Every year the RCMP fields a team and participates in the High school Floor hockey championship. My first year here we won the cup that is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Invermere.
It’s a good feeling to win over the kids. It’s pretty serious floor hockey. The last two years we failed to win the championship and last year failed to even make the playoff rounds.
During the off season we have been working out. We sent Grant Simpson to a goalie camp at detachment expense and requested to his wife that there be no sex before the game.
He let in some pretty weak goals last year. We feel he is drained of energy by the time he gets to the gym.
I also requested his son work with him on some skills. Andrew has been working on his Navy SEAL fitness program and is in top form. Kids should find him much faster and able to do double shifts.
I for one have cut down on beer in the off season and couple of times walked around the block.
Tim Harper’s upper body injury is back to 100 per cent. I will not reveal his actual injury in fear the kids will focus on this as he is one of our top players.
I put Brent Ayers on a special diet and you should see a slimmer Brent, but his bulk will still send kids flying if they try to take him out. He is the only member on our team that apologizes when he sends a kid flying.
Our weak link this year will probably be Scott Myers. He took some paternity time off and he may be a little soft. Hope to have him back near the start of the season. Chris Ralph has been working with the dog section and our hope is he will take on some of the characteristics of the dogs he’s been hanging out with: mean and ugly. He has the ugly down pat. Chris Sheppard was a rookie player last year. I took him aside and showed him some of my moves and hope to see more production from him. Dustin will be dusting it up in the corner. Hopefully Dave shows up now and then. I also gave Andrew the green light to recruit some enforcers to help out. Feeling good this year.
—Marko Shehovac is Staff Sgt. for the Columbia Valley RCMP
