Snyder, Swider learn new role

ORLANDO, FL – Lawne Snyder is a defenseman who plays for the Fayetteville FireAntz. Kevin Swider is a forward for the Knoxville Ice Bears. Between them, the two have more than ten years of experience playing in the SPHL. Both play the game at a high level. They both are also learning a new job that is more important than anything they have done or will do on the ice: the role of brand new father. During the month of October, both Snyder and Swider welcomed beautiful baby daughters into the world. For these two veteran players, the experience is requiring them to change their focus a little bit. “You’re fighting for a job but now you’re not just fighting for yourself. You’re fighting for your family,” Snyder said. “You put more into it. Your head’s a lot more into it I think than it would be if you only had yourself to worry about. It‘s a new experience that‘s for sure.” For Snyder and his girlfriend Megan, Mackenna Grace’s birth came just in time. She arrived one day before Snyder, a native of Peterborough, Ontario,

had to cross back into Canada to satisfy immigration requirements. As soon as he came back, he was faced with two-a-day training camp sessions with the FireAntz. He credits Megan with helping to get him through those first few weeks. “Megan’s actually been really good about it. She and Mackenna actually slept in our bedroom and she was getting up with her all the time, allowing me to get some rest for camp so I’d be ready for the two-a-days,” he said. “Now we’re starting to get into the swing of things. She’s (Mackenna) starting to sleep a little bit more so it is helping all of us out.” Swider and his wife Angela were blessed with the birth of Avery Claire on October 16th, which just happened to be toward the end of the first week of training camp. Although most veteran players might have been happy with having a couple of days off during camp, Swider missed being on the ice just because it is all he has known until now. “I wanted to play in at least one preseason game but I didn’t get the opportunity. I took care of business and got right back to it on the following Monday,” he said. “I don’t think I really missed a step. In that sense it actually worked out that I didn’t have to miss any regular season games.” One of the biggest things that new parents have to adjust to is the sleep patterns of a newborn, which can cause a lot of lost sleep. Swider said that he and his wife have been lucky in that Avery has been a “good” sleeper, allowing both mom and dad to get much needed rest. “She’s actually been sleeping really well. At night we have to wake her up once and then she goes back to sleep for about four more hours so I’ve been getting a good seven to eight hours of sleep which is surprising,” he said. “During the day, she takes up our whole day. We’re just enjoying it right now.” Another big adjustment for both Snyder and Swider is being away from their families. Road trips in the SPHL luckily aren’t that long – four or five days is probably the longest a team is out of town – but that doesn’t help soothe the anxiety of a new dad who has to travel as part of his job. “It’s tough on you. I talk to them (on the phone) as much as I can,” Snyder said. “You make a point to get home a lot earlier than you would before just to see the little things that go on – the little things that you miss when you’re on the road. Still, you know you’re going to see them in a couple of days at the most and you’ve got the rest of your life with them so in the end, (being away) two days doesn’t make a whole of difference.” Cell phones aside, having one parent gone can be stressful on the one left behind. Snyder and Swider are each happy that between family and friends, neither new mother has to feel alone at any time. “We’ve got some great friends in the military that are stationed there that Megan grew up with,” Snyder said. “Her mom lives there and her grandparents live there so she’s (Mackenna) going to stay with her grandparents when her mom can’t take her when I’m on the road and Meg goes back to work. The support system is really good.” Like Snyder, Swider was quick to praise the people in the Knoxville community who have been helping out. “We have a lot of family friends that are down there who will help us out when needed so we’ve got a good support system there,” he said. “It’s been a good, smooth transition the past two weeks.” Support can also come from within the confines of the locker room. Players who have gone through the experience themselves can be a great resource for knowledge. “On our team, Corey (Hessler) has a little girl. Other than that, I’m sure other guys around the league have some (kids),“ Snyder said. “I don’t think I’ve gotten a whole lot of advice (except to)  just enjoy every moment of it because man it goes by pretty quick. I’ve been playing pro for six years now and it has gone by like no time so I’m sure six years is going to go by pretty quick with her too.” Since both dads are pro athletes, it is natural to wonder whether they will encourage or discourage their daughters from following in their footsteps. In Snyder’s case, his mother Carol (Myers) Snyder ran track for Team Canada while her uncle Elwin Morris played with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1940’s and his brother Frank Morris starred in the CFL so Mackenna Grace may just be blessed with an abundance of natural talent but it will be up to her to choose the path she wants to take. “There’s definitely an athletic background in my family. As for her, whatever she wants to do she can do,” Snyder said. “Living down in the south, if she could get pretty good at golf she could get a golf scholarship. They hand them out to a lot of girls right now because they are trying to develop that sport for them. If she can do that it would be awesome. If she gets an academic scholarship, all the power to her. Whatever she wants to do, we’re going to be supporting her.” For the Swider’s, Avery Claire has athletic genes from both sides of the family. Mom Angela played volleyball in college so dad thinks that a career as a pro athlete may be in the offing for their offspring. “I think athletics run in the family. We’re definitely going to push her to play a few sports and see what she likes best,” Kevin said. “We’re both competitive people and I think she (Avery Claire) has good genes.” Both men acknowledged that having a growing family has gotten them thinking about the future. Since minor league hockey pay is, well, to a certain extent minor in amount, it beg the question of how much longer will dad be playing hockey before hanging up the skates for a more lucrative and secure post-skating career. “Meg and I have talked about that lately. I definitely am going to play this year and hopefully another year but we’ll see what happens,” Snyder said. “We’ve actually talked about me coming down and joining the Army down here. It’s a job and it’s a way that my family will be taken care of in the end. That’s what it’s all about now. Everything is about them and not just about me anymore.” Having a newborn at home can be a great equalizer when it comes to the emotional roller coaster of day-to-day life. It is no different for hockey players whose definition of a good or bad day is defined by what happened on the ice that evening. “You can be in a real bad mood after a game but when you get home and see that little face, everything gets put aside,” Snyder said. “You’re happy they healthy and kicking around. It definitely makes things worthwhile, that’s for sure.” Ever the perfectionist, Swider said that while he prefers to leave much of the day out on the front porch, his nature doesn’t allow him to completely lose focus on his paying job. “A lot of people have said ‘at least you can go home to your family’. In a sense that is true but my competitive nature is to be out here to win. I hate losing,” Swider said. “It (a bad night) will bug me until I get home. I can leave it at the door but whatever happened I’m still going to be thinking about it and striving to be atop the league again.” Still, at the end of the day, both Snyder and Swider realize that a much greater adventure lies ahead of them. “Its only been two weeks but she’s just progressing and growing and getting into her little routine,” Swider said. “From here on out, she’s going to be more fun.” Fun, until the “terrible twos”, that is. Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com