Afternoon update...
So, today has been quite the whirlwind, and its not even 6pm. We got to the rink at around 630am, and it seemed it wasn't until noon before I took my first breath. Seriously, the energy in this place has been amazing, and we have had some unbelievable games so far. This tournament has really come a long way, and has now become the largest regional tournament in the Southeast market. Looking at it from afar, we have teams competing in this event from North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and of course the home state of Georgia. With that, it certainly has a bit of a national-esque kind of feel.
A good friend of mine in this sport is Jerry Fecteau, who heads up the Savannah Sting. Last year, Jerry had 5 teams, and promised to do whatever it takes to build on that and turn his already strong program into one of the sports finest. I talk to Jerry all the time, and his passion for the game is fantastic. He really preaches a fun environment for his kids. Just prior to the start of the year, Jerry was able to secure a sponsorship with Mission Hockey, which gave him the name behind what was already a strong program. Even more exciting was that Jerry would be fielding 9 teams this year, all of which are competing here in Snellville.
One of the Stings fiercest rivals is Paul Martin's Alkali Assault 98's, who just entered the building after making the drive down from Raleigh. I am certainly excited to see how those teams match up against each other this year. Over the past few years, they have had some pretty good battles, and I expect much of the same this weekend.
We have a full staff working the event this weekend. Mike and Dave are in mid-season form, and its great to have Charli out for her first event of the year. She promises to do a blog at some point throughout the weekend. The Bantam games are underway, and I have seen some of the Mens teams start to sprinkle in...we will be back a little later with another update!