2006

Another winter season has past. The season started in September and just finished in early April. The kids both had their personal best season.

Justus posted a record 12 shut outs and played his best hockey to date.  He traveled to Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois to play some top quality hockey.  He gained the much needed confidence and learned how to win games and keep his team in games to come away with some huge wins and well earned ties.  This has been a growing year for him in his academics as well. The junior year of high school is huge and after a bumpy start, he is settling down and getting busy in his academics.  He has taken up the guitar and is actually doing pretty good at it.  He definitely has a musical ear.

Kelsey has also had a great year. She too posted 12 shut outs and had a record low of 6 losses all season.  Her team made it to Nationals and did great in round robin play, but ran out of gas in the quarter finals.  She has been approached by several prep schools and has decided to attend NAHA for the upcoming season.  She has taken well to the high school environment and is doing great in all of her classes, she made the A/B honor roll for the second time this year. 

After a few weeks off from organized hockey, both kids will start hitting the road again. Kelsey will attend the prospects tournament in the middle of April, Justus heads to MI for a try out at the end of April, Kelsey will attend the Rocky Mountain District camp the beginning of May ,and then Justus heads to Prospect the middle of May.  A brief break and back at it for the One Hockey tournament at the end of June and then Tretiak's, showcases, JR try outs, elite camps, etc. 

Check the site often as I will be building a better calendar and adding more photos.

What a crazy spring and summer.  Started in April and hasn't let up.

In April, Tracy, Justus, Kelsey and I headed Toronto for the 88-89 Prospects tournament. Justus played very well and finished #7 in the standings for lowest G.A.A. Midweek Kelsey and I headed to Colorado for the Girls National Tournament while Tracy and Justus stayed in Toronto for a second week of Prospects.  Mid April, Justus played in the EHK in Chicago and off to Madison for an impromptu pre-tryout for the Madison Capitols. Again another successful outing for him.

May rolled around and of we went again to Utah for the RMD District Selects Camp for Kelsey.  From there, we headed back to Toronto for the Girl's Prospects tourney. While Kelsey and I were in Toronto, Tracy and Justus were on the other side of Canada at the Global Showcase. At the end of May, we headed to Detroit for the Showdown in Motown tourney with Kelsey's spring team.

June was even more hectic with a tournament in Toronto early in the month and back and forth to Madison looking for a place to live. During all of this there were try outs to attend, flights to arrange, camps to attend and stuff to pack.

July came along with no time to breath. Kelsey left for Vermont the 2nd day of the month and thus began the craziest month to date. While she is in Vermont, we are home packing for a few days before Justus and I head back to Madison on our quest for housing.  We settle on a place along with Tracy on Friday, July 8th. Kelsey flies in on Saturday and we are off to Detroit Lakes, MN for a week of Tretiak Goalie Camp. A week of rest in the eye of a storm. We head back to Michigan to pack in three days while Tracy is in North Carolina  With the help of Pop and a neighbor boy, we are able to get the truck loaded before Tracy gets home on Wednesday night.  Tracy, Pop, and Justus head to Madison on Thursday, Kelsey and I head to Rochester, NY for the USA Select festival.  Tracy and the guys fly into Rochester on Sunday, 24th. We stay the week in Rochester, making a quick jaunt down to Niagara Falls during the week.. Saturday, Tracy leaves for Charlotte and we head to Toronto for another week of Tretiak's.

Now we are into August and after one week in Toronto, we make the the 12 hour drive back to Madison. We arrive at 2:00AM on Saturday, Aug 6th. We get back just in time just to say "Hi" to Tracy before he leaves for China on that same morning at 9:30AM. 

Now that August is here, it is a time to take a deep breath, re-energize, and  get organized just in time for the new season to begin.

I can hardly wait.