Sports Complex Owner Mike Stoever Sr.
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Becoming a sports complex owner was not a direct path for Mike!
Connect with Mike Stoever
ChoiceSportsArena.com
facebook.com/Choice-Sports-Arena
Growing up Mike wasn’t a great student, he even talks about graduating in the bottom 1% of his class. He really found himself when he decided that college wasn’t for him. So at age 17 he found out that the Navy would be a good opportunity for him to take a career path and figure out the rest later.
It was the fear of failure that drove him to make his time in the Navy a success. He didn’t want to look like a failure to his friends and family back at home, so it was really important to him to do the best he could.
Later in life, he needed extra money to support his family so he took a part time job working at a local skating rink. With in a few years, he was a business partner at the rink and running his own roller hockey programs in the mid-90’s. Soon, it became apparent that the roller hockey programs were going to need their own building. So, the owner gave Mike the opportunity to lease a building that he was willing to build next to the current skating rink.
The Choice Sports complex was born, and Mike started hustling to fill the building to capacity. Today, many years later, the sports complex is thriving with many different sports available under the ownership of Mike.
Mike hopes to pass the sports complex down to one or both of his children at some point. Both of his children have expressed interest in running the sports complex well into the future.
I play roller hockey at this sports complex, so I was very happy when Mike decided to be a guest on my show. I think there is a lot of great lessons in this interview to be learned.
Buy Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run
Episode 32
Transcription
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this is the dreamers podcast where
dreamers shared their stories to inspire
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you
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now join host Joe Pardo as he interviews
a dreamer who’s living their dreams
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yeah
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welcome to the dreamers podcast I’m your
host Joe Pardo and today I’m
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interviewing Michael stover senior who
is living history through running a
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sports facility
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welcome to the show Mike thank you Joe
great to be here it’s great to be here
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it right in the sports facility
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yeah let’s get started by giving some
background about yourself
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I was born and raised in Philadelphia
went through schooling over there until
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middle school then we move through
jersey spent for my middle school years
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always to the present living in south
jersey after high school when the US
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Navy spent six years in the Navy cut out
of service family job you will be going
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to college part-time at night not really
knowing which direction in life I wanted
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to go or where life was going to take me
and kind of stumbled upon this this job
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and I mean now it kinda dumb walk really
be honest with you and I’ve been in this
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business for over 20 years now
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well first of all thank you for your
service i appreciate but honestly people
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that know me know some of my best
stories and and I’ve been won the spin a
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tale or two usually start with this
catchphrase when I was in the needy and
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it goes from there so I i really really
thoroughly enjoyed my time in the
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service and you know it was it was it
was really an honored to wear uniform
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honestly
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well if you’d like to you can get a
story speak
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someone may not be you know right for
public consumption at this point that we
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may be on the next show
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well what would you say inspires you
well you know i I’ve always I’ve always
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been the type of person among I’m an
energetic person you know I enjoy
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getting up in the morning I i enjoy just
doing something it doesn’t matter what
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happens to be it could be the smallest
thing in life to me that they will
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inspire me honestly and genuinely which
say probably the biggest thing inspires
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me is just people to me a good day to me
is is a day that I made a friend a good
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friend or a new friend that inspires I
I’ve always been people person
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I’m drew my people it never ceases to
amaze me that there’s so many different
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people out there that have so many
different opinions and likes and
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dislikes and you know whatever vast
topic you know of
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best you know topics but that’s that’s
always been a guy I always enjoy people
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i met a friend today i made a new friend
today
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oh yeah yeah but you know new tenant
across more building and in a little
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strip center and I happened to get some
of their mail delivered to our building
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and I walked over and introduce myself
and I went up spending about 25 minutes
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we’re talking to the sky as an insurance
broker and you know I i made a new
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friend today and it was good i mean
these is good guy and like I said it’s
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just something simple as that
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well let’s first talk about going into
the navy how did that come about well
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Joe I i was i was not what you were
considering a very scholastic oriented
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person as a young as a young person I I
didn’t take my my high school career
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very seriously
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I i didn’t i didn’t work very hard at
grades and I didn’t work very hard
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trying to impress teachers enough to
give me a good grade on some fronts it
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could be looked at as you know some
teachers just thought i was lazy
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I just never really get back there was
never really inspired enough I don’t
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think through high school to really go
out and go over and above and try to
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achieve Sodor my high school years i was
really an underachiever i had a hundred
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eighty five kids are so my graduating
class i think i was ranked 180 185 kids
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so they don’t go to where I’m talking
about you know the depths that the under
