Before you can become great at anything, you must first master the basics. You don't make a three course meal, if you've never been in the kitchen before. It's usually best to start with cookies or something simple. You don't dive on the highway as soon as you get your G1, you usually learn the fundamentals. Stop and Go. This is what I learned when i first started hockey. The girls were skating up and down the ice, gracefully and fluidly. They could go backwards, spin around and cross their feet over. I stepped onto the ice, expecting to catch on with ease. This ended with me crashing into the boards in a poor attempt to stop. Before I could become a hockey player, I had to learn the basics. I had to learn how to skate. I think it was the cross overs that enchanted me the most. They  made basic skating look so much prettier and more graceful. Their first foot would gently and swiftly step over their other foot, turning them to the the side in such an elegant fashion. It looked so simple, I assumed I could catch on with no trouble. In reality it took me almost an entire year to be able to do a GOOD cross over. I first to be able to skate well, know how to stop and turn, and how to stand up after I fell. Today, I am actually a quick skater, and I can do cross overs with no trouble. This is probably one of the most important lessons Hockey taught me. Before you let go, before you try for the gold, before you try to fly a plane - it's best to know the basics.