What a weekend!
This past weekend I was invited to participate in the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge. This event takes place during the Men's Ice Hockey National Championship tournament. What it is, is an event where 16 female and 16 male hockey players from all over the country are invited to compete against each other in various different categories displaying their hockey skills. If anyone has ever seen the skills challenge they do in the NHL during the all-star games, this was pretty much the exact same thing.
The actual skills challenge itself turned out to account for a truly minimal part of the entire experience. The whole event is centered around just having a good time and a memorable experience. I was there, in Denver, Colorado for four days, and had the time of my life. I met some new people, and also was surprised to see how many people I already knew from having played hockey with and against them in the past. Everything we did the entire time was paid for by Nike Bauer, and we received thousands of dollars worth of free stuff. It was awesome!!
Reminded me, once again, how much I have gained from being involved in athletics, particularly college sports. I have been given so many opportunities, and most importantly met so many great people. The same is true for Intra-mural sports that are open to anyone. Intramural sports are also a great way to get to know people and to make new friends. The University of Minnesota has many intramural teams and lots of opportunities to get involved that way.
For more information on the Intramural sports opportunities at the University of Minnesota go to:
http://www.recsports.umn.edu/intramurals/index.html