Rolf Devinci

It's been a long week and calling for rain for the weekend so I found myself on the deck after the bike commute home on Friday enjoying the late September sunshine. The morning didn't start so nice as it was the coldest commute thus far this Fall. Had to break out the lights and also the winter weight jersey and gloves. Fortunately the day improved greatly and after an extended bike ride home via Bayers Lake and the NSLC I soon found myself  on the deck enjoying a well deserved beer..... ....followed shortly thereafter by a glass of red..... Yes. Both beer and wine had ice cubes cause I like both chilled and after a week of suffering with a head cold I had not the patience, nor the Autumn sun, to wait otherwise. Falling sun illuminating my bird feeder which will be stocked with seed sooner than I would have wished..... My deck companion for the evening....... ...along with my stumbly legs. How can you tell a roadie who no longer gives a #&$...

This Fall I had the opportunity to sub for a softball team as they wrapped up their 2012 summer league schedule. Specifically a lob ball league due to the speed that the pitcher delivers the softball to the plate I found myself back on the diamond. Having played competitive ball way back in the day(80`s/early 90`s) I was interested in finding an opportunity to get back to the game.My spouse had casually mentioned that her employer's team was looking for spares. The door of opportunity had just opened. It had been decades since I threw, batted and caught a softball so there was some trepidation upon getting the call for a double header earlier this month. Add to that was the fact they needed a pitcher and that position was one I never previously played. Then again how hard could it be to lob a ball across the plate? The position can be quite challenging in terms of pitching and fielding. There is a certain strike zone comprised of a ...

With the arrival of September comes the start of my full ball hockey season. I have been playing this summer in the ECBHL but soon will also begin playing Thursdays and Sunday afternoons in an ad hoc pickup league in the Bloomfield rec centre. I play all positions, including goalie, so Sundays usually sees me in net for two hours then playing out in the evenings with ECBHL. As I was gearing up last night it occurred to me how physical ball hockey can be even when playing "no contact". I suppose it is the nature of any game that has players swinging sticks and shooting mylex balls on playing surfaces the size of basketball courts and school gyms.We use the yellow or pink Mylec balls that are not as hard as the traditional orange but can still do this....... In essence it is a simple game only needing some kind of footware and a hockey stick but having played the game for forty five of my forty nine years I have learned the hard way the benefits of prop...

Took advantage of the Labor Day holiday to work on my sprinting. Knowing that barefoot/minamalist shoe sprinting places me on the fore/mid foot I was now curious to see how my upper body positioning was at full stride. I also opted to finish off the sprinting session with some Tabata style barefoot sprints.20 seconds "on" with 10 seconds "off" for a brief recovery. That may not sound like much but they absolutely kick your backside. I sped up the video but you get the point.....begs the question though whether if it is a Tabata protocal or mad cow disease? I usually run the sprints the length of the field rather than in circles but to keep it in frame I had no choice.Circles it was. Wrapped up the day at the field with some core work including planks. They got some bite as well - especially after a variety of sprints. Time now to enjoy the rest of the holiday on the deck with some drink and sunshine. Cheers!

Just when you think Geo cannot get any more odd you happen upon my latest blog post. In essence I was in the woods hitting a small stick against a big stick. Things I do for fun? It occurred to me the last time out for archery practice that the dead tree adjacant my shooting range would make a formidable pell. I had purchased a couple oak bokkens last winter to practice some sword katas so figured it was time to actually put theory into practice. After some research on Google and video tutorials on You Tube I headed to the woods to start making a racket. I gotta tell you simulated sword play against a pell is quite the workout. Requiring movement, core strength, flexibility and accuracy it is challenging, fun and you work up a darn good sweat. Begs the question how fit the re-inactors are dressed in period costumes and armor. Shot some video to take home and compare to those on You Tube in regards to proper form and technique. Definitely need to work on my footwork and ...