No Girls Allowed by Natalie Corbett Sampson

Author:Natalie Corbett Sampson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Published: 2020-02-25T02:10:31+00:00

Chapter 17

She Shoots,

She Scores!

(March 1978)

Hockey makes my schedule busy.

School every day, with early practice before school some days. After school I do my homework at the rink and then practice my skating while Mom coaches, and by the time we get home and have supper it’s nearly time for bed. Weekends are full of practices and games. I’m glad I can walk to school and home with Shari, because it’s really the only time I get to see her since she doesn’t skate much. We still have lots in common, like our favourite TV shows are CHiPS and Donny and Marie and our favourite singer is Donny Osmond. She says she loves baseball, so I can’t wait to play on her team.

My hockey team won a couple of games in playoffs, and that means we’re in the consolation final. I dress at home. Mom makes me eat breakfast even though I don’t feel like it. “I feel kinda sick,” I tell her.

“It’s just nerves, Tina. You need to eat. It’ll make you feel better,” she says and makes me a fried egg sandwich. I eat it and she’s right, I feel a little better once it settles in my stomach.

I’ve been at the door for ten minutes with my boots and jacket on when Dad is finally ready. “You’re really early,” he says, but he finally grabs his keys and says, “Let’s boogie!” like always.

At the rink there are a lot of parents ready to watch the game. I wait outside the dressing room. It’s quiet in there. I guess the other players are nervous too. Finally Coach Jim opens the door and says, “Come on in, Tina,” and I get to go in and tie on my skates.

“All right, team. You know what game this is, right? This is the final!”

“It’s just the consolation final,” someone says. I think it was Keith. He’s always a downer.

“Doesn’t matter,” Coach Jim says, waving his hand at him. “This is our last game. We have a really great chance to win this game and finish the season on a high. Here’s our lines.” Coach Jim lists the names. Yes! I’m centre on the second line! I’ll play anywhere, but centre is my favourite. “Now, we’ve talked about it lots, team—what do I want to see you doing?”

“Passing!” I say, along with some others.

“That’s right. Passing. Passing wins games. Remember, even Tina, our fastest skater, can’t move as quickly as a passed puck.” It’s warm in the dressing room. My cheeks burn and my ears itch. “So, lots of passing. Move the puck around and work together. Be aggressive. When they have the puck, don’t give them time to make a plan. Go right at them and force them to make a move more quickly than they’d like.” Coach Jim is quiet for a minute. He looks around the room at all of us. “You guys are a great team. You’ve worked hard this year, and I’m very happy with all you’ve learned. Regardless of how this game ends, you should be proud of yourselves.

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