Turkey parts can exceed the experience as a whole
LIKE MOST ABNORMAL PEOPLE, I am looking forward to turkey season. I say abnormal because no normal person wants to get up at 3 a.m., have a hasty breakfast, drive to a hunting spot and then walk into the frigid woods in the pitch black in order to place their back against a rough-barked tree and imitate a lovesick hen turkey.
To a turkey hunter, however, this is living the dream.
This year, I am looking forward to taking one with a shotgun as I manage to do each season probably because I have learned to think just like a turkey, which is to say I get uncomfortable around cranberry sauce and I often refer to other people’s legs as drumsticks.
I think I might also try to take a bird with my longbow this year. That’s something I would normally pass on, but I have seen enough birds this spring to think I might stand a chance – and taking one with a longbow would be a
he says it was that experience which motivated him to approach the Applejacks in the first place.
“Well, they say coaching is the closest thing to playing and I enjoyed playing hockey growing up, for sure. And once you leave the rink, or once I was done playing, you think you’re not going to miss the game,” said Hutt.
But for Hutt, the exact opposite happened instead.
“I really enjoyed playing hockey growing up and I enjoyed the competitive part of it. So I was just looking forward to getting back around the rink.”
The Applejacks had a bit of trouble with the consistency of their game last season, pulling off some dramatic wins against the top teams but also dropping some unfortunate loses along the way. Ultimately, the Wellesley team was swept in the first round of the playoffs, and placed fifth of nine teams in the South Doherty Division regular season.
While Hutt says he’s not looking to “reinvent the wheel” with his coaching, he is looking forward to bringing his own style and personality to the fore, building off the previous year’s experience. Whether the Jacks have what it takes to make it in the season to come, Hutt has a positive, if pragmatic, outlook.
“We have a good group of guys coming back, both quality kids and quality players, and that’s a good start. But our expectations are high; we always want to do well, that’s always the standard we want to set,” he said.
“And I don’t think we should have any problem competing with the top teams in the league if everyone comes to play the way they can and everyone buys in the way we want to play – that’s going to be a hardworking style, a blue-collar style and that’s kind of what we’re going to go with.”
The Applejacks will be holding their spring camp on May 26. Anyone interested in taking part are encouraged to reach out to the director of scouting Bill Cooks at applejacks.scouting@outlook.com.