Page 70 of Breakaway
“Thank you all for joining us this morning. There are a few items we need to discuss as a whole.” He sat his coffee down as he glanced around at the full table, smiling. “First, the mural and side practice lot will be finished this afternoon. Make sure to thank our students and staff that volunteered. The mural alone took all weekend and is worth checking out if you haven’t.”
“Can I get their names to send a personal note?” I asked.
“Of course, Coach. I’ll have Linda send them to you.” I nodded as he moved on to the next item on the agenda.
“Alright, let’s get the uncomfortable piece out of the way. When our senior team traveled to their away game this weekend, they were met with harassment and discrimination. The refs made bogus calls, and the opposing team got away with all kinds of illegal plays. To top it off, their hotel reservations were mysteriously lost, and they weren’t allowed to stay at the hotel we’d booked. So, here’s how we’ll handle away games moving forward.”
Dmitry took a deep breath and paused to sip his coffee. Everyone was quiet, their faces stoic as they whispered about the awfulness that the away game had been.
“HTC and SnowPoke have offered use of their corporate jets so that we don’t have to stick around after games anymore. We’ll also employ Alpha Security to accompany the team to and from away games. I’ve contacted the under-18 hockey committee about impartial refs, and they’ve agreed to review the game and hand out any warranted fines. They’ll also ensure that the refs at each game are more diverse and not from one school area. I felt this was fair and hopefully will cease any other attempts. Are there any other concerns we need to address?” he asked, looking around the table.
“The only other issue that tends to come up is the locker room situation. Most schools don’t have an adequate place for non-male-gendered players. We’ve been in offices and closets more than not, and they don’t always include locks, leaving our possessions vulnerable. I’m unsure what can be done, but it is a concern.”
“I agree. We may need to create a way to offer privacy inside the main locker room to keep the team together. Perhaps if all the parents sign off on allowing it, that would go a long way as well to cover our asses, since most of the players are minors. I want our non-male players to feel as safe as everyone else.”
“We might need to play around with it as not every locker room is the same, but we could even let the non-male players change first and then the rest of the team so that everyone has the chance to have a safe and secure place,” I said.
“Would you be willing to head that up?” Dmitry asked, staring at me.
“For sure. I’ll get it taken care of.”
“I’ll help,” Dax offered, making me smile. I squeezed his hand under the table.
“Perfect. Anything else?”
When no one brought up anything else, Dmitry smiled as he moved on to the next topic.
“Since the SnowPoke campaign went live, I’ve received countless phone calls from parents, schools, kids, magazines. Hell, even other companies.” He chuckled. “While there were a few complaints, ninety percent of them wanted to know more about the Henshaws, Lux’s program, and when open enrollment was. There’s so much support for Coach and Reese. It’s been great for Lux as well, even if that wasn’t the purpose. We’re finally making our way back into people’s hearts, and that’s all thanks to you, Coach.”
I blushed, the weight of his praise making me feel overwhelmed.
“In fact, I heard from a few very influential people today. One is a scout for the Olympic team, and the other is the junior national team. They wanted to visit.”
Everyone broke out in hushed whispers at this news. Dmitry drank his coffee while everyone chatted, enjoying the spotlight for something positive for once. I couldn’t begrudge him for wanting these things for his school, but I couldn’t deny the pressure was a lot to contend with.
“When are they coming?” Reed asked, stopping everyone’s chatter.
“In a few weeks. I’ll let you know once everything is finalized. Any other topics?”
No one said anything, so he stood and pushed in his chair.
“Keep up the impressive work, Blizzards. I’ll see you all at your game on Wednesday.”
He left, and I gathered my stuff, still in a haze at everything he’d disclosed. The tide was turning, good things were happening, and the team was getting the recognition it deserved. But I hated to admit, I had a sinking feeling in my gut that I couldn’t dispel.
The Society had made me fear good things, and for that alone, I’d never stop until they were gone. I didn’t know how I would do it, but I’d be damned if I let them steal my joy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Henley
All week I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. The home game came and went with no issues. Same with the away game. All the new measures put into place helped to keep us in control and eased everyone’s anxiety. But I still couldn’t shake the feeling something was on the horizon. The Society was due to make another play soon, reminding us they were always one step ahead.
SnowPoke’s revised ad continued to gain momentum. Each morning I woke up to more and more support from fans, old and new. Keaton had been right about the hockey world being ready for diversity. For every five likes and retweets in our favor, there was only one to criticize and condemn. I took it as a win. With each day, their negative voices were drowned out as others were uplifted. Change was upon us, and I felt hopeful for the future of the sport I loved.
Dmitry continued to get media requests left and right, denying them across the board. Which only made them try harder. I didn’t know if he intended to create the hype, but it worked all the same. Lux hired more security for the school, ensuring not to let in any press at our home or road games.
Most surprising was at the away game when the home team clapped for us as we hit the ice, demonstrating they supported changing the league, too. It had been inspiring, and our team had played our best games yet, keeping us with only one loss.