I finally heard those devilish words near the end of my sophomore year- Get a job for the summer, straight from my dad. I could not believe I heard this. I never saw myself working in my summers, I instead only saw boating and swimming. Unfortunately my little fantasy world of relaxation came to an apparent end, so I had to set out for my first “true” job, because working for the parents does not count. I had a few ideas, but only one truly fit my wants. It was a job that most college students would take, not a soon to be junior in high school.
I decided to work as a hockey trainer at Acceleration Indiana, a training facility for athletes of all ages that focuses primarily on improving speed and agility. It has a very unique style for hockey training, with a treadmill that can actually be skated on. It consists of a type of synthetic plastic that has the same effects as ice, and can be raised or lowered, along with sped up or slow down, to create an extreme workout for those with true dedication to their sport. The typical trainer at Acceleration is in college around their senior year, so I was about six years younger than everyone else. I still had to follow all of the same requirements however to be a part of the staff, which included taking college level tests focusing on specifically the body and kinetics. After passing the requirements, I was able to train athletes of all ages on the hockey treadmill, along with running exercises in puck handling, shooting and even plyometrics. Having done all of these things myself, it was an easy cross over to train others, but it was always nerve wracking when the parents of the trainees were watching, or even my co-workers, because it felt like a constant test.
This job always kept me on my toes and forced me to work hard, because I constantly had to prove that I could work with those that were much older than me. Being in an environment where I was constantly having to prove myself forced me to put my heart and soul into this job, which in turn led it to be the best (and first) summer job that I have had to date.