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cheating actually sang too i have to
look back and I always remember a
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conversation I had with my mom and i was
when i was in tenth grade I brought in
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my report card it was not very good i
think the highest grade was was in a
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which was in gym and then from Jim it is
saying down to like a scene in english
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and then just went from there so I I
brought home a standard you know like
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stover report card which was pretty dad
and my mom pulled me aside and she said
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it is this the best you can do is just
the best you can do and I said yes
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that’s the best I can do
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and she said if this is the best you can
do then then I’m not gonna worry about
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it because i only want you to do the
best you can do but you know and I know
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that you’re smarter than this and you
can do better work than this if you
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really wanted to
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so I’m not going to worry about it i’m
not going to punch you I’m not going to
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make it do more chores I just want you
to do the best you can do and i took
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that to heart and I planted my way
through high school the rest of the way
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that because it was almost like you know
my mom gave me a free pass but i’ll
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never forget the words that she said
were this report card makes you look
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like you’re not smart but I know in my
heart that you’re smart and that’s what
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I’m going to bank as i know you’re smart
and I think you know you’re so you do
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what you have to do in school I know
that you can do much much better than
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what you’re doing and I always
remembered it struck me in a sense
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though to make a short story long to
have I got myself to go into the service
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i graduated high school I had enrolled
at Glassboro State College which is now
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Rowan University and in Glassboro New
Jersey I was there maybe a weekend
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honestly and i looked around and i knew
that that I was completely out of my
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element
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I mean I didn’t belong there and i had a
friend of mine a good friend of mine too
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we’ve been childhood friends and still
friends with them to this day I came
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home from from college for the weekend
with my buddies house and it always
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stuff on his desk about the US Navy I
looked at it which is all now he said
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that
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Oh going to list a neat is it really and
he said yeah use that it’s pretty good
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use i’m going to bootcamp and you know
they’re going to go to school and you
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know then you’re going to train me and
then I’m gonna go get a job and eating
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I don’t want to go to college and this
is an opportunity for me to not only get
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some education but also get paid for the
education you said so that’s what I’m
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going to do and I said wow i’ll go to
mark my mom signed the papers because at
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the time i was still only 17 so i went
home and i said my mom you
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I want to join an 80 and she use not
joining the navy she was you’re going to
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college and i told her i said i don’t
belong there
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I don’t feel like I belong at a
university that’s not what I’m cut out
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the day I said listen I’m only 17 I want
to list but you know I’m not 18 you have
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to sign the papers for me and my parents
were divorced and I said listen if you
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don’t sign
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no I’m gonna call bad and I’m gonna I’m
gonna ask him to sign she reluctantly
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signed the papers for me to go in and I
went up you know going into the service
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quite frankly was probably the single
best decision i’ve i’ve made from from
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from a career stamp probably the single
best decision ever
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why would you say that well at that
point you know once you go into the
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military
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there’s no place for my stover from the
1975 1979 circle high school
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there’s no there’s no place for that guy
either you’re going to conform and
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you’re going to achieve what they want
you to achieve or you’re going to be put
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out and the last thing that I wanted as
an individual and I guess you know this
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is kind of carried me through my life is
I I never want to go back to my hometown
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and and and tell the kids that I failed
I don’t want to tell my classmates or my
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neighbors are my family my friends it
that I got I got kicked out of the
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service so it was almost a situation
where you know I was I was fearful of of
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becoming a failure in the military and
that kind of turned me in innocence
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where I still I started to look at
myself a little bit differently i
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started to think of myself differently i
started to think you know what you know
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maybe I am smarter than I really gave
myself credit for maybe there is more
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than I can do then just be you know
some-some dumped on the graduated you
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know the bottom one percent my class and
the the fear of failure drove me to
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become a better person and a better a
better sailor in the United States and
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then take care of me wanted to
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single life i mean i-i I went through
boot camp I went to a class a school in
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millington tennessee and graduated
second in my class out of maybe 50
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sailors which is isn’t great but I mean
for me at that point I was at the top
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looking down rather than the bottom
looking up and that inspired me to work
