Cold is part of the game
Capital Electric - January 1, 2011
 |
|
Coach Spike dispatches some players on an offense drill, while the other teammates watch and learn from mistakes. |
It takes a certain kind of "tough" to slam into a glass barrier at high speeds during a hockey match and literally fight for control of a puck, and not think twice about getting hurt. It also takes a certain kind of tough to go out in a raging blizzard, climb a pole during subzero wind chills and restore a power outage during the middle of the night in rural North Dakota. A person needs physical strength, determination, intensity - and perhaps a little bit of crazy - to get those kinds of jobs done. Seth Lothspeich has been a team player both on the ice and as a lineman for Capital Electric.
When he was around 7 years old, Lothspeich's father plunked a helmet over his son's face mask, secured the helmet and sent him outside. He told his son, "When you can't feel your toes anymore, it's time to come in."
Walking a few blocks in bitter Grand Forks temperatures to the neighborhood ice rink, Lothspeich maybe practiced a couple hours at most that day. But the cold weather didn't deter him. He wanted to compete in hockey so he ignored the cold, practiced regularly and soon excelled. During his senior year at Red River High, his team won the state championship with Lothspeich playing forward.
After high school, Lothspeich played hockey for the Minot Muskies for one year, and then enrolled in the Bismarck State College lineworker program. His father is an electrical contractor, so Lothspeich pursued two of the things he had developed growing up: a knowledge of electricity and a passion for the outdoors.
 |
|
As a lineman for Capital Electric, Seth Lothspeich helps construct and maintain overhead and underground power lines, and restore power following the occasional outage. The cold never deterred Lothspeich, who always wanted to work outdoors. |
Lothspeich started with Capital Electric in 2002 as summer help. When the summer ended, the co-op hired him full-time as an apprentice lineworker. In 2005, Lothspeich completed the 144 hours of required coursework per year and 8,000 hours of supervised work over a four-year period to earn his journeyman lineworker status through the Apprenticeship, Training and Safety (AT&S) program with the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. As a journeyman lineworker, he helps construct and maintain overhead and underground power lines, and works during the occasional snowstorm to restore weather-related power outages.
While his days of slamming into the glass have ended, his hockey career has not; it's just evolved. For four years, "Coach Spike" has taught hockey and mentored kids from mid-October through mid-March. What he expects of his students: to show up on time, work hard, commit to what they are doing, practice on their own time and be creative. What he expects of the students' parents: to understand that hockey is a contact sport - and where there is hockey - there is blood.
"Blood is a part of hockey, and every hockey player is going to need stitches," he warns. "Hockey is fast, intense and physical. That's what keeps the fans interested," he declares. His own worst injury was a torn labrum in his right shoulder that required surgery, although he is quick to point out a few of his scars not hidden by clothing.
While accidents happen in hockey, they can occur in any sport. Lothspeich asks parents to support their kids if they want to play hockey, because so much can be learned from the game.
"Skating is a unique skill that gets kids active. It also gives them an excellent social experience," he explains.
"Kids learn different ways of communicating on the ice. Hockey is the one game where you don't really have set plays. The kids learn to ‘see' the ice and read what's going on in front of them in a split second. The next player has to read off that, and the next player has to read off that."
To encourage the players to develop their skills, Lothspeich advises them that if they want to see their names in the newspapers when they get to the high school level, they have to work hard now - both at practice and on their own. During the summer months, they can play street hockey like Lothspeich and his brother used to do back home in Grand Forks. And during the cold months, they need to practice every day, either at an indoor arena or outdoors - even when it's cold.
"Hockey is a seven-day-a-week sport, and cold is part of the game," he shrugs. "If you want to play hockey, you have to be able to tolerate the cold in moderation. If you start out cold, you'll warm up skating."
If hockey is a seven-day-a-week sport for the kids, it's one for the coaches, too. While work and hockey consume almost all of his time from October through March, Lothspeich says he appreciates the opportunity to "Give back a little bit, to where I came from."
While he's currently taking a break from coaching, Coach Spike has no plans to retire.
"I coach because I can, and feel passion for the game. Hockey has unbelievable passion, and in my opinion, it's one of the most exciting sports there is."