I was born and raised in Omaha Nebraska. I quickly fell in love with the sport of hockey in middle school. I would spend countless hours in my parents basement shooting tennis balls against the wall while NHL games played in the background. My best friend also shared my same passion, however neither of our families could afford the expensive sport. We learned that the local YMCA was starting a roller hockey league and we both signed up. After our first season we were hooked and would spend hours at the tennis court of his apartment complex playing other kids from the complex. Shortly thereafter a traveling roller hockey team, The Omaha Vipers, would form. We both tried out, and unfortunately I was not selected. While truly devastated, I still decided to support my best friend by going to his practice and sitting on the sideline. The coach, John "J.W." White, recognized me as a guy from the tryout and invited me to join the team. While I was supporting my friend at practice, I was secretly giving up on the game. Had coach J.W. not invited me to play there is no telling how my life would have turned out. I was headed down the wrong road fast. Hockey had me focused and kept me out of trouble. We traveled with the Omaha Vipers to Tournaments throughout the midwest until we graduated from high school in 2001.
I enrolled as a business major at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2001. The events of September 11th unfolded while I was in class. I recall watching the towers fall and going to class and not a single professor mentioned the events of that day. It was at that moment I decided I wasn't going to be a spectator, I was going to do something. I enlisted the United States Marine Corps Reserve and left for bootcamp May 28th 2002. After completing recruit training and Combat Training I attended MOS school in Fort Leonard Wood Missouri as a Heavy Equipment Operator. Upon arriving at the Reserve Center in Omaha. Upon returning to Omaha I played hockey sparingly. I hit a few inline drop in sessions and even tried ice hockey a few times. I continued by education while working full time. I married my middle school sweatheart Brandi in 2005 and we had our first child Skyelar in 2007 followed by our son Greyson in 2010. I quickly climbed the ranks in my civilian job working in hotels. In just 7 short years I went from overnight security officer to a General Manager. Hockey again took a back seat to my career as well as my military obligation. I deployed to Iraq in 2009 with Combat Logistics Battalion 46 as well as completed my annual training all over the world in places such as Norway and the Dominican Republic.
It wasn't until 2017 that I finally gave ice hockey a try. The transition from inline to ice was easy for me. I was confident, way too confident. On a beer league breakway on Jan 2 2018 I realized stopping on ice wasn't as easy as inline skates. I went full speed into the boards toes first, breaking my tibula and fibula. I was sidelined from the game I had just relearned to love again. The doctors told me it would be a year before I could run or skate again and I was lucky I didn't lose my leg. Six short months later, I was back on the ice in beer league hockey.
I am grateful for the Nebraska Warriors organization and what we stand for. This organization is the perfect blend of military camaraderie and the game we all love. In our program Veterans are the number one priority. NWHP gives me purpose.
