Things that make you go hmmm...

Ok...I am writing this blog, not only as a director, but as a coach, and one of the self proclaimed most competitive people on Earth!!

Today, the hockey has been GREAT!!  People have been staying around just to watch hockey all day.  The adult games have been well attended and the adults have put on a show as well.  I am forever grateful to the Raleigh Speed coach, Jay Davis and his organization for the incredible barbecue he supplied today for the staff.  It was awesome and totally hit the spot.  I had to take a break from eating to watch his team in the first shootout of the tourny.  They didn't win it, but they sure did entertain!

Larry Adegoke and John Culp and some other boys made the drive up from Georgia.  Guys I haven't seen in so long as TORHS hadn't gone to Snelleville in a few years.  It's always good to see those guys...sometimes takes me back to the old days.  I can say that now, can't I?  I just hit thirty years old two weeks ago!!  They are playing with Chris Street and the Alkali Assault boys who always bring their "A" game.  Charlie Le was one of the first guys to greet me last night.  It's always a good conversation with him.  He is so passionate about the game and loves it and he shows in the way he handles himself around the rink.  

The squirt division has completed their round robin as it was split into two pools for round robin play and now they will cross over for Tier 1 and Tier 2.  The top seed in the Green pool was snagged by TC 2000 and the top seed in the Blue pool is Dragons Black.   Check the schedule to see the rest of the match ups.   We were asked why we didn't schedule the squirt division a certain way.  It's hard to know where teams will fall.  You can NEVER schedule a tournament based on the hopes and dreams of one team.  It is a difficult process and I give Dave a ton of credit for attempting to allow each and every team and player on those teams to have an enjoyable weekend.  We could easily say, "eight teams? put them all in one bracket, top four make playoffs," and in turn feed all the lower level teams to the fish- but we don't.  Here at TORHS2Hot4Ice, we have ALWYAS tried to make the regional an enjoyable experience, when the only necessity of a REGIONAL QUALIFIER is to QUALIFY you for the CORRECT DIVISION at NATIONALS.  I don't know of any tournament series who splits their divisions up from the start of round robin.  That defeats the purpose of the regional.  You play and fall where you may, but in the end we still tried to make sure teams would end up in the right spot for the playoffs.  Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't  When it does- you're the new superhero of the hour, and when you don't....LOOK OUT!!!  Our FIRST priority is to take care of the players in the sport.  We don't like to see kids lose, but there has to be a winner and a loser in every game.  It is our job to look at that and place you in the right division for Nationals.  That's just the nature of the beast.

Before I go on my rant...which I am sure if you are reading this, has been edited and picked apart by Joe...I want to let everyone know that I respect everyone's passion for the game, but you have to know how to keep it in check.  This is something that I have had to learn over the years. Tournament owners have emailed me, my friends in the sport have spoken to me, and my mother even gave me that "look" when she came to one of my games.  My dad is a pastor so needless to say- he doesn't come to many of my games because the only thing he use to tell me when I played was to "watch your mouth, boy!"  SO, I GET IT.  I know how it is to be passionate and hate to lose.  

I'm done writing for the night.  Much of my blog will not make it off the cutting room floor, because I am letting Joe read this before I post it because I am in a mood right now and am not following the 24-hour rule...TALK AMONGST YOURSELVES!!

Or email me...it's not like I'm about to go do any manual labor!!! HAhahahahaha.