Nice photo and that looks like a decent size facility with the amount of seating.

I always wonder if skates break in to the shape of your foot or vice versa....

They are usually made of stiff plastics and don't break in much at all. You can have them heated and compression molded to your foot. My skates have a custom insole and they were heated and compression molded.

Also, that's not our home ice. That's the arena in Danville, IL. Our home facility has two rinks. One rink has very little seating (mostly just standing room) and that is where the kids normally play. The other rink has seating for 6,000 (a bit bigger than the place in the last photo). We'll use that for our
"Jamboree" in March where we invite other teams.

And my older son's head coach just contacted me and asked if I could fill in for him tonight as he is sick.

So I volunteered at the beginning of the season to coach my younger son, and now I'm coaching both of my sons for all of the various hockey programs they are in.

So the season is over....well, until cross ice games start in two weeks and Spring League starts in a month. I signed up to coach my younger son, and ended up coaching my older son's Thursday advanced practice, Jamboree (travel games) and finally ended up filling in as an assistant coach for my older son's regular team.

Pics from the past weekend...

My younger son while I watch:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1583291520.jpg

Changing lines:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1583291725.jpg

My daughter was a trooper for all this hockey:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1583293178.jpg

Older son in net:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1583294771.jpg

Older son getting ready for a face off:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1583296009.jpg

Keep practicing and playing/improving your own self so when they turn 18, you can play with them in the adult leagues! My son is 26 and we have playing together since he turned 18. (I've been playing since i was a kid and coached him all through those years as well.) Great fun! We just won the AA-2 championship a few weeks ago!..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1583298291.jpg

And another thing....

I started the season with garage-sale skates, a used helmet, used gloves, and wearing long-sleeve workout shirts.

By the end of the season I had new skates (custom baked), a new helmet, new gloves, and a Warrior warmup jacket (Christmas present from my mother-in-law) The new skates were particularly important, as I have MUCH more ankle support.