Raffle

The Hockey Foundation is offering a raffle to support our fundraising efforts in advance of our next trip to India.  We're excited to offer you some unique raffle prizes, and wanted to take this opportunity to explain what makes each prize significant to our us, and hopefully to you as well.

If you've been thinking about donating, this is a great option to get a little something in return beyond supporting a great cause, changing the lives of countless children (and adults!) and being a part of something bigger than oneself, of course.

Green Vibrance, courtesy of Vibrant Health

Green Vibrance, is a green super food.  It's a powder of many greens, and then some!  There are 74 ingredients in Green Vibrance, with 25 billion probiotics per serving, and can be mixed in water, juice or other liquids.  When our team of coaches is in Ladakh, one of the biggest problems we all have to deal with relates to our diet, but it's not what you think.  Sure, Ladakh is in India, a country famous for "Delhi belly", a particularly un-fun food-borne stomach illness, but Ladakh has cleaner spring water than most of India, and rarely gets to a temperature (especially in the winter) that allows harmful bacteria, viruses and protozoa to fester and multiply.  The problem in Ladakh is that during the winter there are very few options for a nutritious balanced diet.  That's not to say our team is looking to eat as per the famous USDA food pyramid (there are too many Pringles and Snickers consumed), but the distribution of vitamins and minerals doesn't seem to be present in the salt & carb-heavy diet of Ladakh.  Green Vibrance has been the complement and supplement that keeps our team healthy, energetic and digesting well.  When they return to lower parts of India, such as Delhi, Green Vibrance adds the additional support of keeping our team "regular", as the probiotics digest much of the stuff that can contribute to "Delhi belly" and the rest of the ingredients boost immune system and digestive system function, creating a tough battle for the harmful organisms.  The taste is pretty neutral, and with some juice, it's barely noticeable.  The benefit is obvious!  Vibrant Health has donated two 30-day supplies of Green Vibrance for our raffle, ending 11/25/13.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Citi Bike Annual Membership, courtesy of NYC Bike Share

Being a New York City-based non-profit, we're excited to offer 2 annual memberships of Citi Bike, courtesy of NYC Bike Share.  This new bike-share program is less than a year old and already seen over 10 million miles traveled in over 6 million trips by nearly 100,000 annual members & countless 24-hour & 7-day pass-holders.  Riding a bicycle is one of the best ways to train for hockey.  The leg muscles get a great workout that contribute to power, endurance, agility and overall wellness.  Players like Jaromir Jagr and Chris Chelios are famous for riding bikes before and after hockey games to maintain peak physical conditioning.  Whether you own a bicylce or not, having a Citi Bike membership is a great perk for any New Yorker, as sometimes you don't want to drag your own bike around all day or lock it up in areas that may not be reliable.  For non-New Yorkers, if you have a friend or family member that lives in the area, this is a great gift for the holidays, but you can only win it if you enter our raffle, ending 11/25/13.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

10 Skate-sharpenings, courtesy of NYC Skate Pro

Keeping with an NYC-theme.  NYC Skate Pro, the pro-shop at City Ice Pavilion in Long Island City, Queens, has generously donated a card for 10 free ice skate sharpenings, whether it be hockey, figure or speed skates.  Sharpening ice skates in NYC is an expensive endeavor, especially if you skate regularly, and there are few locations that facilitate this service.  It goes without saying, this is a great prize to win, but only if you enter our raffle.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Hockey Books: "Tropic of Hockey" by Dave Bidini & "The Final Call" by Kerry Fraser

Authors Dave Bidini and Kerry Fraser (the famed helmet-less referee) have both generously donated their hockey books to support our fundraising efforts.  Every trip, we donate books about hockey to schools in Ladakh, whether the books be instructional, fiction or in this case non-fiction.  The Final Call is a collection of stories stemming from Kerry Fraser's final season in the NHL.  Tropic of Hockey is about one man's journey to find hockey in unexpected regions around the world.  Needless to say, we identify with that mission, as The Hockey Foundation operates in Northern India!  Of course, you can pick up these books on Amazon, but for only $20 you'll get 5 chances to win both, and still have 4 more chances to win something else!

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Stay tuned for more updates on our raffle, including information on the rest of our raffle prizes!

Potent Potables and Potpourri

Some random tid bits:

• On the hockey front:

I am currently writing Hockey in Ladakh, Part 2, so expect that soon.  I am also currently writing about how the Canadian High Commission (Embassy) has been participating in a hockey tournament for almost a decade here in Leh, Ladakh, an amazing tradition and story.

There is also a lot of hockey drama and politics going on here, something that is both upsetting and inspiring (for different reasons, of course).  You will find out more as I catch you up, but be aware that my stories are about 1 week behind because there is so much going on here, and limited internet availability.

