BOARD ELECTION

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I believe my background as a grant writer and manager would be a valuable asset to the association. I also bring a strong personal connection as a parent of two children currently involved in the program at different levels, along with more than three years of experience as a team manager at the squirt and peewee age groups. These perspectives give me meaningful insight into the needs of families and participants, helping guide thoughtful decisions that support both organizational growth and a positive member experience.

I am committed to strengthening the association through strategic planning, collaborative leadership, and sustainable funding opportunities. As a board member, I would work to advance the organization’s mission, foster community engagement, and help ensure long‑term success for current and future families.

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I want to serve on the hockey board because I believe youth hockey builds more than players- it builds character, confidence and life skills. I believe in fairness and creating a competitive, environment that helps develop quality players who will strengthen our high school program and the future of hockey in Baraboo. These kids will also grow into members of our community and society- people we may one day work besides, so investing in their development on and off the ice truly matters.

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Growing up playing youth hockey was one of the most formative periods of my life. It was a privilege that has contributed to virtually every aspect of who I am today. As a child, I learned that respect, effort, team work and persistence made the difference and that I could have fun doing just that. I am grateful for the coaches, parents and administrators that made that experience not only possible, but positive. It was an honor to play for Baraboo growing up and I am humbled by the opportunity to pass along these experiences to the youth in and around our community. My hope and goal for each player when they show up to the rink is to know that they are seen and valued as individuals, that they can reach their potential and that the coaches are there for them, not their own personal record or agenda. I believe that every player should be coached at every practice regardless of their level of skill or experience: each child should have the opportunity to grow. It is my belief that good coaching develops not only physical hockey skills, but also mental and emotional skills such as resilience, courage, strength, confidence and humility. Over the last couple of years coaching in Baraboo, I have seen these skills develop first hand. As a parent of young hockey players I also understand and respect the significant commitment and sacrifice that is required to ensure that the players are ready for every practice, game and tournament. The choice to coach and volunteer with youth is not a decision made cavalierly. It is an investment in our future and their future. Thank you for considering me for these positions as a coach and board member.

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I am currently on the board for softball and want to get more involved with other organizations. I would love to volunteer for the board and be part of making the hockey organization the best it can be for our kids.

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My son has played for 6 years and I would help the organization to continue to grow. Since I am the Parks Foreman for the City of Baraboo I feel I could be a valuable part of the organization.

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I would like to join the board of Thunderbird Youth Hockey because I believe youth sports play a vital role in shaping not only strong athletes, but strong individuals. Hockey teaches teamwork, resilience, accountability, and respect—and I want to help ensure every child has the opportunity to learn those lessons in a safe, equitable, and positive environment. My priority is to aid in creating a program where all players feel welcome and valued, regardless of skill level or background. Every child who wears a Thunderbird jersey should feel they belong. By developing a culture centered on safety, inclusion, and fairness, we give players the confidence to grow both on and off the ice. I also want the game to be fun and not just focus on winning. When kids enjoy coming to the rink, they develop skills, build friendships, and cultivate a lifelong love of hockey. At the same time, we can help them become respectful teammates and positive members of their association and community. I would focus on thoughtful leadership and policies that put player development, well-being, and character first while helping Thunderbird Youth Hockey remain a place where kids thrive.

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I am an engaged and experienced member of our youth hockey community, with a strong commitment to the continued success of the association. My child has been part of the association for the past six years, giving me a long-term perspective on player development, family engagement, and the overall impact the organization has on our athletes.

Over the years, I have worked closely with the board in my role as a Crossbar administrator, where I have been responsible for registration management, scheduling, and volunteer tracking. This role has provided me with a deep understanding of the operational side of the association and the challenges involved in running a successful youth sports program.

In addition, I have actively contributed to the development of policies and procedures, helping improve consistency, transparency, and efficiency across the organization. I understand how board decisions translate into day-to-day operations, and I believe this perspective allows me to provide informed, practical input at the board level.

I am seeking a board position because I care deeply about the future of the association and believe my experience, institutional knowledge, and collaborative approach would be an asset. I would welcome the opportunity to formally contribute by having a voice and a vote in guiding the association forward.

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Born and raised in Canada, I have played hockey for the last 30 years of my life with the majority of that playing competitively. After playing, I began coaching hockey started at the collegiate level, moving into Superior Youth Hockey for the past 5 years. During the summer season I was also the head coach of our own AAA program. In the most recent year I have coached with TYH. My experience goes beyond hockey, I was a board member in Superior from 2022-2025, with my last years as Vice President, and various level directors. In addition to being a business leader in the community I also pride myself on teaching the next generation, being a college professor from 2023-2025 before moving to Baraboo. I pride myself on being an involved youth hockey parent/member and would love the opportunity to continue to give back with TYH.

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Continue to support and contribute to Thunderbird Youth Hockey. Help provide an opportunity for kids in the Baraboo area and surrounding communities to play the greatest game on the planet. Lastly, put and keep Thunderbird and Badger Lightning Hockey back on the map for good!

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I have served as a board member in another hockey organization. In my tenure on the board, I served as the Treasurer, Referee Scheduler and Mentor, Practice Scheduler, Raffle Coordinator, and team liaison. I was also a part of overhauling our bylaws and dealt with a substantial issue with our taxes and 501-C3 status with the state and federal government. When I was not on the board I served as the Director of Hockey. I fostered relationships with the local high school program and US Premier league team. There has been substantial advancement in methods and techniques to maximize youth sports. Thunderbird Youth Hockey is still in its infancy, and we have a unique opportunity to build a program and a culture from the ground up. Our focus should be growing numbers and helping our athletes to become the best person and athlete they can be. As coaches and as an association we need to consider the many facets of athlete development. We need to teach the game of hockey as well as how to be an athlete. To become the best athlete, we need to teach the technical, tactical, fitness, and psychological (focus and motivation). As an organization we need to be uniform at all levels and identify ways to engage the individual athlete at all levels of skills. I would like to be a part of building our culture and bringing all of our excellent people together to create an organization that will be great. My three children have found a love of hockey. My goal now is to create a competitive organization that will continue to push and develop their skills.  

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Besides an affinity for hockey and a life long relationship with the game itself, I feel that I would be able to help and support the existing board members and organization as a whole while it continues to grow into the future. I have been a CTO for several software projects and startups over the years and continue to lead an offshore and onshore team of highly intelligent engineers, designers and QA. Without a strict level of organization that is not limited to well maintained documentation, checks and balances across an array of protocols and fully transparent audit history for all exercised procedures, the ship would take on water pretty quick. I feel that I could truly help the board put some of these procedures in place to assist in bolstering the current processes and maybe help to add a few more to avoid any future issues concerning transparency and access of digital assets such as credentials for 3rd party applications. I am currently a coach as well and over this past season I witnessed a bit of a gap between the board and coaching itself. Even though the board oversees the organization as a whole, there would be a great benefit in being able to bridge the gap between the board and volunteer coaches to make this program stand out amongst Baraboo and its surrounding areas and truly effective for young hockey players. I understand there will always be limitations throughout the organization in what we can and can’t provide for our young players whether that’s based on funding or overall majority of votes that take place within the board meetings. With that said, I feel most decisions amongst the board should be mostly focused around how to create the best experience possible for our young skaters and not only drive interest for hockey but also hone in on the strengths and weaknesses of our individual skaters to drive a high level of play and hockey sense across all age groups. At the end of the day we are all here doing this for the kids. If that isn’t the forefront of our decision making then we are doing this for all the wrong reasons.