Joel's Blog

First time blogger

jpschiager — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:42:58 +0000

The blogging experience for me was a first time experience. At first I did not think I was going to like it because it seemed liked just one more thing I had to do for this class. The first few I wrote I rushed them and did not think that mush about what I was saying. However when people started commenting on my blogs it felt kind of cool that someone other than a teacher was reading my writing. I don’t think I will blog on this site about this topic again. I kind of ran out of ideas with all of these open topics at the end of the semester that I don’t have anything else to say on my topic at the moment. However if the opportunity does arise for me to passionately blog about something else at a later date I might be more apt to do that. I think I will be more likely to comment on others blogs now that I know how it felt, and that would be another way for me to put my opinion on a topic without blogging it myself. So overall this was a good experience but I don’t think I will blog again anytime soon.

Hockey Equipment

jpschiager — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:38:39 +0000

Hockey equipment like most things is very frustrating. The day you go out and decide to buy a new stick or helmet, a new series or item will come onto the market. Each is claiming to be better than the rest and better then is predecessor. At the same time all the sticks seem the same. The difference between two sticks is so small that it is hard to tell the difference between any of them. The price is another thing that varies a lot between all of these products. When a few months ago the newest stick was two hundred dollars, the new model , with little noticeable difference, is now two hundred and fifty dollars. The player sponsorships of these sticks is constantly changing as well. If you do not keep up with the NHL it is hard to know who the players endorsing the sticks even are, which makes it hard to find one that you would like to play with. The huge hockey brands that are on the market for hockey are constantly changing which makes it hard for players to even know what brands they prefer.

Hockey 101

jpschiager — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:32:02 +0000

I have been writing all about hockey in my blog. Today I realized that many of you might not know how the game of hockey really works. So I am going to explain to you the very basics of the game of ice hockey. On the ice at one time for each team are three forwards, one is a center and skates the middle of the ice and the other two are wings and they play their respected sides. The job of the forwards is to score goals. There are also two defensemen, a left and a right. Their job is to keep the other team from scoring a goal. The most important job on the ice is the goalie. The goalie stands in front of the net and when the opposing team shoots the puck he stops it from going into the net. Hockey games consist of three periods usually 12-20 minutes in length, depending on your age and skill level. There many rules to the game of hockey. Slashing, roughing, and cross-checking are three of the most common penalties. Team violations include icing, offside, and too many men on the ice. To fully understand these terms you must be watching a game of hockey. When all these things happen at once it is an amazing thing to watch.

The Use of Sex Appeal in Hockey Apparel

jpschiager — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:43:56 +0000

The visual argument that I chose comes from my favorite brand of hockey gear. Warrior makes equipment for many sports including hockey, lacrosse, and field hockey. They are commonly known for having funny commercials and advertising. This ad uses the use of sexual competence to convey their products. Traditionally men always covet what their neighbors have. This play off of this fact in a manner that suggests that the two men looking over the stall are admiring the other man while he uses the restroom. They, of course, are using this as a sexual appeal but in fact are trying to sell a new hockey stick that they are coming out with. This argument is very effective. The reader, who would typically be a young male, laughs at this but is then curious about what new product Warrior is coming out with. They have used sex and humor, but in the long run it is a visual argument that portrays that their sticks are better than other brands. They are making their brand seem superior to others, and creating curiosity to the reader, to investigate the new product that they have coming out soon. I enjoyed this article because it is funny and when I saw it I did go look at their website, so it is an effective argument and advertisement.

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/images/articles/SBJ200705210801-2.jpg

The Great One

jpschiager — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:30:49 +0000

Wayne Gretzky. These two words are considered royalty in the hockey world. He is “The Great One”. He will forever be the “Great One”. Wayne Gretzky is a legend in the sport of hockey. He broke many records and led the National Hockey League in goals, assists, and points for many years. He was a finesse player you relied on his skill to make it in the game of hockey, not brute force. He grew up in Canada and at a very young age showed great potential. Before he left middle school we was signing autographs and dodging fans to get home on time. He was the most modest player who has lived and has now devoted himself to the sport of hockey as an owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Many people try to compare him to the young stars of today hockey league. Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are the top two players currently in the National Hockey League. Even though these kids have amazing talent, I don’t think that they even compare to Wayne Gretzky. They might his records some day, but they will never be known to the entire hockey world as “The Great One”.

