Thinking about learning to play hockey at 22?

[Aras]

Hi

I'm 22 years old and I'm thinking about learning to skate and play ice hockey. It's something I've always wished I could have done as a kid, but it was never available to me. I thought it was too late, until I found out about the many adult leagues in my area (Philadelphia, PA). I wanna play the sport because it seems like a lot of fun, a good way to get in shape, would like to get involved in something, meet new people, be something I could pass down to my kids (if I ever get any) and even be a little competitive.

1) Do people usually go to beginner's skating/hockey lessons with friends? I'll be going alone, and I'd hate to feel like I was all by myself.

2) I'm around 5'7-5'8, and am obese (230 lbs), should I even bother trying?

3) When checking out the facebook pages for the many leagues around my area, I haven't seen a single minority (I'm asian) on the teams/at lessons. What are the chances of me being left out or singled out? Additionally, everyone seems so athletic and preppy, which is daunting.

4) The places I'm looking at have adult leagues with divisions: A, B, C, older than 40, novice. How long after I begin learning can I expect to join a team?

Thanks so much.

[AnonymousGearhead]

First, welcome to hockey! I was playing roller hockey when I was barely a teenager, but I didn't start ice hockey until I was about 19-20. Now, granted, I had the advantage of playing on my high school roller hockey team, so I had hockey skills first, but I never took a lesson.

1. If you take a lesson, take it. Who cares if anyone else goes with friends or not? I knew several people on my teams that would go take skills classes to get better by themselves.

2. YES! I knew people of all sizes who played. Just on one team, I had a friend who was 6'3 or 6'4 and over 300lbs, and a friend who was 5'2 and 130lbs, and another who was about 5'9 and 260lbs. You play for fun.

3. You get on the ice, the only thing people notice is the color of your jersey.
3b. As for the athletic/preppy people...those are the higher level of players, especially the high school kids and college kids. Where I live, the people I played with (In Colorado) were construction workers, Air National Guard, a couple were bouncers at a strip club, IT guys, security guards, even a UFC fighter. Most of us weren't athletic, but we had fun. I had friends who played who were hispanic, asian, black, white, even had an entire team of Russians...half of them smelling like they took a bath in Vodka.

4. As soon as the next season starts! When I started playing, the leagues were structured: B, C1, C2, C3, D1, D2. D2 was basically for the total beginners. Nobody could stick handle, people barely could skate, nobody was fast, etc. It used to frustrate me to no end because I was nowhere near as good on ice as inlines, but eventually I progressed, and before my kids were born I was running a C3 team, and had played on a C1/B mixed team and held my own against former semi-pro players. Find a rink with a league for absolute beginners like yourself, and ask to be put on the free agent list. Go play beginner drop-ins (stick and puck, whatever they call them) and meet people. Tell them you're just getting into the sport and want to join a team. FInd out what level they play and what league.


...Thanks. Now I have to get back on the ice, I haven't played in almost 6 years.