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harder I’m like wow I could I think
really well and and I didn’t have to
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take a gym class to get an a you know I
i did well for myself and it was really
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a life-changing experience
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so let’s fast forward to how you got
involved with owning your own sports
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facility that is that that’s something
that was never never my intention i got
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out of the Navy and I took a job working
for consulting engineering firm and
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started out as an entry-level position
and kind of work my way up when through
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certification courses in engineering and
then I decided that I wanted to put
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myself back into school and I went to
burlington county college growing t’en
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in the members in New Jersey when i’m
going to school night working full-time
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during the day and I i got an
associate’s degree in business
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administration and it was again one of
those things were said to myself wow you
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know what I want to Glasgow state
colleges a seventeen-year-old and I knew
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that you know really belong there and
then is 22 or 23 year old I went back to
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a community school and I’m saying to
myself I should have done this five
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years ago but in any event i was working
part-time and met a lovely young lady
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who I happen to marry and my job took me
to the point where i started to make a
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little bit of money in life was like wow
doing pretty good here young guy 28 29
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years old and make a little bit of money
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my wife and I had our son our first son
was born and you know we’re living in a
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condo at the time and was good you know
two-bedroom two-bath little condo we
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want to
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single-family home and we found herself
down here in Washington Township New
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Jersey and we we bought a single-family
home we had decided when our son was
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born that we wanted to raise our child
we wanted to be the primary caregivers
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we wanted to be the ones that saw him
walk and talk and throw a baseball
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we want to be the first ones to see all
those things you know I didn’t want to
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find out at kindercare that my son
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oh you’re some walk today or your son
ate spaghetti used by himself today we
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know we wanted to be there for so moved
down here to Washington Township and the
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gentleman who owned this facility prior
to me was was a friend of ours
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my wife and I had known for a number of
years he found that move down here and
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offer me a part-time job you know
working in you know one or two nights a
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week we were roller skating at that time
and he said listen I could use a you
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know part-time manager to help me out
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would you be interested in coming in and
give me some part-time some part-time
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help
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at the time you know getting back to you
know my wife and I working and not
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working I went home I said to my wife
was working a part-time job at night it
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was killing her and I said listen I can
work part-time at the skating rink at
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night couple nights a week rather than
you leaving the house at night when i
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came home from work and coming home and
twelve o’clock one o’clock in the
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morning and then when i leave at 6am you
have to be up because we have a baby to
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take care of why don’t you allow me to
do that and then you can stay home and
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you know it’s going to be a couple
nights a week so you know we agreed that
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that’s the path we want to take well the
one or two nights a week turned into
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three nights a week turned into four
nights a week turning now my god in
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their seven nights a week and after a
year year-and-a-half the guy who owned
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the business asked me if i would like to
come into work from full-time and they
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said do you talk about got a career man
get a Wi-Fi got a house about working at
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the skating rink said it was great
part-time money but you know I would
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never think about you know it is a
career for me and say listen with all
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due respect this is your business i’m
not looking down my nose at you because
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you’re doing a great thing
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but this wasn’t well I had envisioned
for myself
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ironically Joe my wife and I both grew
up as roller skaters as kids we both
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grew up skating to the point where my
wife grew up her mother was a
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competitive figures here roller nice
roller and her mom was born and raised
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in roller skating centers my wife
roller-skated as a kid I boys roller
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skate so ironically to be offered a job
at skating center was kinda like really
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you know this is what you want to do so
my wife and I talked about it and
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gentlemen the business before me you
made me a great offer to come in and
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work his business full-time so at that
point I accepted the job we were just
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running roller skating sessions and
birthday parties and I just happened to
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be looking through a roller skating
association trade magazine which every
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business i’m sure has her own trade
magazine and I was leafing through this
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thing one day just you know trying to
figure out what the business is all
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about and I saw there was rinks
throughout the country that were running
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roller hockey programs to supplement
their income and fill-in dead times in
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their schedules and I say to the guy
with the building at the time is it
