Five minutes with Jason McBride

I headed up to the Aotea Square Ice Rink yesterday to have a chat with Paradice's Jason McBride. It gave me an insight into an aspect of life in NZ that I never knew existed. The ice world. 

Jason was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents put ice skates on his wee feet when he was just three years old. Back home, skating was a way of life. Growing up around the Great Lakes meant there were plenty of natural ponds to skate on. Even the larger lakes usually froze around the edges.

I can't help but ask about the danger associated with skating on natural ice ponds (read to many Willard Price books as a tween), but Jason's never seen anyone go through the ice, maybe being born in that part of the world means you have a natural instinct for danger (the very idea of it freaks me out).

He played ice hockey until he was seventeen, and after that he still played casual tournaments with his friends. They call these Beer Leagues... why? Beer.

Jason's been injured a few times. He's a had a puck to the eye. Those things can travel at up to 90 miles per hour apparently. Ouchy. He's had a couple of concussions too. Luckily he's never lost any teeth though, that's happened to a couple of guys in his Auckland team this season.

He plays for the West Auckland Admirals. They haven't lost a game for two and a half weeks now, which is why Jason is currently sporting a beard. He won't shave it until their winning streak ends. So I guess he's hoping to turn into full-bearded man...

There are five teams in his league in New Zealand, two from Auckland and three from the South Island. I didn't know that before yesterday, did you?

Jason arrived here just over two years ago. He was about to head home before he found Paradice, and started working there. In saying that, skating is the last thing he thought he'd be doing on this side of the world. If you'd told him a year ago that he'd be managing an ice rink in Aotea Square with a Mexican (the other manager) - he'd have laughed at you.

Paradice have just announced they're extending the Ice Rink in Aotea Square for another week, so now you have the chance to skate until the 12th of August. Say hi to Jason when you go, he might even give you a few tips...