• Elsewhere:

1. The stars here are absolutely stunning.  Venus shines through the sky like a princess cut , brilliant diamond.  When I look up at the stars at night, it’s almost too beautiful to believe.  I feel like I’m in a planetarium.
2. I will never get over the fact that donkeys, dzo’s (cow/yak hybrid), cows, and dogs roam freely here.  Yesterday, a friendly dog came running up to me and I almost clubbed it with my 60-pound backpack.  As my closest friends and family know, I’m not much of a dog person (although I’m trying!), and being warned of the dog problem in India, I go on the assumption that every dog has rabies.  The gentleman I was with who has lived here for over a decade said this was a friendly dog.  Nonetheless, the canine has been warned.
3. I had a moment with a donkey earlier today.  As I was walking down the street to a guest house I’m staying at tonight, I passed numerous animals.  The zus/cows were in a group, and they parted like the Red Sea for me as I came hustling by them with my aforementioned backpack, 2 hockey sticks, a hockey bag, and a grumbling stomach.  Being perpetually amused, as I was walking by a row of donkeys (they have a habit of walking in a row, kind of like ducklings), I decided to say something.  “Hey”, I said in a humble tone as the final donkey passed me.  He (sorry, I’m being sexist) turned casually back at me, no doubt curious why this human in an obvious hurry wanted to stop to chat.  We had an eye-to-eye exchange for a few seconds, and I’m pretty sure the donkey was disappointed that I didn’t stay, or have hay in one of my large bags.  Either way, I am amused.
4. As I also mentioned, I am staying in a guest house tonight, somewhere I have stayed previously for 2 nights here in Leh.  If there is one thing to understand about India and Ladakh, is that patience is a super virtue and that you need to just go with the flow.  Fortunately, I do that a little too much when I’m home, but in Ladakh, this is a huge advantage for me.  Since I have come to Ladakh (almost 2 weeks already??), I have slept in 5 different places, and only a few times have I been prepared to.  Every moment of every day is an adventure.  Last night I stayed at a friend’s house outside of Leh since we got caught up eating, drinking and chatting with the Canadian High Commission team and the Ladakh Winter Sports Club officials.  I have been heavily involved with the hockey going on here in Ladakh (obviously), and travel to and from SECMOL adds up fast, and takes time, especially when I am trying to make it into Leh by 9/9:30 and have a massive problem waking up in the morning.  Staying in town last night, and tonight, was by far the most logical thing to do for my schedule.  Since showers are an endangered species up here, I don’t much care that I’ve been in the same outfit for days.  When in Ladakh!
5. I have heard that Ladakh intensifies peoples state of mind.  It has been called “Heaven on Earth”, as well as “Little Tibet”.  People can find themselves here, but can also lose themselves here.  The more I interact with people in Ladakh, the more apparent the dichotomy of this place is.  It’s one of the last bastions of Tantric Buddhism, yet many “Buddhists” known nothing about how to practice.  The Muslim/Buddhist population has had issues in the past, and can certainly have in the future, but everybody is incredibly friendly.  They love foreigners, but resent them equally.  Some foreigners that come here fall in love and never leave, others stay and become further outcast.  The foreigners here briefly are equally repulsed by the pollution and tough interpersonal adaptations and attracted to the beauty of the Himalayas, and the friendliness of the people.  This place can exhaust you, or give you energy.  Other than kids at SECMOL stealing my shoes, sandals and flashlight, being served cold samosas at a Punjabi restaurant, and then being denied snacks that I wanted to buy in a Punjabi bakery, Ladakh is somewhere that I plan to come to regularly.  They have been incredibly inviting to me.  I feel like a hybrid between a foreigner and a local, not quite a Ladakhi, but not as estranged as any Westerner, and I want to make sure that the hockey players of Ladakh receive continual support, since most has come in small waves, outside of the regular tournament with the Canadian High Commission.  Ladakh is going to be a staple and stable project of The Hockey Volunteer!
6. Up to this point, all pictures taken have been posted at: http://flickr.com/photos/34781538@N08/.  The internet is very, very slow here, and since I don’t have a freely accessibly connection, uploading them has been a long process.  Nonetheless, please check them out.  For now there are no descriptions, and every picture taken by me is being posted, even if they’re stupid.  I also have pictures from some of my Vermont colleagues.  Those pictures will be posted as well, so that you can enjoy as much of Ladakh as possible.
7. In regards to video, I have so much raw video, and have just begun uploading them to YouTube.  Let it be known, I am not a videographer.  My production and editing skills are none, and I will be uploading the raw video only.  If people wan’t to help me edit those videos, please contact me, as I am more than happy to accept the help.  I want you to be able to see Ladakh as it is, so once everything is posted, I will provide my link and you can enjoy (or hate) what I have recorded.
8. There are many more people that have contributed to Ladakh hockey than I, or you, knew about.  In my ignorance and apparent narcissism, I assumed I was the first to come here, and have quickly learned of how many amazing people have preceded me.  I want to not only recognize all of them in the near future, but I want to coordinate with everyone that has any connection to Ladakh hockey and form a strong coalition.  One person throwing a boulder is nothing compared to an army throwing pebbles.  Stay tuned for information on these great people!
9. Once again, a special thanks to The North Face in SoHo, NYC for donating the hat that you see me wearing in my pictures, as well as 2 pairs of gloves that have been incredibly helpful.  Special thanks to Play it Again Sports in Carle Place, Long Island (as well as East Northport) for donating 6 hockey sticks, a few pucks, a sweet stick, and tape!  Special thanks to House of Jerky for providing me with some much-appreciated and incredibly delicious varieties of jerky!
10. Super special thanks to everyone that has donated to The Hockey Volunteer and to my parents!

I love this picture…it’s become my avatar across most platforms.  The kid in the Devils jacket didn’t know who the New Jersey Devils are!