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we should try to do this because I don’t
know anything about Ryan hockey is what
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do you know about running oculus it i
don’t know anything about running hockey
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said but I grew up playing sports my
whole life I i played your competitive
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sports and I I’ve always loved sports
and i said i don’t know anything about
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it
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be honest with you said but I’m gonna
learn and I think I think it’s something
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that we can do so that was right around
90 95 I i started here part-time in 98
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93 early 94 came in full-time 95 i
started doing roller hockey shortly
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thereafter and within two two-and-a-half
years we we had our rocky and the
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00:15:27,790 –> 00:15:32,620
rollerskating business with such that i
was finding programs in a rollerskating
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business that weren’t making money and
cutting them out to put roller hockey in
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place and before you know it
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radix things the cut but we still need
more time
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so the owner of the building said to me
listen why don’t we put an addition on
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the building and we’ll put up a roller
hockey centre we started talking about
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00:15:50,750 –> 00:15:57,379
this in 1997 1998 and $YEAR 1999 we want
to under construction at that point the
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00:15:57,379 –> 00:16:03,980
owner may be his business partner and
game partner in the business 2004-2005
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00:16:03,980 –> 00:16:10,9
the other approach me about leasing the
building from him and I get and then in
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00:16:10,9 –> 00:16:15,230
$MONTH 2011 which was three years ago
today or you know most of the day three
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00:16:15,230 –> 00:16:18,230
years ago I had an opportunity to
purchase the building from where i
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00:16:18,230 –> 00:16:19,279
bought the building
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00:16:19,279 –> 00:16:26,240
it’s never ever honestly guide you know
it’s never really been a chore her job
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or something that I woke up in the
morning and said oh I gotta get back
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00:16:31,819 –> 00:16:36,680
over there it was never that way for me
I mean how could it be mean i’m running
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00:16:36,680 –> 00:16:40,99
you know our or wood floor that we were
skating off for years and years and
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00:16:40,100 –> 00:16:44,149
years we confirmed that we do indoor
basketball we do volleyball we do some
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00:16:44,149 –> 00:16:47,209
soccer on the wood floor we have the
full blown roller hockey centre with
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00:16:47,209 –> 00:16:51,920
dashboards and glass and took a
carnival-like working in a carnival for
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00:16:51,920 –> 00:16:56,990
me it’s it’s it’s never been it’s never
been a chore so that’s how like that’s
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00:16:56,990 –> 00:17:02,209
how he became where I’m at today and
honestly job I would look back from that
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00:17:02,209 –> 00:17:06,168
point of that perspective of my life
there’s there’s really no regret
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I mean some people have regret i mean
i’m 52 53 years old and people model at
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00:17:12,20 –> 00:17:15,168
my stage life like you said to be the
later stages of my life
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00:17:15,679 –> 00:17:22,850
yeah have regret I know they have any
Grey they have friends in every grants I
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00:17:22,849 –> 00:17:28,369
i have i have certain regrets in life
about certain things that i may or may
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00:17:28,369 –> 00:17:33,139
not have done but choosing this as my
profession has never been one never been
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00:17:33,140 –> 00:17:37,220
one wow that’s quite a mouthful but
thank you for all that
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00:17:38,480 –> 00:17:43,100
so how was your dream were seized by
family members like he told me I’m you
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00:17:43,100 –> 00:17:45,469
know I’m gonna start working here and
then
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00:17:45,470 –> 00:17:50,900
um you kind of mentioned that before but
go let’s jump towards ok i’m going to
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00:17:50,900 –> 00:17:54,169
start doing this full time as my own
business
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00:17:54,950 –> 00:17:58,460
well you know what was the response from
your family well let’s talk about the
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00:17:58,460 –> 00:18:03,799
two most influential women in my life
you know I never I never want to lose
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00:18:03,799 –> 00:18:06,320
sight of that to me my wife
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00:18:06,320 –> 00:18:10,100
what are you nuts are you out of your
mind why would you want to do that
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00:18:10,640 –> 00:18:15,49
no Gary know is gary with the island
will tell no we just want to work for
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00:18:15,49 –> 00:18:18,470
he’s got all the responsibility my mom
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00:18:18,470 –> 00:18:23,750
oh I would do it I told you you could do
this so it was it was it was it was a
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00:18:23,750 –> 00:18:30,830
split it was a 50-50 split and
unfortunately i had to make the final
247
00:18:30,830 –> 00:18:31,730
decision
248
00:18:31,730 –> 00:18:37,669
unfortunately my wife initially was was
not i would say a hundred percent on
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00:18:37,669 –> 00:18:43,309
board my kids you know at this point you
know you’re talking here the mid-2000s
250
00:18:43,309 –> 00:18:49,129
our son Michael at that point you
figured that was what eight nine years
251
00:18:49,130 –> 00:18:55,820
ago he was probably 11 or 12 years old
our daughter Brock was at that point
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00:18:55,820 –> 00:19:01,760
eight maybe nine years old and they’ve
both been basically born and raised in
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00:19:01,760 –> 00:19:06,830
the building so they embraced it begins
with braces like wow yeah she’s great
254
00:19:07,429 –> 00:19:12,710
no word on the building this is their
playground that they grew up in my wife
255
00:19:12,710 –> 00:19:16,39
not so much what she saw the big picture
the big picture is here you have a big
256
00:19:16,39 –> 00:19:20,179
building there you have responsibilities
you have big bills you know big
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00:19:20,179 –> 00:19:25,760
headaches but ultimately you know we can
collectively my son my my daughter
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00:19:25,760 –> 00:19:28,669
myself you know we convinced my wife
that this would be the best thing for
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00:19:28,669 –> 00:19:36,110
the family and said it’s it’s been good
so what steps specifically did you take
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00:19:36,110 –> 00:19:39,649
