Sunday, February 21, 2010

Blood, Sweat, and Cookies

That's the title of a Universal Sports documentary about the USA women's hockey team, or more specifically what it takes to make the team and what it's like to train with them.  The show is an hour long when viewed on network teevee... which I did last evening... or 45 minutes when viewed on-line (at the link above).  

One of the more interesting things about the documentary is it was made by 44 year old Clare Duffy, a producer for NBC News by trade and an amateur hockey player in her own right.  Ms. Duffy knows from whence she speaks... which is to say she knows hockey... so the show has absolute authenticity.  And Ms. Duffy trained right along with the women's team while making the documentary, the greatest portion of which is devoted to the rigors of the training regimen.  And it is rigorous indeed.  The USA women go through a conditioning program tough enough to compare with that of Navy SEALs from a physical conditioning perspective. Shorter: neither SEALs nor women hockey players are out for a walk on the beach.  I do not make the comparison lightly.

My only criticism?  Not nearly enough of the Lamoureux twins.  Yep, I'm still in love.

9 comments:

  1. Missed the good stuff again. Fixing airplanes on a Saturday.
    The OT is nice, though. :-)

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  2. Comparing the USA wommens hockey team and the Navy SEALs?

    The Air Force Rocks!!

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  3. I love the Walmart commercial where the mom is saving for her daughter's hockey career. That little girl steps out on the ice in her hockey outfit and I wish my GGs could play hockey too.

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  4. Buck, having not watched any of it, only hearing the scores, my interest is rising.

    These young ladies are certainly easy on the eyes. I have a great appreciation for ANY athlete that puts out such effort. But, some are just much more enjoyable to watch in action.

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  5. Glenn: I missed a lot of the hockey yesterday, too. The weather was just too nice to stay indoors, so I didn't. But I caught the last four minutes of the Switzerland - Norway game... and the OT... late last night. Your OT is a different animal, tho. ;-)

    RLM: I'm only comparing the two from a conditioning perspective.

    Lou: That WalMart ad is one of the very few I don't mute.

    Andy: We're all about the proselytizing. I'm thinking of writing a pamphlet and going door to door, thereby becoming the world's first Hockey Missionary. Seriously, tho... these girls are something else. It's no wonder they're kicking the rest of the world's collective asses.

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  6. Much can be said of the Canadian Women's Hockey Team. Both of these teams - well, all of them actually - are put thru hellish vigourous training all for the love of this great sport. They are admirable indeed.

    I will be at the Athletes Village this week ... so if I can somehow manage to sneak a picture of them for you, I will. Its not a promise that I can because we are under rather STRICT rules about not taking pictures of the athletes but rather a feable promise that if the opportunity arises and I can... I will.

    :)

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  7. The US and Canadian teams are the pick of the litter, KC. I heard the Chinese fired their strength and conditioning coach a couple o' months ago because they said his job has been done. Wrong! The rest of the world doesn't quite get it like the US and Canadian teams do, especially on the women's side.

    I'll owe ya Big Time if ya get that pic!

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.