JMS Hockey

Before I get into JMS and how it’s been a great way for me to continue to be active, meet a ton of great people and play one of the greatest sports ever made... I will give you a little background on my hockey experience. While I was born in Minnesota, we moved away when I was 2. I know nowadays parents are lacing up their kids' skates at 3 months, but I didn’t get that chance until I moved back to Minnesota when I was 11. I never played organized hockey, I felt at the time I was behind and wouldn’t make the team. So, I did pickup hockey in St. Paul instead, and of course I did open skate at Biff Adams. I took a long break from the rink until I started having kids. This is the State of Hockey after all, so I wanted to get my kids into it, and I wanted to get back on the ice too. Out of all the positions to return in, I thought I would give goalie a try. Yes, I was a goalie for a hot minute playing some pickup skates with air traffic controllers in Farmington. After a little bit of time, I found that I'd much rather be scoring goals than giving them up, so I switched to a skater. I started looking around for more chances to play pickup hockey through local rinks when I came across JMS. I immediately went through the questionnaire to get signed up, and my first JMS skate was in March of 2013. I was addicted to JMS instantly and playing 4 times a week for like 6 months. I'm sure my wife loved that... I was getting to know a lot of great people and enjoying the game. Little did I know the captains of those skates were talking about me and how I would make a good captain. My first game as a Captain was pretty nerve wracking. Making sure everyone is there; that they know what jersey color to wear; ensuring that the goalies are ready and warmed up. Then there is the pre-game speech; making sure people mind their shifts, watch the body contact and sticks, and of course, no slapshots in Traffic. Once the game has begun, I have to watch that teams are even, check in on the benches to make sure they are ok with how the game is going, and go introduce myself to new JMSers. I felt by doing this it was like toastmasters for me and helped me with my public speaking skills. My bucket list items are to keep going on the road to Wild Playoff games. So, I'll need the Wild to get back in the playoffs to do that. Love our Minnesota sports teams, for Football though it’s the Broncos, then Vikings. Last show I binge watched: Final season of Billions and final season of Curb your Enthusiasm. Other hobbies: Golf is my #1 sport, though maybe because I am a little better at golf then hockey. I enjoy going to different courses all over the state. Been on a few golf trips and would love many more. Favorite food is my homemade pizza. I don’t make it a lot but enjoy cooking it. A close second is Cossetta’s pizza. There are so many JMS stories on and off the ice I can tell, whether it's chatting in the locker room, to the bench, or to the parking lot. A lot of life-long friendships that will continue… It's really nice to see the younger generation of kids joining JMS too. This year my kid will be joining JMS, and I look forward to adding more memories while skating with him.