to get started you mentioned starting
with flipping to a trade magazine you
261
00:19:39,650 –> 00:19:44,480
found the article was the article or
advertisement the article about the
262
00:19:44,480 –> 00:19:49,70
rocky and what steps did you take to get
started with that
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00:19:49,70 –> 00:19:55,280
well it’s it’s it’s kinda weird because
we had a that point we had essentially
264
00:19:55,280 –> 00:19:58,290
just one surface that we were skating
which was a maybe
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00:19:58,290 –> 00:20:04,889
wood floor and there was a lot of kids
at that point that I saw skating that
266
00:20:04,890 –> 00:20:09,60
were skating on inline skates and the
inline skate at that point was was
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00:20:09,60 –> 00:20:12,690
something that was that was newer to the
market a lot of kids had essentially
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00:20:12,690 –> 00:20:16,560
look like a like an ice hockey skate
with with a with an inline frame
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00:20:16,560 –> 00:20:21,000
underneath and I approached a lot of
these kids and said no you guys play
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00:20:21,000 –> 00:20:21,870
roller hockey
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00:20:21,870 –> 00:20:26,70
yeah we play hockey where you play we
play at the park would you play inside
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00:20:26,70 –> 00:20:26,790
here
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00:20:26,790 –> 00:20:29,460
yeah we would love to play inside but
the guy who owns the building told us
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00:20:29,460 –> 00:20:34,20
before that he doesn’t want to ruin his
floor and I said let me take care of the
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00:20:34,20 –> 00:20:38,280
guy once the building is if I started a
program here we would you guys be
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00:20:38,280 –> 00:20:44,100
interested in playing my program and he
said yeah and so I said to myself that’s
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00:20:44,100 –> 00:20:49,649
really the area that you need to
starting is with the kids you got to get
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00:20:49,650 –> 00:20:53,160
the kids involved there’s a new guys are
going to carry your program through
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00:20:53,160 –> 00:20:56,940
their generation and hopefully you get
another little generation but that
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00:20:56,940 –> 00:21:00,90
doesn’t end there because there’s a lot
of adults i was in a goal at that time I
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00:21:00,90 –> 00:21:03,810
still I still roller-skated I you know I
never thought of putting you know in
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lines in and a hockey stick
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00:21:05,880 –> 00:21:09,240
you know in the same equation but then I
said to myself wow that’s really awesome
284
00:21:09,240 –> 00:21:14,430
i mean you know it’s cheaper than I sake
and you know you can you still basically
285
00:21:14,430 –> 00:21:18,120
play the same sport i always play street
hockey is a kid I loved that was the
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00:21:18,120 –> 00:21:21,510
best unfortunately you know why folks
could afford to put me into an ice
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00:21:21,510 –> 00:21:27,150
hockey program so I do what I had to do
you know but so I went to the local
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00:21:27,150 –> 00:21:33,390
parks where these kids were playing
roller hockey and I ran into some adults
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00:21:33,390 –> 00:21:38,700
men that were out there skate around
shooting hockey balls and I walked over
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00:21:38,700 –> 00:21:42,750
and I say let’s play all the time and I
said yeah you know sometimes we got a
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00:21:42,750 –> 00:21:46,740
big group that comes down here and we
split up teams we play because we’re
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00:21:46,740 –> 00:21:51,960
doing rains he said we don’t play i said
if there was an indoor facility locally
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00:21:51,960 –> 00:21:55,950
would you would you consider playing
inside and they said yeah but nobody
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00:21:55,950 –> 00:21:59,940
around here is offering anything I said
well I offered in an indoor hockey
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00:21:59,940 –> 00:22:04,590
program would you start playing and he
said yeah sure you know we would
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00:22:04,590 –> 00:22:05,399
consider it
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00:22:05,400 –> 00:22:09,720
so in a matter of a month month and a
half
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00:22:09,720 –> 00:22:13,830
of just doing what we’re doing right now
just talking to people i found out that
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00:22:13,830 –> 00:22:18,720
if i offered if i offered an indoor
program i can get kids to come inside
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00:22:18,720 –> 00:22:23,190
and play and for offering into a program
i could potentially get that adults to
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00:22:23,190 –> 00:22:28,350
play and i was like i said in the mid
mid nineties ninety five ish maybe early
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00:22:28,350 –> 00:22:34,139
96 started out with probably 25 or 30
kids playing in our program and that
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00:22:34,140 –> 00:22:39,930
blossom 222 the height of our popularity
we at one point had maybe 350 kids
304
00:22:39,930 –> 00:22:45,570
playing in our program the adult program
I i started out with five or six teams
305
00:22:45,570 –> 00:22:51,689
plane pretty bad hockey but that blew up
to
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00:22:52,350 –> 00:22:58,50
we’re at today where we customarily
would run anywhere from 50 to 65 teams
307
00:22:58,50 –> 00:23:02,100
in our goal program depending on the
time of year and it was all
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00:23:02,100 –> 00:23:06,179
realistically spawned on the fact that i
just went out and kind of pounded the
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00:23:06,180 –> 00:23:10,50
pavement if you were a little bit went
down to the park and looked around and
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00:23:10,50 –> 00:23:13,919
talk to some people but my name out
there and told him where I was act that
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00:23:13,920 –> 00:23:14,550
was it
312
00:23:14,550 –> 00:23:18,659
yeah there’s constantly teams a lot of
teams here i mean i play your personally
313
00:23:18,660 –> 00:23:23,310
so it’s pretty crowded especially on
sundays what roblox have you hit along
314
00:23:23,310 –> 00:23:24,179
the way
315
00:23:24,180 –> 00:23:27,630
not too many to be perfectly honest with
you
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00:23:27,630 –> 00:23:32,760
where were located down here in southern
New Jersey there was a few roller rinks
317
00:23:32,760 –> 00:23:38,10
like we were at the time that we’re
doing roller hockey inside the ranks and
318
00:23:38,10 –> 00:23:41,850
we kind of fed off each other we formed
a little Alliance if you will we had
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00:23:41,850 –> 00:23:45,600
this little Delaware Valley roller
hockey league you know we put together
320
00:23:45,600 –> 00:23:49,230
some some youth travel teams and you
know the other rings put together you
321
00:23:49,230 –> 00:23:53,490
travel teams and I’m talking travel
within a 10-mile radius of the facility
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00:23:53,490 –> 00:23:56,970
so it wasn’t like you know we were
driving to Pittsburgh and back we were
323
00:23:56,970 –> 00:24:01,770
no driving you know from Washington
Township to deptford from Washington
324