http://www.icehockeymaster.com/img/Gretzky.jpg

Zamboni

jpschiager — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:18:45 +0000

It is the dream of many hockey fans all over the world to hold the Stanley cup, skate with their favorite player, and sit in the locker room during a pregame speech. Another very common dream however is to drive the zamboni. For those who do not know the zamboni cuts off the top layer of ice and lays down water to fill in the cracks after the ice has been skated on. There is a certain art to clearing the ice in the shortest most efficient time possible. This point is even more justified by the fact that in the new videogame NHL2K10, in between periods you get the opportunity the drive the zamboni and clear as much of the ice as possible before time runs out. There is even a song entitled “I Want to Drive the Zamboni.” This mythical vehicle is for some reason a topic of lust for many in the hockey world. I would be lying myself if I said I had never thought of the joy it would be the drive it myself one day. So when other fans are waiting for the intermission to end hockey fans get to watch the beauty of the zamboni in action.

VIOLENCE

jpschiager — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:48:20 +0000

In the article” The Good Ol’ Hockey Game? Violence in Hockey.” Rutter discusses how the expectations of the fans have changed over the years for the National Hockey League. He starts out by drawing a picture of how our grandparents used to go to hockey game to watch skill and a healthy level of competition. He then says how the level of violence in hockey has risen greatly in the past years. Great detail is then given by the author about an incident that occurred in the NHL between two players. This argument is that the fans of the NHL expect too much violence and fighting from players of the NHL. This argument is not portrayed well in this article. The author does not bring in enough secondary information and therefore does not increase his level of ethos. However he does portray that he indeed knows about hockey by bringing up an incident in the past where an act of violence happened on the rink. Overall however the article does not show any ethos or pathos and very little logos. The argument is not a good one and he makes it easy the pull it apart and disproof it.

http://www.canadiancontent.net/commtr/the-ol-hockey-game-violence-hockey-_677.html

A new season

jpschiager — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:52:15 +0000

The new season is about to start, because of that I decided to write a poem of some of the aspects that a new season brings. I looked at this season from many different view points and included what might be in store from those view points.

A new season,

A chance for redemption,

A proving ground for a champion,

Moring practices,

Skating until you puke,

Shooting till your palms are raw,

Studying plays and executing them on the ice,

A new season,

Time to get back in shape,

Hitting the weight room religiously,

Working off off season beers,

Focusing on what is important,

That one goal,

That revenge win,

The ultimate prize,

A new season,

Standings to keep up with,

Games to watch and analyze,

The perfect fantasy team,

A new mind set,

A new reason to wake up,

The next reason to live,

A new season,

Driving kids to the rink,

Ungodly practice hours,

A new set of fans,

A new family schedule,

Devotion to it above all else,

A new season,

Tryouts and evaluations,

New coaches and new ways of playing,

A new authority on the ice,

A new set of rules,

A new group of team mates,

A new season,

A chance for redemption,

A proving ground for a champion,

One more chance at Lord Stanley’s cup.

Youth Hockey

jpschiager — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:44:19 +0000

Hockey is one of the fastest growing youth sports in America. When most kids are young they tend to play more well known sports such as baseball, football, and soccer. This could be for a few reasons but i think the most obvious is that parents dont know much about hockey. When they were kids hockey was not very well known and the population of youth players was much lower than it is now. Unless a parent grew up playing hockey or in a hockey family there will be very little chance that they will push their kids in that direction. This writing is to try and persuade parents to get their kids into youth hockey. It builds friendships, leadership, and team play characteristics in young children. It also gives them a very good chance to meet kids they don’t necessarily go to school with. It is also a very fun sport that most kids enjoy if they are ever given the chance to do it. So i encourage you new parents, give your children the chance to play hockey and they will fall in love with it just as i have.

Picture: http://www.therrrink.com/images/yhockey/YouthHockey.jpg

Eat. Sleep. Hockey.

jpschiager — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:15:29 +0000

Me and Brad Hawker After a Hockey Game

Ever since i can remember hockey has been my life. I started playing when I was only six years old. No one in my family had played hockey so I was the first, and had no knowledge of the game. Eventually I had learned the game and how it worked. I fell in love with it. All I did was go to school and then straight home to practice in the garage. Every week end was spent driving to rinks and my parents freezing while I skated the ice. By the time I was around thirteen I was beginning to be voted to the position of captain on a couple of teams. Through high school I played on the city wide travel team as well as the high school team from my high school. Every good memory I have from my childhood is from a hockey tournament. Since I have been young all my friends have been from hockey teams. My best friends through high school were teammates when we were six or seven. My life has always been about hockey, so the phrase eat, sleep, hockey describes my life better than any other saying. Hockey is my life and i would never give that up for anything.