Hockey moms are tough.
They wake before dawn to haul children to 6 a.m. practices — on weekends. They travel for miles shuttling their little players to games — for seasons that run seven months long. They purchase thousands of dollars' worth of equipment and then help carry the oversized and sometimes smelly bags of sticks, pads, skates, socks and uniforms.
So when Republican vice president pick Sarah Palin described hockey moms as pit bulls with lipstick on Wednesday night, some North Shore hockey moms could relate.
Though not a lipstick wearer herself, Noreen Maher of Danvers appreciated Palin's remark.
"Some hockey moms are intense," she said. "It's not for the weak of heart."
A mother of four boys, Maher has three who play hockey. She's been known to travel to rinks from East Boston to Hamilton.
"It's a very big time commitment," she said. "It's a very big financial commitment."
Don't forget the smell of the hockey bags, Maher said.
Salem mother of three Pamela Finan said hockey moms do a lot for their kids.
Her son plays for a league in Concord-Carlisle while her daughter's team plays at Peabody's McCann-O'Keefe Skating Rink.
It means occasionally she must transport a child to an early morning practice and pick up one later that night at 9.
Finan, a self-described rink rat, never heard of Palin before Republican presidential candidate John McCain introduced her as his second-in-command. But the Salem mother was pleasantly surprised by her acceptance speech.
"She spoke better than I thought she would," said Finan, whose daughter and son play the sport. "I think it would be great to see a woman in the White House."
She doesn't align herself with any party but had been rooting for Hillary Clinton. She was disappointed when Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama passed over Clinton as his running mate.
The Salem mother could relate to Palin as a working mom. Finan said she is now leaning toward a McCain-Palin ticket.
"I think she's a breath of fresh air," she said.
Janet Ingraham isn't sure which party she'll pick in November, but she has a better appreciation for the Republicans now. The Danvers mother had to chuckle when she heard Palin's lipstick punch line.
"I think it's pretty true," said Ingraham, whose son and daughter play the sport. "Obviously, she's been there, so she knows."
Danvers mother of four Kristen O'Neill took heart in a fellow hockey mom's bid for the Oval Office.
"Hockey moms do a lot of things; why not run for vice president?" she said.
An undecided voter, O'Neill initially balked at McCain's pick of the Alaska governor. But the vice presidential candidate's description of herself as a hockey mom resonated with O'Neill. Both daughters and one son skate for local youth leagues.
"From a mother standpoint, obviously, the hockey thing adds to it," O'Neill said. "I can relate to her being a mom. I think she's off to a good start."
Peabody mother of three Karen Anderson loved Palin's speech. Two of her boys play hockey.
"She's like a true hockey mom," she said.
Anderson chuckled when she heard the reference to pit bulls.
"You do see all kinds of mothers at hockey," she said. "Hockey mothers have to be into it."
The grueling hours and indoor discomfort aren't for everyone.
Anderson is leaning toward the Republican ticket but wants to see how the candidates fare in the debates. She was struck by Palin's confidence, her natural speaking ability and down-to-earth persona.
The speech even inspired her.
"I want to get T-shirts made up," Anderson said.
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