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I’m Jack. I’m the one in the picture trying to mat down Zack’s outrageous Guido curls with my tongue.
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A Little Mean, A Little Dirty, A Lot of Fun
I’m Jack. I’m the one in the picture trying to mat down Zack’s outrageous Guido curls with my tongue.
Jack_Has_Spoken 
Hey Jack,
My name is Chris and I’m the guy that sold you the Tacks earlier this year. How did those end up working out for you?
I was looking for a review of the U+ CL and stumbled upon this blog. I clicked the link about “How to Optimize Your Skates,” scrolled down the page, and saw a picture of the Tacks. Turns out the internet actually can be a small world…. Anyway, I just thought I’d drop you a line.
As long as you’re waxing about the U+ CL, I’ll throw in my $0.02: Even though this skate put CCM back on the map, I feel it is a skate that was vastly underappreciated by the masses. I am trying to steer a buddy of mine toward them (which is why I was looking for reviews in the first place) and was surprised at the lack of detailed/long-term reviews out there. I got a pair in 2011 right after they came out and were my main skates until this past month when I got a once in a lifetime-type deal on a pair of pro stock RBZs. For all the hype surrounding the RBZ skate when it came out (and now the Tacks), I have my doubts that I will develop the type of attachment that I have to the CL. From one CCM afficiando to another, you will not regret this purchase.
Regards,
Chris
Chris,
Good to hear from you. To answer your first question, the Custom Pro Tacks you passed along to me are actually a Size 9.5, which might explain why they were such a big fit for you. The bottom of the holder is number 287, which you probably know is CCM’s 9.5 – 10 Holder Designation.
Long story short, it basically broke my heart when it became apparent that they were a bit too big for competitive use. I actually didn’t notice how much extra room my foot had in the boot until I played in an A League Tournament and started sliding around everywhere. Anyway, I am sitting on the fence right now, very reluctant to re-sell them because they’re so awesome but knowing they will probably never fit properly.
I am still trying to re-sell my Crazy Lights. As you read in the article, while I like the fit around the bottom of the foot, I prefer a more-traditional fit along the eyelet row. This is why I love those Custom Pro Tacks you sold me so much: pro stiffness around the foot while providing old-school pliability around the top. It kills me that they’re too big.
I think the Crazy Light is certainly an above-average boot, but it was just not the boot for me. I thought the Vector-era (2006-2009) skates actually fit like more “traditional” CCM boots. Right now, I’m mainly using a pair of Reebok 11K pumps while I look for something comparable to the Custom Pro Tacks you sold me.
Please keep in touch, and check out our Reboot Hockey Facebook page.
Regards,
Jack
Hi Jack,
I’ve been following your blog for awhile, and while I usually avoid social media, I’ve enjoyed getting the occasiaonal email with notice of a new article from you. I enjoy reading about your insight into issues we share an interest: hockey, loyalty, recent concussion, difference between the sexes, more hockey, lol. I’ve been meaning to reach out to you for awhile but I didn’t because I don’t assume EVERYBODY wants to talk to me.
I think I read in your last article that you are considering abandoning your blog and I’m here to implore to reconsider! I know it must take a lot of effort to pour your heart into words, but there are those of us out here that appreciate your hard work and look forward to hearing from you.
A little about me:
– Pens fan for more than 20 years, hockey is my most entertaining diversion
– Female Gov’t contractor in DC Metro area working almost exclusively with men in a testosterone saturated environment (former military, mostly marines), the worst being Caps fans (can you relate at all?)
– Very patriotic, loyal to a fault, toughest lady to ever come out of the Mennonite community (I couldn’t make this up)
Reply if you have time. I’d love to pick your brain, encourage you to continue, and share insight into the things we hold dear.
Best,
Maerz
Mary,
Thanks for the kind words. You seem like someone I would like to meet. If/when I make it as an author, I would be thrilled to push along your story as a product of the Mennonite community. I’m sure your story is far more interesting than mine.
America is the Best Country. Sometimes it takes something like the economic collapse of a first-world nation such as Greece (and the subsequent greed of Germany on behalf of the European Union) to remind everyone here that we appreciate an unfathomable standard of living. I agree that many Americans are lazy and don’t take advantage of all of the tools America makes available to them, which is why I spend a good portion of each day badgering my fellow Americans about exercising and reading more.
But my stance remains: if you think you have it bad in America or don’t love the country with all your being, go elsewhere. My money says you’ll be back within a month, begging for Amber Waves of Grain and 20 fast-food options on every street.
I’ve got a few final pieces that explain in-full why I’m finishing up at #100, but as you point out: I put a ton of effort into constructing and maintaining this blog. Why shouldn’t I, or anyone, be paid for their work? It’s the American Way.
I hope that doesn’t come across as arrogant. I just believe I have enough value as a writer to be published.
Thanks again for your feedback, and I hope you consider buying my books when they come out.
I do want to take this opportunity to clarify one thing:
To be a writer of any caliber, you have to write what you know. Readers can spot insincerity in writing the same way a dog can smell fear. The spell is broken when the author or writer starts positioning her or himself as someone she or he is not.
It’s just about indisputable that modern society, in the interest of gender equality, has become largely androgynous and hyper-sensitive. I will argue with almost anyone that the modern masculine perspective has become marginalized, if not outright denigrated.
I can’t apologize for the fact that men, and white men in particular, oppressed and repressed women and minorities for most of the past 600-700 years. But I was born in the 1980s and raised by a single mother. I unfortunately inherited the legacy as an oppressor, and I do everything in my power to distinguish myself as a contemporary thinker interested in everyone’s rights and viewpoint (however asinine).
But here is what I experience and see in America in 2015:
1) Women are under-served and left longing because masculine men are an endangered species. There are men such as myself who take ideal masculinity too far, but as I’ve written extensively, I would rather too masculine than not masculine enough.
2) I’ve dated and interacted with a broad range of women in recent years, and this is their common thread: Women want a Man. I am flawed beyond reasonable description, but for all my flaws I am a Man. I’ve dated women who, even if I disgust them on a logical level, appreciate me because I’m the other half of the puzzle. Men such as myself are becoming harder and harder to find for reasons I’ve explained elsewhere.
As men of value continue to become more scarce, my mission of educating and inspiring future generations of men will only become more important, even if it chafes the vocal, hyper-sensitive critical minority.
Mary, I appreciate your willingness to look past the self-indulgent parts of my work. I am certain there is value in my writing, even if my writing continues to need polish.
Lastly. my goal in writing is not to denigrate feminism or undermine the female experience. A main goal of my work is to remind people that the modern male experience, and modern males, carry value as well.
Good luck to you, and thanks again for reading.
Jack
Hey Jack
you used to have an awesome article about hockey sticks, flex,lie and blades, but the link doesn’t work anymore for some reason.
I think it was named Choosing and Ideal Hockey Stick
Any chance you could restore it?
if you can’t – do you have any good sources on the topic?
thanks in advance
Lev
I took all of my hockey articles and combined them into an e-book, the Reboot Hockey Off-Ice Training Manual. The link to purchase the Manual is available on the home page of this blog or at Reboothockey.wordpress.com.