00:24:01,770 –> 00:24:05,730
Township to Berlin or you know something
like that which are all within a 10-mile
325
00:24:05,730 –> 00:24:10,320
radius of the facility so initially
there were really wasn’t any robot
326
00:24:10,320 –> 00:24:17,129
blocks we got to the point where we’re
going to put up the dedicated roller
327
00:24:17,130 –> 00:24:18,420
hockey rink
328
00:24:18,420 –> 00:24:21,840
unbeknownst to us at the time the
329
00:24:21,840 –> 00:24:27,90
mecca of roller hockey not only in New
Jersey but in the country was located in
330
00:24:27,90 –> 00:24:32,428
Berlin New Jersey 20-25 minutes from
where we’re sitting right now gentlemen
331
00:24:32,429 –> 00:24:38,190
was running arguably the best roller
hockey program in the country and at
332
00:24:38,190 –> 00:24:42,240
that point when he found out that we
were putting up this facility there was
333
00:24:42,240 –> 00:24:44,850
a little resistance on his end
334
00:24:44,850 –> 00:24:48,360
I not always a with resistance is
probably wrong work
335
00:24:48,360 –> 00:24:54,449
acceptance is a better word on his end
and he went so far as to call us on the
336
00:24:54,450 –> 00:24:58,440
phone and say will you do you think
you’re doing down there you you know i
337
00:24:58,440 –> 00:25:02,549
have a dedicated roller hockey rink
radio Berlin why would you do something
338
00:25:02,549 –> 00:25:09,59
like that and my explanation to him was
listen I’m not trying to hurt you
339
00:25:09,59 –> 00:25:12,990
personally or professionally I’m just
trying to put up or we’re just trying to
340
00:25:12,990 –> 00:25:15,990
put up at that time was there i didn’t
own the building but we’re just trying
341
00:25:15,990 –> 00:25:20,309
to put up a facility that will best
serve our customer base that’s that’s
342
00:25:20,309 –> 00:25:23,850
what we’re trying to do or not we’re
trying to hurt you or hurt anybody in
343
00:25:23,850 –> 00:25:27,209
what we’re doing we’re just trying to
service our customers the best way
344
00:25:27,210 –> 00:25:32,220
weekend and it was there’s a lot of
underlying stuff going on in the
345
00:25:32,220 –> 00:25:35,159
background don’t go down there to play
in his place he doesn’t know what he’s
346
00:25:35,159 –> 00:25:36,120
doing
347
00:25:36,120 –> 00:25:40,20
you know he’s a new guy i’ve been doing
this for a long time long time roller
348
00:25:40,20 –> 00:25:44,730
hockey really first burst onto the
national scene sometime in the early
349
00:25:44,730 –> 00:25:52,289
nineties 91 92 93 so he may have had
five or six-year leg up on us which at
350
00:25:52,289 –> 00:25:54,990
that time seemed like a lot you know in
retrospect you think about five or six
351
00:25:54,990 –> 00:25:57,539
years I’ve watched virus accuses blimey
352
00:25:57,539 –> 00:26:00,510
yeah we need some stumbling some
stumbling blocks and some roadblocks
353
00:26:00,510 –> 00:26:04,740
along the way particularly you know
trying to build our youth program bigger
354
00:26:04,740 –> 00:26:09,779
because now I wasn’t building my youth
program around rollerskating programs it
355
00:26:09,779 –> 00:26:14,190
was the program i mean i had to fill
that building I needed to feel that
356
00:26:14,190 –> 00:26:18,419
building there was requirements on my
end for my boss to get the building
357
00:26:18,419 –> 00:26:25,470
filled and particularly the kids was
tough but you know through just honestly
358
00:26:25,470 –> 00:26:31,169
Joe just threw your dedication to the to
the to cause if your dedication to the
359
00:26:31,169 –> 00:26:33,970
sport dedication to my customer base
360
00:26:33,970 –> 00:26:41,920
again that fear of failure that fear of
walking to my boss and say do i I can’t
361
00:26:41,920 –> 00:26:46,60
do it i’m sorry you you put this this
two-million-dollar building up for me
362
00:26:46,60 –> 00:26:47,470
and I I can’t feel it
363
00:26:47,470 –> 00:26:54,520
I don’t know what to do and that fear
that fear drove drove a tank to fill
364
00:26:54,520 –> 00:26:59,320
that building the best I could run the
best program i could all for my customer
365
00:26:59,320 –> 00:27:03,129
base the best program for the lowest
amount of money that I possibly could
366
00:27:03,130 –> 00:27:09,310
and get as many fans in the seats as we
could and that’s what drives me to this
367
00:27:09,310 –> 00:27:11,50
day that drives me to this day
368
00:27:11,50 –> 00:27:15,490
that’s pretty crazy level of commitment
that going to deal with
369
00:27:15,490 –> 00:27:20,890
two-million-dollar building and not even
I mean realistically knowing that you’re
370
00:27:20,890 –> 00:27:24,430
going to be able to to make it all
happen I mean you add up when you have
371
00:27:24,430 –> 00:27:29,350
programs here so you had some you know
you had kids you were gaining ground but
372
00:27:29,350 –> 00:27:32,409
that’s I mean once you make that
commitment to that’s a pretty scary
373
00:27:32,410 –> 00:27:38,380
thing to have to deal with and then to
perpetuate it and then year-over-year
374
00:27:38,380 –> 00:27:43,120
continuously have people coming to the
program right now well now that you know
375
00:27:43,120 –> 00:27:45,760
all these years later now you’re
established it must be a bit easier
376
00:27:45,760 –> 00:27:50,860
because you have the word of mouth and
you have that longevity behind you
377
00:27:50,860 –> 00:27:55,419
mmm yeah initially initially like you
say to me even though we did carry a
378
00:27:55,420 –> 00:28:01,90
program with us if you will into the new
facility it wasn’t it wasn’t a capacity
379
00:28:01,90 –> 00:28:06,879
the the building at that point was
probably fifty percent at capacity
380
00:28:06,880 –> 00:28:10,720
you know to get that to a hundred
percent capacity and did it take a lot
381
00:28:10,720 –> 00:28:12,940
of you know dedication a lot of work
382
00:28:12,940 –> 00:28:18,880
it was it was rewarding knowing that we
we had a hundred kids playing in our
383
00:28:18,880 –> 00:28:24,370
program we started last year we got to
our kids in our program and you know
384
00:28:24,370 –> 00:28:31,270
that that is rewarding you know but not
so much from my perspective from a
385
00:28:31,270 –> 00:28:36,670
monetary standpoint because I tell my
friends and my family I’ll tell anybody
386
00:28:36,670 –> 00:28:44,710
the business and the money as has never
never really drove me it never driven by
387
00:28:44,710 –> 00:28:45,620
making the money
388
00:28:45,620 –> 00:28:49,399
much written by you the business do I
love it
389
00:28:49,400 –> 00:28:54,140
yeah i love this i was always driven by
the people I i told you earlier you know
390
00:28:54,140 –> 00:28:58,790
one of my things what inspires my
genuinely enjoy meeting people and i
391
00:28:58,790 –> 00:29:03,710
genuinely enjoy watching people get
enjoyment and coming in my building
392
00:29:03,710 –> 00:29:07,790
talked about this earlier before we
won’t hear that fulfills me is to watch
393
00:29:07,790 –> 00:29:15,440
some kid come into this program and get
enjoying it and it’s it’s been rewarding
394
00:29:15,440 –> 00:29:21,470
and in that respect that got a lot I
mean I can I can’t begin to tell you how
395
00:29:21,470 –> 00:29:27,500
many great people I’ve met in this
business and people that I not only
396
00:29:27,500 –> 00:29:34,970
consider my customer but friends that
that i will know forever and it’s it’s
397
00:29:34,970 –> 00:29:38,390
been it’s been good so many parts of
your dream that haven’t quite worked out
398
00:29:38,390 –> 00:29:39,260
yet
399
00:29:39,260 –> 00:29:43,970
well yeah I’m sure I mean I’ve ever i
have i written these things down and
400
00:29:43,970 –> 00:29:46,490
kind across the office of go along
401
00:29:46,490 –> 00:29:52,760
no should I have probably but I’m sure
if I if I really thought about it long
402
00:29:52,760 –> 00:29:57,740
and hard there’s aspects of the business
that you know I I haven’t really struck
403
00:29:57,740 –> 00:30:04,70
gold with get if you can use that term
so II conversion to the wood floor the
404
00:30:04,70 –> 00:30:09,50
basketball volleyball and some indoor
soccer on wood surface has been has been
405
00:30:09,50 –> 00:30:10,250
good for us
406
00:30:10,250 –> 00:30:14,570
unfortunately for me personally that’s
not really my forte basketball has never
407
00:30:14,570 –> 00:30:15,678
been my forte
408
00:30:15,679 –> 00:30:23,150
as far as the sport I don’t know enough
people that drive that sport to make my
409
00:30:23,150 –> 00:30:27,679
basketball program the basketball
program in the area so if there’s a
410
00:30:27,679 –> 00:30:32,600
couple things yes that is something that
