Road Warrior

On the road again. Findlay, Ohio, Niagara Falls, Rochester, N.Y. Three teams, three towns, three weekends. I'm getting quite used to the hotel deal again, although this week, the DIVISION I men's hockey program, put me in a room with an assistant coach. Now THAT's tough to get used to after having my own room the last two weekends. There's a very distinct possibility that I'll be going home tomorrow night. There's a also a chance I'll be here till Sunday. Let's hope for the former.

It would be a lot different if I was traveling with men's basketball or wrestling--the two teams I spent the entire year with. I know the athletes and they know me. Now I'm with a team that I watched one time this year, have NO idea who is whom, and I know hardly any much more about the sport of hockey. It's really awkward to walk into the awards reception and try to figure out who the other SID's are and everyone is trying to figure out who you are. I'm not the most sociable in those situations either.

But I will say this. Coach Rick Gotkin is awesome. He's one of these guys that is always upbeat, never has a harsh tone in his voice and is always willing to tell you one of his old hockey stories. And he has some great stories. He had our table rolling during the dinner, especially with the story of his garment bag getting caught on an old ladies oxygen tank as they boarded a plane. Claaaassic.

I'm also impressed with Rochester. I had no idea what the town was like but it has a beautiful downtown area built around the small but picturesque Genesee River. There are high rise buildings, some fantastic little restaurants, a newly renovated hockey arena and brand new minor league ballpark. Just outside of town is a community of those early American brick and stone houses that go hand-in-hand with New York state. I don't know if I'm brave enough, but I'd like to get out and walk around a bit tomorrow and check out the town.

Ah, life on the road.