Battista: Our Summer Adventures Continue

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” —Helen Keller 

Our 27-day summer adventure is finally coming to an end. Just one more day in our nation’s capital, then we are finally off to our South Carolina home. It’s been quite the journey! Since July 15, we’ve been driving and flying through and across nine states visiting friends and family and hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, golfing, shopping and sightseeing. No moss grows under these retirees’ feet.

I finished up my second week of hockey camp in Idaho solo as my wife and son returned to the East. Heidi’s 9 a.m. connection in Chicago was diverted to Cedar Rapids, Iowa due to severe storms. After 12 hours in Iowa, and an overnight stay in Chicago, she finally made it the next morning to Pittsburgh.  I did promise her a life of adventure.

Back in Sun Valley, Overspeed hockey camp week 2 went off without a hitch. That week, Penelope, a 13-year-old who had never before played in full equipment, joined her sister at camp. Penelope was a joy to work with and improved every day, always with a smile and full of questions and a passion to learn. In the Friday camp game, she scored her first-ever goal. In fact, she scored twice! Every camper and staff member were elated because they had seen how far she progressed in just five days. Afterwards, we presented her with the puck from her first goal.

Our staff enjoyed an outdoor concert at Hailey Park that had a lot of young locals but also a contingent of “seasoned” retirees that resembled a Woodstock reunion. We also enjoyed a few late afternoons swimming and fishing in the Big Wood River after our on-ice programs. There’s just something about being outside and near water. The ocean, a lake, a river, a pond. Just depends on your mood. But add some good friends (and an adult beverage) and it’s just bliss.

Once camp ended, I made it back to western Pennsylvania to join my wife and we enjoyed a couple of days visiting with my parents and family. I also had the opportunity to get together with four former Junior Penguin players to share embellished stories from almost 45 years ago. 

Our next adventure took us back to State College and parts north. We enjoyed a relaxing evening at a State College Spikes game as guests of our friends Chris Bahr and Jim Fay from Athlon Wealth Management. I even got to see my old friend and long-time PA voice of Penn State hockey Rodney Martin tossing hot dogs from the announcers booth. 

We took a day trip to New York to see the Corning Glass Museum, and it was a fascinating hands-on experience. My father played minor league baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics’ New York-Penn League team in Corning at War Memorial Stadium in the early ‘50s. I was hoping to find some memories of the baseball team but, unfortunately, the stadium had long since been torn down.

We continued our trip north to Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake in New York. I had passed the area on numerous hockey trips to play at Hobart College, Elmira College and Cortland State, but I had never taken the time to hike in the gorgeous state park. It was magnificent. Heidi and I enjoyed great views of the 19 waterfalls and the gorge that mother nature had carved in the mountains area so long ago.

We also got in three great hikes with our faithful dog, Barkley, while in State College: the Mike Lynch overlook on Mount Nittany; Fisherman‘s Paradise (where we watched the great blue heron flock coming in for their late evening rest); and finally on the trails at Musser Gap.

No visit to Happy Valley would be complete without getting together with my old “Coffee B” buddies, and I got a pleasant surprise when Penn State hockey coach Guy Gadowsky joined us. The next day I had the opportunity to walk through Pegula Arena with him and some of his staff and we filmed a short social media message for all the hockey alums.

On my way out of the arena, I took a walk past the East Area Locker Room complex where I had an office for many years. I got a good look at the new football complex and couldn’t help but notice the number of cars in the parking lot with Iowa license plates! Obviously, a lot of the staff and players haven’t had a chance to change to Pennsylvania plates. 

I also stood on the steps that led to the old Greenberg Indoor Sports Complex and Ice Pavilion. It seems so long ago when I was just a junior at Penn State (1980), and the Ice Pavilion was still under construction. Joe Paterno‘s office was directly above the main entrance to our hockey arena. The building has since been repurposed to the Morgan Academic Center, but it will always be the Ice Pavilion to me. 

As I turned away, I saw a familiar face walking toward me. It was associate head football coach, the legendary Terry Smith. I was working for the Pittsburgh Penguins when Terry was leading Gateway High to back-to-back WPIAL championships. I was actually a young head coach of the club hockey team when Terry was a player at Penn State. At Gateway, he was head coach one of the chief rivals of my old high school, Penn Hills. We chatted briefly about my role with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as he had to get back to practice. As we departed, he said, “Blessings to you Coach and to your family.” What a class act.

On Sunday we met old friends for breakfast at the Waffle Shop, where I had the pleasure of seeing another Penn State legend, flyfishing guru Joe Humphreys. He is 97 years old and was getting ready to leave for a flyfishing trip in Iceland! I first met Joe as a freshman in 1978 when he was a skating instructor at the old temporary outdoor skating rink. 

Our main reason for returning to Happy Valley was to participate in the first ever Tim Holdcroft Memorial Golf Outing at Toftrees, where Tim was a longtime member. Many former State College and Penn State hockey players and coaches attended, as well as friends of Tim’s who make up the Thursday Evening Hockey Group in Pittsburgh. That group has played together for over 40 years, and Tim, his brother Bob, brother-in-law Dave Arnold and Tim’s son Robbie were regulars. Even though the golf was cut a little short due to a lightning storm, over 80 players and guests enjoyed a fun and emotional gathering to honor our great friend and to support his wife Michele and their family.

So, after being on the road since July 15, it was finally time to start heading south to our home in South Carolina. But not before we make a stop in Washington, D.C. to spend a day at the Museum of the Bible and in Raleigh to have brunch with our friends the Cohens. The school year has already started in South Carolina, so as soon as I get back I will resume my activities with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. 

Oh, and senior softball practice begins as we get ready to start the fall season. Yes, retirement really has been quite the adventure! 

“I’d rather wear out than rust out.” – 18th^h century evangelist George Whitefield