WISCONSIN: a new chapter
My dad has been coaching hockey since as long as I can remember. It was always the sport any of us ever cared to watch when it was on television. I would and still listen to every story my dad has from his years in prep school at South Kent. Hockey has and will always be his passion.
I moved around a lot as a kid and that definitely played a big part on who I am today. Hockey has taken us places where we have gotten to meet so many people and make so many connections. My dad has inspired us all to help others as he dedicates his time to turning boys into men as they enter the next chapter of their lives playing hockey at the collegiate level.
In 2022 I was in an airport when I got the call from my dad saying he was offered the position of taking over a USPHL team in a small town in Wisconsin. I laughed and said that was awesome but with no thought in my head that he would actually take it. When his tone changed I could not believe he was actually considering it. His family would still be on the east coast and there was no way we would take Zach out of high school in the middle of his four years there. He then told us that he would go, and when Zach would graduate high school my parents would buy a house there with that being their permanent home.
I had no idea how to feel about this. For two years my parents would do the long distance with my mom going to see him every month when she could and his kids only seeing him for Thanksgiving and Christmas during the season.
Now in 2024 I can reflect on the last two years and discuss the courageous choice my parents made and the sacrifice that paid off. For the first time in my dads long career he finally was able to have his own juniors team with him now being General Manager, Head Coach, and part owner of the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings. He has unified an entire community even just within two seasons. He has changed an entire organization and been an absolute powerhouse to juniors hockey. He has shown everyone that is okay to lose with grace but win with class. Last season the team were the Midwest Division champions and made it all the way to Nationals in New York. I have even had the chance to visit Wisconsin Rapids and see the community light up on a Friday night for some Riverkings hockey. It is a little small town for my taste but the coffee at Out of the Box and the pancakes at Grace’s are a staple that is not forgotten.
My mothers sacrifice also does not go unnoticed. She has held down the fort the last two years juggling a high school graduate, a college student miles away, a husband a thousand miles away, and a job she adores that she must leave. She is the absolute epitome of class and we are all so excited to see the next chapter of her journey as well. They are my superheroes. This journey may have been hard on us all the last two years but I know that when they put North Carolina in their rearview, Wisconsin as the destination is what is meant for them.
I am definitely a Florida girl so I know the Wisconsin cold is going to be my enemy this winter. I am so proud of my parents and I cannot wait to see what the years to come will look like. Cheers to your new home! We love you guys.
