Seeing Without Watching

Click the pic if you haven’t seen the “last practice of the season” video…

The Kent Roosevelt Rough Rider Hockey Banquet was last Wednesday.  I swear, coach Ben Barlow gets me so motivated that I want to run thru a brick wall for him.  The amazing thing about Rider Hockey is that we compete with 44 other teams spread out over 7 divisions in the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League.  Parochial schools withstanding, Kent is in the the 2nd toughest division, which they won, BTW.  Parochial schools notwithstanding, Rough Rider Hockey was 9th in points overall.  Parochial schools recruit.  St. Ignatius and the like get 70 kids trying out every year, including a junior varsity squad.  Kent’s roster is completely homegrown.  17 tried out this year.  17 made the team.  One varsity squad.

The Mothersbaughs share the freshman class with 3 other families.  The Pfeiffers, The Jaggers and the Heims.  All quality people, all with their own “zing”.  The love is there.  I know this to be fact because they put-up with my wife’s bizarre idiosyncrasies.

When the puck gets into our defensive zone, Kristin compulsively shields her eyes.  She can’t look.  She does not do this for attention.  She’s an empath.  So much so that its debilitating.  She simply cannot bear the tension.  Her heart beats “100 miles an hour”.  When Edie was a goalie a few years ago, it was even worse.  She would break-out in nasty hives all over her neck.  This package of anxiety, along with usual her wacky comments, force me to watch the game from the opposite side of the rink.  Other hockey moms including Erika Pfeiffer and Barbie Jaggers lovingly accept her into the hockey mom coven, no questions asked.

During one game, Kristin attracted the attention of a curious lady who misinterpreted her behavior as a disability.

Erika was sitting between Kristin and the curious lady.  Curious leans close to Erika and quietly observes,

“Is your friend um, visually impaired?  I mean, it’s so sweet how she’s really tuned into everyone’s reactions.  It’s almost as if her other senses have over-developed to compensate.  Its amazing how she can tell whats happening.”

Erika motions to interrupt, but realizing this is comedy gold, she wisely allows Curious to continue.

(I would add details at this point, but I’m on the other side of the rink.)

Curious continues, “It’s really amazing how she anticipates whats going to happen next.  She knows which way bodies are turning, and she knows when to look at the other end of the ice.  Amazing.”

Erika lets her off the hook,

“Oh, no, she can see, she just can’t watch.”

Curious is flustered and embarrassed, then starts laughing.  Kristin was oblivious to the conversation because she was concentrating on not seeing anything out of the front of her eyes.

Blind Jedi Lady

Erika explains to me later that she sees Kristin as somewhat of a neurotic Jedi where her peripheral vision is as strong as her normal, straight-ahead focus, perhaps even stronger.  She bases her reactions on the body movements and head-jerks of other moms around her.  Erika occasionally messes with her by cringing when nothings going on.

Coop and I got on a plane and headed to Burbank.  I brought the Lectern.  Hopefully Kristin doesn’t cringe when I light this baby up at the mall.