specifically for adults.
It’s called Beginning Adult Development, or, B.A.D. Hockey (“Really BAD
hockey” Geyer says of himself). Men and women – parents and non –
learning the basic skills of one of the greatest games on earth. There
are short classroom sessions for those interested in learning some
positioning and fundamentals, followed by an on-ice session.
A retired high school teacher (mathematics, architecture and
engineering), Geyer considers himself a pretty good judge, “After 31
years of teaching, I can say (Coach Brian) Tulik and his staff are top
notch. I absolutely am having the time of my life.” During one of the
initial classroom sessions where faceoff positioning in each zone was
discussed, Geyer piped up with, “Brian, I feel like a six year old in a
college calculus class. I have NO IDEA what the heck you’re talking
about!”
During one of the full-ice drills, with a photographer on hand (for
this story), Coach Tulik gave Geyer a hard time about his effort; he
jokingly said, “All of this (pointing to the camera) is going to his
head!”
Geyer could be overheard in the rink’s restaurant after the skate
assuring anyone who would listen that none of it was going to his head,
“I take my stick to bed with me in the hopes that osmosis takes over. I
think a turtle could stop my shot,” he joked.
When asked how learning to play hockey compared to all the other
adventures in his life – Geyer said, “Hockey is by far the hardest thing
I’ve ever tried to learn. That’s what makes it so great.”
B.A.D. Hockey Winter 2012 begins Jan. 12th. Click here for information and to register.
Photos courtesy: www.caseyspring.net