Hockey Seed students will represent Pennylvania at State Wars 2006
Congratulations to all of our kids who tried out for this year's Pennsylvania Select State Wars teams! The State Wars tryout is physically and emotionally a very difficult process. Just getting through the tryout takes a great deal of courage, and we were very proud of you for keeping your spirits high and working hard throughout the tryouts. Way to go, kids - you rock!
What is State Wars?
State Wars is a national roller hockey event in which select teams from each participating state gather to compete for a national title. This year's event will once again take place in Bensenville, Illinois at the EDGE Hockey Arena. The event will be held August 2-13, 2006.
Teams are selected by birth year (for example, if you were born in 1990, you would play for the 1990 select team for your state). Teams are selected by the same committee to ensure consistency and fairness of the process.
Thanks to the great organizational efforts of Nanette Houser, the Pennsylvania State Wars director, our state will be represented by 17 teams this year. That's the most teams from any state this year!
Hockey Seed students selected for State Wars 2006
Here is a full list of the Hockey Seed kids, past and present, who played at State Wars 2006. Our kids helped their teams earn these medals: 1996 AA Bronze, 1995 AAA Gold, 1994 AA Bronze, 1993 AAA Gold,
Congratulations, everyone!
| 1997 | Nick Foster |
| 1996 | Nick Esposito |
| Maria Gibson | |
| 1995 | Tyler Kraft |
| 1994 | Jamie Davis |
| 1993 | Teddy Baker |
| John Esposito | |
| Vince Esposito | |
| Andy Zubak | |
| 1992 | Tyler Deitrick |
| Nick Gibson | |
| 1990 | Mark Arbeter |
| 1989 | Kevin Rhodes |
The "Core Four" make the State Wars Select 93 team
If you've read the story of Hockey Seed, you know we started this program to make sure a group of our kids, whom we fondly call the "Core Four," got the skills education they needed to be successful roller hockey players. Although the four kids now play on different travel hockey teams, they still play together in the Sportsplex house league as the Coyote White - the same team they have played on together since these kids became friends at the age of nine.
We're very proud to tell you that the Core Four all tried out for the Pennsylvania Select 1993 State Wars team, and all four will be representing Pennsylvania at the main event in Bensenville, Illinois this August. Congratulations to Andy, Teddy, John, and Vince! You have always made us proud! We're looking forward to a great time playing against the Select teams from states around the nation and, most of all, watching the Core Four play together.
Teddy Baker, Andy Zubak, John Esposito, Vince Esposito
Hockey Seed elite clinic students are top picks at State Wars tryouts
Providing skills education for the serious roller hockey player has been a complex problem for Hockey Seed. Conflicts with other sports, the need to concentrate on school, and the differing ages and levels of the students are among the factors that, to be frank, sometimes have us pulling our hair out (which, as we are middle aged, is not a good thing). This past year, Cheri Zubak came up with a model we've been testing: small group instruction with our lead instructor, Brian Fischer, right after school once or twice a week.
Since September 2006, three of our kids have been working out with Brian using this model. (September through December, the kids also worked out with instructor Mike Casey on occasion.) If the State Wars tryouts are a good measure, the model is working just fine. All three of these kids made the first cut from the respective age groups at the 2006 tryouts. And man, can these kids play roller hockey! Watch out for them at Bensenville, or, if you're playing other national events this year, you'll find these kids on Team Breakaway 90, Black Ice 93, and the Philadelphia Revolution 92.
Andy Zubak (1993), Brian Fischer (instructor), Nick Gibson (1992), and Mark Arbeter (1990)