(Personal audio included here: This one's for Paul )

You’d think by the 7th year of doing this, I’d be 2 weeks out from PMC with a clearer idea of what to say to you all.

This year is hard.

We lost Paul Simeon –– one of my best friends’ dads, my mom’s best friend’s husband, my dad’s riding partner, my childhood hockey coach. At Paul’s memorial service in April, there was an opportunity to write your favorite memory of him.

It’s 2010. The rink is an absolute ice box. We’re playing New Britain, and my mark looks like she’s a freshman in college. Mind you, it’s U12. The first shift goes badly –– I was giving chicken on skates for the visual learners here. Paul meets me on the bench, grabs my shoulder pads, and says, “Christmas, I don’t care if she’s big. Give her hell.” Then he smiled so big, I’ll never forget it.

Maybe it sounds small, but having someone like him in your corner from a young age is incredibly special. He was the perfect embodiment of: life’s too short to take all that seriously, and life’s too short to not give 100%, 100% of the time.

As heavy as this grief is, I’ll be going into my 7th PMC with a big smile plastered on my face –– for Paul. I know he and Davey are up there cracking Sierras and hitting the links as we speak.

They are why we do this. This one’s for Paul.

As always, let’s fucking ride.

Keep the faith,

Eliza