Shadows Dancing in the Sun - 4. Shad Chapter 4

During dinner I remembered to mention to Uncle Mitchell about tomorrow’s hockey match, which is to be held on the main hockey field behind the senior school, and just west of the main carpark. I also remembered that my borrowed hockey stick is in my sports locker at school, and I mentioned this to Uncle Mitchell.

“You said that your game starts at 9 am?” he asked me, “no, that is the rime we have to be there, the match starts at 10 am, but we have to do some pre-match training before then,” I replied, “Good, that gives us some time to run over to Midland Gate to get you some new hockey gear,” Uncle Mitch announced.

At 8 am the next morning, I was showered and dressed in the school sports uniform, and I ate some cereal, toast and fruit juice, before we climbed into Uncle Mitchell’s car and headed for Midland. We were a little disappointed to see that the store doesn’t open until 9 am which had me worried.

“When the store manager arrived at 8.20, Xavier smiled, “Leave this to me,” he said as he approached the store manager, “Good morning sir, we know that you don’t open until 9 am, but we have a slight emergency, my nephew here has just moved in with us, after a domestic issue at home, and as you can see from his uniform, he has a hock match this morning.

I can guarantee that we will be buying a top of the range, full set of hockey gear for Tobias, who has to be back at the Grammar school by 9 am,” we heard Xavier say, and both Uncle Mitch and I were smiling to them, as the store manager looked at us then back to Xavier.

“Very well, I will allow it just this once, give me five minutes to get the alarm off and lights on, then you can enter,” the manager replied, and Xavier thanked him, before signalling us to join him. As we waited fort he manager to let us in, we waited by the front door. “What position do you play, so we know what gear to get you?” Uncle Mitch asked me.

“I am the main goalie, but I also play forward and defence, when we are desperately behind, I guess you could say I am multi-skilled,” I replied, “Just as I was when I played Field hockey,” Uncle Mitch said to be smiling, which caught me by surprise, “Wow, seems like it runs in the family,” I responded.

“Looks like we will need the full complement in that case, three hockey sticks, a shortie, middy and a maxi… a size 37 or 0.94 by the looks of his height. Is the field grass or turf?” Uncle Mitch asked me, “It is turf, uncle,” I replied. “Good, we will need two pairs of hockey boots suitable for turf, mouth guard, shin pads, rash guards, some spare grip tape and electrical tape, helmet with cage, throat protector, chest pad, goalie girdles, groin protector, leg guards, arm and elbow protectors, leg guards and kickers… have I left anything out?” Uncle Mitch said to me.

I was stunned that I would be getting all of this new gear, of which I had ben borrowing only about half of that, and the rest I had to do without, which resulted in regular bruising after a tough match. “Nope, that is the lot, and a lot more than I usually wear, as you know I received nothing from him, and the school only loaned me the basics,” I replied, as we saw the store manager approach.

“Well, you just get what you need in the way of all equipment to protect you, for all three positions on the field, and don’t forget to add a couple of hockey balls so you can practice and a hockey bag to carry it all in,” Uncle Mitch said to me, as the store door opened, and we were let inside. In just twenty minutes, we had everything that I had and more, and it was all top of the range and brand new.

The total came to over $1400, which surprised me a lot, as we thanked the store manager and headed for the vehicle to get to the school, and we arrived with just five minutes to spare. “Whoa, where did you get all of that new gear?” Kyle asked me, when we arrived, and he opened the bag and started looking at everything inside. “About time you had all the right gear,” Kyle added, as I snatched items off him as he brought them out, and I began to get into my new hockey gear, which takes some time to do.

Uncle Mitch and Xavier wished us the best of luck with our match and headed to the pavilion, while Kyle helped me with putting on my gear. When we hear the whistle of our coach, we ignored it, as we continued, and not long after, the coach appeared. “Well, it looks like that our goalie finally has all the right gear, continue on boys, and Appleton, you can help Garrison to get settled into his new gear, in preparation for the match,” the sports teacher and coach said to us.

Once I was fully kitted out, Kyle and I did two laps of the field to get warmed up, before I headed for the goals, and Kyle hit some balls towards goal, so I could get used to the extra padding, and moving around in it. By the time the half hour of pre-match training was completed I was sweating and I was ready for the match.

Because this was senior school hockey, we have the full 35 minute two halves for a match, which is hard going, and as was discussed by the coach, I would do approximately half of each half as goalie, while the backup goalie would do the other half, depending on when we get a penalty shot, which gives me time to get off the field, and get out of my goalie gear, to get onto the field to my new field position.

The first twenty minutes went well, with my new gear not being too obstructive with movement when keeping the ball out of the goal, the six times the opposition school team attempted, while our school team managed to get one goal.