I’m them continually working on and
411
00:30:32,600 –> 00:30:38,90
continually striving to meet people in
that industry that could drive that part
412
00:30:38,90 –> 00:30:42,20
of our program and make that program
better particularly the best was such a
413
00:30:42,20 –> 00:30:48,889
great sport that is embraced by so many
people of all races in any any cultural
414
00:30:48,890 –> 00:30:53,179
background any social economic
background basketballs embraced by so
415
00:30:53,179 –> 00:30:55,700
many so many people so many countries
416
00:30:55,700 –> 00:30:59,149
I mean every country in the world pretty
much plays basketball
417
00:30:59,149 –> 00:31:04,939
where a you you can’t really say that
with hockey hockey was always perceived
418
00:31:04,940 –> 00:31:10,879
as being a sport for people that were
well-to-do that had money that where
419
00:31:10,879 –> 00:31:14,29
they could put your kid in and it’s
always driven by is obviously because
420
00:31:14,29 –> 00:31:15,649
that’s the thing to figure out
421
00:31:15,649 –> 00:31:20,149
it’s always been driven by people that
are a little bit more well often other
422
00:31:20,149 –> 00:31:22,518
people and it was kind of like it
423
00:31:22,519 –> 00:31:27,619
oh wow make that their kids place on
like that was a that was a big deal but
424
00:31:27,619 –> 00:31:34,668
basketball like i said is is a sport
that embraced by by everybody and that’s
425
00:31:34,669 –> 00:31:42,769
one thing that at this juncture i still
need to get a better grip so something I
426
00:31:42,769 –> 00:31:48,499
get hey so the project like work behind
keep keep me going for the next eight to
427
00:31:48,499 –> 00:31:50,960
ten years there’s always something isn’t
there
428
00:31:50,960 –> 00:31:55,399
yeah yeah well I asked the big but
that’s what makes it fun like my in my
429
00:31:55,399 –> 00:31:58,369
industry that’s what makes it fun I mean
it’s like any other business it’s
430
00:31:58,369 –> 00:32:02,629
constantly evolving constantly changing
you know the faces to come into the
431
00:32:02,629 –> 00:32:08,119
building may remain the same but sports
as a whole are changing and in a lot of
432
00:32:08,119 –> 00:32:12,678
different ways big thing right now is
what do we do as an indoor sports
433
00:32:12,679 –> 00:32:17,179
facility what do we do and I I don’t
want you brings you know conversation to
434
00:32:17,179 –> 00:32:22,849
a duel . 3 you know a blood . if you
will but you know what do we do is an
435
00:32:22,849 –> 00:32:28,519
industry to protect our our athletes
what we do to minimize injury what do we
436
00:32:28,519 –> 00:32:35,719
do equipment wise or facility wise how
can we make it so nobody gets her it’s
437
00:32:35,719 –> 00:32:40,909
all over the news I mean you know the
concussions used sports particularly
438
00:32:40,909 –> 00:32:43,429
like football hockey is a big one
439
00:32:43,429 –> 00:32:48,830
kids getting head injuries kids get neck
injuries and from that standpoint
440
00:32:48,830 –> 00:32:50,839
there’s there’s a lot to learn
441
00:32:50,839 –> 00:32:55,428
I mean injury is not like it used to be
back when I was a kid playing sports you
442
00:32:55,429 –> 00:33:00,799
know it was like oh what happened oh
I’ll smash my head I rub some dirt on it
443
00:33:00,799 –> 00:33:06,80
will be fine you know that was it you
know I now it’s like you know you you
444
00:33:06,80 –> 00:33:10,519
really have to be cognizant if you know
you do have you know prior to suffers
445
00:33:10,519 –> 00:33:12,490
some sort anything any injury
446
00:33:12,490 –> 00:33:16,510
injury back injury arm neck you know it
doesn’t matter what it is
447
00:33:16,510 –> 00:33:19,990
so from that perspective there’s there’s
always stuff to do to move forward
448
00:33:20,559 –> 00:33:25,000
yeah definitely definitely you already
kind of touched on it so why don’t we
449
00:33:25,000 –> 00:33:28,179
just follow through with the question
what are your dreams for the future look
450
00:33:28,179 –> 00:33:34,420
like I have two children that both
collectively and individually have
451
00:33:34,420 –> 00:33:39,490
expressed interest to me that they would
like to continue on in the business they
452
00:33:39,490 –> 00:33:43,990
want to wrestle the old man for control
of the business and send me off to see
453
00:33:43,990 –> 00:33:51,850
if you will and 52 or 53 years old not
this work for me per se air quotes
454
00:33:51,850 –> 00:33:57,189
people here cuz it’s not work for me but
i would i would like to one day you
455
00:33:57,190 –> 00:34:04,450
retire and not have to have to the
stress and worry of running not only
456
00:34:04,450 –> 00:34:08,860
building 46 where 46,000 square foot
facility here not only running a
457
00:34:08,860 –> 00:34:12,310
building but running the business within
the building so my vision for the future
458
00:34:12,310 –> 00:34:20,139
would be to have one or both of my
children take over the business from me
459
00:34:20,139 –> 00:34:27,129
and I can kind of drift off if you will
to the right never really relinquish in
460
00:34:27,129 –> 00:34:30,940
total control because I think that’s
just not my it’s not my makeup but i
461
00:34:30,940 –> 00:34:36,700
would i would love to have my kids take
the baton and and move forward with it
462
00:34:36,699 –> 00:34:41,859
and at that point I’m not gonna go just
say okay well I’m going walk away i mean
463
00:34:41,859 –> 00:34:46,629
i would always be there you know whether
it was for managerial expertise if they
464
00:34:46,629 –> 00:34:49,899
need you know a yo we’re going on a
family vacation
465
00:34:50,739 –> 00:34:55,330
can you can you work the week for me you
know i would step back in you stay here
466
00:34:55,330 –> 00:34:59,650
for you know we two weeks whatever they
need or if they you know once or twice a
467
00:34:59,650 –> 00:35:04,000
week a you’re listening can you can you
work wednesday night for me you
468
00:35:04,000 –> 00:35:07,600
yeah sure I mean I would love to do that
i would love it i would love to be able
469
00:35:07,600 –> 00:35:13,990
to take a step aside let one or two one
or both of my kids just like I say take
470
00:35:13,990 –> 00:35:17,709
the ball and run with it and if they
need to call me from the sidelines from
471
00:35:17,710 –> 00:35:21,460
from time to time to the the kind of
help out i will be more than glad to do
472
00:35:21,460 –> 00:35:24,600
that and I can envision
473
00:35:24,600 –> 00:35:31,920
myself being able to enjoy the business
even more at that point that i do now
474
00:35:31,920 –> 00:35:36,900
because then you’re not in the trenches
every day you’re not you know as i like
475
00:35:36,900 –> 00:35:39,300
to say to my my son my daughter all time
476
00:35:39,300 –> 00:35:43,170
hey listen I’m the one taking the
bullets here you know I’m the one who
477
00:35:43,170 –> 00:35:50,730
you know it stops here at my desk and it
will be nice to kind of step out of that
478
00:35:50,730 –> 00:35:54,720
let those guys take the hits if you will
because you’re dealing with customers
479
00:35:54,720 –> 00:35:58,169
you’re dealing with people you’re
dealing with a lot of people’s children
480
00:35:58,170 –> 00:36:02,400
people’s children are the most important
thing to that particular person should
481
00:36:02,400 –> 00:36:06,60
be mindful of that but you know not that
often another tangent but you know that
482
00:36:06,60 –> 00:36:12,660
would that would be a very nice
transition for me i never want to fully
483
00:36:12,660 –> 00:36:16,859
fully walk away never anything my kids
know that butBut I don’t wanna be the
484
00:36:16,860 –> 00:36:20,370
guy I wanna be looking over your
shoulders either i want to be able to
485
00:36:20,370 –> 00:36:24,990
step aside knowing that you know both my
children have have a good grip on what
486
00:36:24,990 –> 00:36:28,979
was going on in the business have an
opportunity to drive the business
487
00:36:28,980 –> 00:36:34,320
forward continue one for another
generation and maybe if they have
488
00:36:34,320 –> 00:36:38,700
children maybe they want to do it or you
know who knows that’s where not only my
489
00:36:38,700 –> 00:36:44,640
head but also my wife my wife kind of
shares in that vision as well we would
490
00:36:44,640 –> 00:36:49,259
love to be able to watch our children
take something it that we’ve basically
491
00:36:49,260 –> 00:36:54,540
cultivated from the ground up and say
now this is your be passing this on to
492
00:36:54,540 –> 00:37:00,120
you don’t screw it up and you know I
think it should be easier than one
493
00:37:00,120 –> 00:37:02,759
