Page 100 of Home of the Brave

Victoria smiled and glanced back at Cambrie’s phone before scanning faces for who she wanted to ask. “Tyson,” she called, and he made his way to her. “What would you tell a young player who is struggling with conditioning during the offseason?”

He folded his arms. “That was a question?”

“Yeah, looks like the mom is asking for her child.”

He thought about it for a moment. “It’s hard to see the payoff of the work you put in during the offseason when you’re a kid. You’re not on the ice as often or around your coach and teammates, so you’re training, putting in the work, but all alone. It’s a struggle that we all still have to work through.” He glanced around, and everyone nodded. “But if you want to get to the next level, if that’s a travel team, major juniors, college, or the NHL, you absolutely have to stay dedicated. You might skip workout sessions or skills training, but there are other kids on your team that aren’t. You have to want to improve and be your best because there is always someone willing and waiting to replace you.”

She widened her eyes, but slowly nodded. “That’s a hard truth, but you’re right.”

He shrugged. “It’s not a very pleasant reality, but it’s the same with anything, not just sports. If you want to improve in anything from drawing, reading, or cooking, to sports, you’ve got to be willing to put in the work.”

“Thanks.” She leaned in for another question, then looked around. “Josh, this is a good one for you.”

I hadn’t realized she noticed I was there, but I moved forward as the guys made space. She suddenly had quite the audience.

“How soon did you know you wanted to play goaltender? A fan is asking because they’re twelve and only four-foot ten and are worried they might not be as tall as some of the professionals.”

I rubbed my jaw, trying to remember. “I was a bit late, actually. I think most players around eleven or twelve know when they want to be in the net fulltime. I was still rotating at that age. My team wanted everyone to be on the same level with skills, but by the time I was thirteen on a bantam team, I was only playing goalie and felt really confident about that decision.” I paused to think about it. “I was a late bloomer with my height too, and was only about five feet, maybe five one. I’d say that size is an advantage in the net, but it’s not the only thing that matters. I’d recommend working on what you can control, like speed and reaction time, agility, and seeing the puck. The growth spurts will come with time.”

She smiled, and Cambrie lowered the camera. “That was good.”

“Thanks, you got me thinking. I haven’t had to dig that deep for a question in a while.”

“Getting too old,” she teased.

“Clearly,” I relaxed a bit. “Congratulations on the videos too. I think you’re viral.”

She laughed. “More like you guys are. I’m not even in them.”

“Well, it’s great journalism either way.”

“Thanks.” She lowered her eyes, and Cambrie glanced up from her phone.

“Do you want to keep going?”

I looked around and realized there were still plenty of my teammates hanging around.

“You should,” I shifted back. “They’re pretty excited about how well you’re doing and like the idea of answering fan questions with you.”

“Really?” she checked with them. “You guys don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” Dante stepped forward. “What do you have for me?”

I moved out of the way and watched as she asked him the next question, wishing I could have a minute alone with her. But this was what she wanted, and more than anything, I wanted her to succeed.

23

VICTORIA

I’d been warned and should have seen it coming.

But it happened. I’d been prided.

Gotten by the pride?

Tricked. I’d been straight up tricked by the infamous Utah wives and girlfriends group, the Pride.

“You didn’t mention there would be another guest,” I spoke through a tight smile.