When a penalty shot was awarded to our team at the 22 minute period of the first half, I immediately headed off field, with Sam Wood, the second goalie taking my place. Once off the field, I began to strip off all of the goalie protective gear, with the assistance of one of my team mates who was also taking a break.

“Well done Garrison, we will put you in attack, to give Valentine a short break, when you are ready, we will make the exchange,” the coach said to me, “Yes sir,” I replied, happy that I was going to have a more active role in the game. By the time the half time whistle sounded, I had scored two goals for our team, and Sam had managed to keep the opposition scoreless.

“Well done buddy, if you didn’t have a boyfriend I would kiss you,” Chris Valentine, our team Captain said as our team gathered, which made me blush, Kyle frowned and the whole team just laughed. “Ok, enough of the jokes, now grab a sports drink and keep hydrated. Valentine, you and Garrison are doing very well working together in the forward, I think we will keep it up for the first fifteen minutes of the second half.

How are you coping in your new role, Wood?” the coach said to us. “Great sir, I am enjoying the new role,” Sam responded, “Good, keep up the good work. This is the first time since mid-season last year, that we have been more than two goals in the lead and the opposition have been scoreless at the end of the first half, so well done to all of you,” the coach announced.

“Sir, who is that talking with the headmaster?” Chris asked the coach, who looked over his shoulder and soon saw the headmaster along with two men, of which one of them he recognised as a former State player, and the other he had seen before, but couldn’t put a name to the face.

“Not sure, but I will find out,” the coach replied, before going on with a strategy plan for the second half of the match. By the time that I had returned to my role as Goalie, with just fifteen minutes remaining of the match, the score was 4 to 1 in our favour, which is the first time that we had achieved a total of four goals.

As I was waiting for the resumption of play after a opposition team member received a yellow card, I glanced over to the pavilion, and soon found Uncle Mitch and Xavier, who were talking to another two sets of parents, and almost immediately behind them was the headmaster and the two men, which surprised me a little, realising that one of them was a former state player.

By the end of the game, the final score was 5 to 2 in our favour, after I had let a balls slip past me on a trick penalty corner shot, with my vision of the ball blocked temporarily, allowing the ball to fly past me. It was the first time that I had allowed the opposition to let just one ball to get past me, usually I averaged two or three balls, so I was pleased with this result.

When we appeared from the changerooms, after having a shower and changing into fresh casual clothes, I started to head over towards Uncle Mitch. “Garrison, if I can have a quick moment with you, before you join your uncle and the headmaster,” the coach said to me. “Yes sir, but it will have to be fast, as we are expecting guests for lunch,” I replied, as I was steered away from everyone in close proximity.

“I just wanted to let you know who those two men are, the taller of the two is Karl Prentis, who you may have heard of, WA state player for five years, with the first two years as goalie, before moving to the forward position, and the other gentleman is the Director of Talent Development for Hockey WA and the WA Institute of Sports, and former national team player, Andy Lockhart. It appears that they are on the lookout for new talent, and you have caught their attention in a big way,” the coach informed me.

“Me? But I am just a schoolboy playing hockey for fun?” I responded in shock, “That maybe so, but don’t be too surprised if you are asked to join this years, Academy programme, which starts in just two weeks time,” the coach announced to me, as he indicated that I could go now, and as my head buzzed with shock, I slowly made my way towards the adults.

“Here he is, our talented multi-skilled 16 years player,” the headmaster said as I approached and I shook the headmaster’s hand. “Thankyou sir, but I am just the team goalie, who plays forward sometimes, I think we just got lucky with a weak team this week,” I replied, as I noticed Uncle Mitchell and Xavier smiling broadly, and patted me on the shoulder lightly.

“Mr Prentis and Mr Lockhart, it is a surprise to see you both here for our match,” I said to the two visitors, “Karl and Andy will be fine, it is nice to meet you Tobias, we are very impressed with your hockey skills in forward and goals,” Andy Lockhart said to me as I shook their hands. “It is an honour to meet you both,” I replied.

“We are so impressed, that we have asked your guardian if you can join this years 16’s Hockey academy, which begins in two weeks time. Which will begin with physical testing followed by six training sessions over from mid May till mid November, a chance to play in the FHE Cup and two weekend camps in December,” Karl informed me.

“Yes sir, that would be awesome, thankyou,” I replied, thrilled at the opportunity to train at the academy and to possibly play in the FHE Cup against players from Malaysia, Singapore and Japan at the Perth Hockey Stadium in Bentley. “Good to hear young man, expect to receive an official invitation to be part of this year’s academy in the post soon,” Andy said to me as he shook my hand before leaving, with Karl joining him.

“That is awesome news, congrats,” Kyle said from close by as he approached along with Mrs Appleton, “Yeah, a bit of a shock and surprise really,” I replied. “Well done, dear. From what I saw today, it is well deserved,” Kyle’s mum said to me as she kissed me on the cheek.