It wasn't on the Fourth of July.
By the time you read this, grills will be heating up across America.
Burgers.
Bratwursts.
Campfires.
Fireworks.
Baseball games in the backyard.
Laughter with family.
It's one of my favorite weekends of the year.
As I get ready to celebrate with my wife and kids here in northern Wisconsin, I can't help but think about one word.
Freedom.
But here's the truth...
The freest I've ever felt wasn't on the Fourth of July.
It was on an outdoor hockey rink.
My mom came to America from the Philippines when she was 19 years old.
She met my dad, a big Irish-German guy from northern Wisconsin.
Together they raised a first-generation Filipino American kid who fell hopelessly in love with hockey.
That kid was me.
When I stepped onto the ice, everything else disappeared.
The bullying.
The names people called me.
The racism.
School.
Pressure.
Fear.
For a little while, none of it mattered.
There was only the sound of skate blades carving fresh ice.
The smell of cold winter air.
The feeling of a puck exploding off my stick and finding the back of the net.
That's what freedom felt like.
As I got older, I realized something.
Freedom isn't just about living in a great country.
Freedom is becoming the person you're capable of becoming.
My biggest opponents were never the players lined up across from me.
They were the habits that kept me from reaching my potential.
The addictions.
The excuses.
The fears.
The things that quietly held me back.
When I finally started breaking those chains...
I became a better hockey player.
A better teammate.
A better husband.
A better father.
A better man.
There's a version of you that's waiting on the other side of whatever is holding you back.
Maybe it's fear.
Maybe it's laziness.
Maybe it's distraction.
Maybe it's something only you know about.
But I promise you this.
Freedom is worth fighting for.
So this Fourth of July weekend, enjoy every minute.
Eat the burger.
Laugh around the campfire.
Throw the baseball with your kids.
Watch the fireworks.
Celebrate the incredible freedom we have in this country.
But don't forget about the freedom you're building for yourself.
Go train.
Stickhandle in the driveway.
Hit the gym.
Make one more good decision.
Because every disciplined choice removes another link from the chain.
And one day you'll wake up and realize...
You're free.
Have an amazing Fourth of July weekend.
Knuckles Up,
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, NHL Alum, writer for Wraparound
P.S. If you're training this weekend, don't let the summer heat slow you down. Grab a Puckaround, the 2025 Off-Ice Training Product of the Year, and get your reps in wherever you are. And while you're at it, celebrate America's 250th birthday with a pair of USA Blade Shades. Train hard, stay cool, and enjoy the holiday.