vacation time edition out there
494
00:37:02,760 –> 00:37:08,700
yeah yeah so if you were stranded on a
deserted island with your with your
495
00:37:08,700 –> 00:37:09,569
family
496
00:37:09,570 –> 00:37:12,690
Oh what three things would you want to
have with you
497
00:37:12,690 –> 00:37:17,100
that’s a good question Joe that’s a
really good question was deserted island
498
00:37:17,100 –> 00:37:22,319
i guess i was probably probably need a
lifetime supply of sunblock forward a
499
00:37:22,320 –> 00:37:27,240
tropical island somewhere so i don’t get
burned up i enjoy the beach when I can
500
00:37:27,240 –> 00:37:28,49
get to it
501
00:37:28,50 –> 00:37:32,640
nothing better to be on a deserted
island i guess if if you had you know as
502
00:37:32,640 –> 00:37:37,170
much as much cold beers you could
possibly have and some great reading
503
00:37:37,170 –> 00:37:38,70
material
504
00:37:38,70 –> 00:37:44,100
and having something I need to read
something so i would have to if it was
505
00:37:44,100 –> 00:37:48,180
me I’d like to have some frosty
beverages something to read and some
506
00:37:48,180 –> 00:37:50,100
some good tunes and that’s that
507
00:37:50,100 –> 00:37:54,330
OBO be happy music reading material
something something something something
508
00:37:54,330 –> 00:37:57,330
to drink and maybe be totally happy
509
00:37:57,330 –> 00:38:01,290
I mean I guess some people have a
satellite dish in the flat panel TV and
510
00:38:01,290 –> 00:38:06,390
second nobody said that yeah yeah yeah
but with the iphone you can it’s music
511
00:38:06,390 –> 00:38:12,89
or movies your your TV shows you’re
reading everything I mean everything is
512
00:38:12,90 –> 00:38:16,440
what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna do
this we want or just signal it’s all
513
00:38:16,440 –> 00:38:25,350
theoretical I’m okay so i would have a
signal i’ll have my iPad a now i’m
514
00:38:25,350 –> 00:38:30,390
telling you i would i would be more than
happy if I knew that I could you know
515
00:38:30,390 –> 00:38:36,600
enjoy enjoy a nice beverage have some
pants and some good tunes listen to and
516
00:38:36,600 –> 00:38:41,910
and and be able to read whether it’s
paper form and ipad whatever but those
517
00:38:41,910 –> 00:38:45,660
days are probably do three things and i
have my family course so you already
518
00:38:45,660 –> 00:38:49,529
have yes that’s why it’s included
throwing shit at so they’re gonna bring
519
00:38:49,530 –> 00:38:52,680
three things too so yeah so they always
bring a flat file
520
00:38:52,680 –> 00:38:58,470
hey you got something there right before
we get into your last thoughts I i just
521
00:38:58,470 –> 00:39:01,740
wanted to go real quick into for people
who don’t know what the difference
522
00:39:01,740 –> 00:39:06,419
between roller hockey and ice hockey is
could you give a few examples of of the
523
00:39:06,420 –> 00:39:10,200
differences you know that the basic
premise of the sport is is exactly the
524
00:39:10,200 –> 00:39:16,49
same stick talk with the puck in the net
put a gold the scoreboard but there are
525
00:39:16,50 –> 00:39:20,310
some nuances that are different
obviously you know equipment-wise it’s
526
00:39:20,310 –> 00:39:24,60
it’s essentially the same other than
what you’re wearing on your feet to the
527
00:39:24,60 –> 00:39:29,910
boot is pretty much the same of your
skate whether it’s ice or roller but
528
00:39:29,910 –> 00:39:34,500
rather than skating on a skate blade
you’re skating on a blade has wheels but
529
00:39:34,500 –> 00:39:41,190
the sport itself ice hockey is played
with five skaters and going on each team
530
00:39:41,190 –> 00:39:46,170
roller hockey is just for skaters and a
goalie on each team
531
00:39:46,170 –> 00:39:50,730
I sake is predominantly a checking sport
where you know
532
00:39:50,730 –> 00:39:54,210
if you don’t know checking is it’s where
you physically use your body up against
533
00:39:54,210 –> 00:39:58,560
another person’s body and pump them if
you will either offer Parker into the
534
00:39:58,560 –> 00:40:04,859
boards or you can physically check
somebody where roller hockey at any
535
00:40:04,859 –> 00:40:09,600
level at any level whether it’s kids or
adults whether its in-house league where
536
00:40:09,600 –> 00:40:13,380
there is professional leagues that are
being run for Rocky there’s no checking
537
00:40:13,380 –> 00:40:19,830
in roller hockey at all so you got 44 no
check and there’s no offside so
538
00:40:19,830 –> 00:40:24,29
basically the entire ring is wide open
to do whatever you want to do and where
539
00:40:24,30 –> 00:40:29,220
an ice-hockey there is off sides and
there is no such thing as ice into
540
00:40:29,220 –> 00:40:33,359
pockets as they say in ice hockey ice
hockey can’t shoot the puck from your
541
00:40:33,359 –> 00:40:37,770
own goal always down the other end of
the rank and just dump the puck down
542
00:40:37,770 –> 00:40:41,730
there that’s called icing on the whistle
we pick up the puck and bring all the
543
00:40:41,730 –> 00:40:45,359
way back down to where you dumped from
many faces off and start again when
544
00:40:45,359 –> 00:40:47,160
roller hockey you can just dump it
545
00:40:47,160 –> 00:40:53,100
you know all day so there’s during the
big differences it’s a 44 game as
546
00:40:53,100 –> 00:40:56,880
opposed to five on five there’s no
checking in roller hockey there’s no
547
00:40:56,880 –> 00:40:58,109
offsides there’s no ice
548
00:40:58,109 –> 00:41:01,410
other than that it’s all the basic same
concept well thank you for that
549
00:41:01,410 –> 00:41:05,220
so do you have any last thoughts to
share with the audience well the one
550
00:41:05,220 –> 00:41:11,310
thing I could say you know for anybody
whatever whatever you know walk of life
551
00:41:11,310 –> 00:41:16,650
you come from and i want to say this to
sound cliché or 40 or anything like
552
00:41:16,650 –> 00:41:24,570
that but you know if you find something
that that that drives you that you enjoy
553
00:41:24,570 –> 00:41:31,920
doing that you want to do do it do it
whether it means you’re going to be the
554
00:41:31,920 –> 00:41:35,220
poorest person in the world or the
richest person in the world or you want
555
00:41:35,220 –> 00:41:41,399
to fall somewhere in between the money
is only a material thing you got to do
556
00:41:41,400 –> 00:41:46,200
what makes you happy to sound cliché
you can’t buy happiness you have all the
557
00:41:46,200 –> 00:41:49,529
money in the world to be miserable if
you find something you like to do is
558
00:41:49,530 –> 00:41:54,540
find something that you enjoyed it
really really motivating drives you do
559
00:41:54,540 –> 00:41:59,700
it and do it to the best ability because
what’s going to happen you’re going to
560
00:41:59,700 –> 00:42:01,529
eventually reap the real
561
00:42:01,530 –> 00:42:06,210
Ward’s of that you will reap the rewards
I promise you if you find something you
562
00:42:06,210 –> 00:42:09,300
like to do and you do it to the best of
your ability
563
00:42:09,300 –> 00:42:12,900
someone’s going to take news someone’s
going to call you on it and someone’s
564
00:42:12,900 –> 00:42:15,210
going to give you a reward for doing it
that way
565
00:42:15,210 –> 00:42:19,680
that’s my last final thought you want to
share your website Facebook Twitter
566
00:42:19,680 –> 00:42:23,759
while we are on Facebook choice sports
arena i do not have a twitter account
567
00:42:23,760 –> 00:42:27,960
because i don’t understand it but we do
have a facebook account and we do have a
568
00:42:27,960 –> 00:42:31,590
website our website you can you can get
to our website a couple different nation
569
00:42:31,590 –> 00:42:40,710
go to www.myspace.com you can go to
www.petland.com either one of those will
570
00:42:40,710 –> 00:42:42,180
bring you right to our webpage
571
00:42:42,180 –> 00:42:44,910
well thanks so much for coming on the
show my care really appreciated thank
572
00:42:44,910 –> 00:42:45,420
you
573
00:42:45,420 –> 00:42:49,350
great it’s been a pleasure thank you for
joining us for this episode of the
574
00:42:49,350 –> 00:42:51,520
dreamers podcast
575
00:42:51,520 –> 00:42:57,370
follow us on twitter and dreamers
podcast join us on facebook at
576
00:42:57,370 –> 00:43:00,370
facebook.com slash dreamers podcast
577
00:43:01,300 –> 00:43:05,470
if you or someone you know would like to
be a guest on the dreamers podcast
578
00:43:05,470 –> 00:43:13,509
please send an email to j and j parr .
co this podcast is copyright 2014 by j
579
00:43:13,510 –> 00:43:16,510
parr . code
580
00:43:17,609 –> 00:43:21,660
yeah
