This is the first time the boys have been apart since moving from Mexico City to San Antonio in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Garcia-Gallardo still lives in Mexico City, where she is the head principal of the Kent Group of schools, which has a campus in San Antonio.
Garcia-Gallardo has split her time between Mexico City and San Antonio, heading more than 1,300 miles north for a month at a time, balancing time with her two sons and her professional responsibilities.
The boys live with their uncle, Alberto Garcia Aguilar, in San Antonio. The decision to keep her kids in America once the pandemic subsided was extremely difficult.
“I work in Mexico. My money comes from Mexico, but I thought it was the right thing because Matias was super, super happy and then Damian got invited,” Garcia-Gallardo said. “It was very tough. I had to talk with my brother and with this other friend so we can take turns to take care of them.”
Garcia-Gallardo added that the hockey community in San Antonio has helped them a ton and is always willing to drive the boys to tournaments if she or Alberto aren’t able to.
Garcia-Gallardo always keeps tabs on her kids when she is not with them, making sure they talk every night. She also watches their games on a hockey streaming service, acting like a typical hockey mom and yelling at the screen.
“I had one of my friends here say, ‘Are you aware they are not listening to you?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I cannot just be quiet!’” Garcia-Gallardo said with a laugh.
Her efforts to give her boys a chance that very few get in Mexico is not lost on Matias and Damian.
“We all made the decision to change our location and live here in Texas and pursue hockey as much as we can,” Matias Gallardo said. “Ever since we played with the Jr. Rampage, which is a great organization, it’s been really fun. I really thank my mom for being in this position because many people would not be in the same position as we are.”
Damian Gallardo added, “It means a lot because my mom has sacrificed time, sacrificed time for herself, for her being with her friends and all that stuff for us to go to hockey practices or tournaments. She’s put in a lot of money she could have just used for herself and put it in to buy a new hockey stick.”
Mom had a couple of bumps as she got her sons into hockey. Through a friend in Houston, she bought the boys hockey helmets and other equipment. When they showed up for practice with the helmets, the boys found out there was a problem: their helmets were lacking facemasks.
“And of course, everybody was really angry because I had this little kid without a cage,” Garcia-Gallardo said, now able to laugh about the mishap. “I was like, ‘I didn’t know.’ I’ll get it.’ It was one of the first experiences as [a hockey] mom.”
The boys earned a special place in the hearts of the Jr. Rampage program and those who have seen them play. One of the guys who takes care of the ice for the house league the boys participated in added Mexico’s flag to the rafters next to the Texas, United States and Canada flags.
That type of character makes their mom smile and burst with pride when talking about her sons, who have dreams of playing college hockey.
“Whenever you have a Gallardo in the ice rink, they will perform their best and they play for the team, they don’t play for themselves,” she said. “That’s something that I admire with them because there comes an age where players want to get pushed to be like the stars. Both of them, they are very solid wherever you put them, they will adapt to the team because they play for the team. And that’s one of the strongest assets my boys have.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
