Katiie’s Beer

Greetings Fellow Pond Fanatics,
Like you, all of us at Pond Hockey Central are tired of dousing mosquito bites with Calamine lotion, mowing a crispy lawn and cursing the blistering sun. Bring on the ice, snow and bone-chilling temperatures. Bring on pond hockey!
I am happy to report that the 2007 U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are beginning to take form. Please read on for some important updates.
Updates
Game on! The 2007 U.S. Pond Hockey Championships will take place January 19-21, 2007 on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.
Registration for the 2007 U.S. Pond Hockey Championships will be based on a lottery model as opposed to a first come, first served system.
Beginning October 1, lottery registrations will open at www.uspondhockey.com .. To register your team for the lottery, you must provide the names and e-mail addresses of at least four players. You will not have to pay to register a team for the lottery. Don’t even try to throw your dirty money at us.
We don’t know how many teams will be entered into the lottery because we are offering a first right of refusal to the top 16 teams from last year. I can rightly assume that these teams will not be fool enough to refuse this offer. Unless they are afraid.
Registration will close November 15, 2006 and the lottery will be held on November 17. At this time we will contact teams that make it into the tournament via e-mail. And, we’ll post team names to the Web site.
Guarantee Your Entry, Connect to the Passionate Pond Hockey Demographic
As you know, the 2006 U.S. Pond Hockey Championships were a huge success… a dream that more than 116 teams, 10,000 spectators, and a few, select brands made into a reality last winter. We generated several hundred news stories about the tournament and connected our sponsors with a very passionate fan base: you, the pond hockey player and spectator. Fans and participants came from all over the U.S. and abroad. The open division filled in 24 hours and last year’s waiting list exceeded 100 teams. Sports Illustrated described the event as “perfect in every detail.”
As players, if you want to guarantee your team a spot in the 2007 tournament, become a sponsor. Sponsorship begins at $5,000 and this secures first right of refusal for team entry.
Picture your company’s logo on custom dasherboards that serve as the backdrop for official U.S. Pond Hockey Championship tournament games. Now picture it artistically adorned by black rubber puck marks from passionate players that appreciate your support.
Please spread the pond word to anyone who would be interested in sponsoring this event by directing them to: http://www.uspondhockey.com/page/Sponsorship.jsp or contact us at 612/338-3900.
Bon Voyage
In other news, Commissioner Steele Arundel has moved on from his role with the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships and will be traveling the world, serving as our International Ambassador. He’s out scouting other places this great game can be played. Maybe you’ll see him on Lake Baikal in Siberia or on an untapped glacier high in the Chilean montanas. If he survives, he’ll send periodic updates about his experiences�
So, now you’re stuck with me, Fred Haberman, co-founder of the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships. You probably saw me at last year’s tournament, fanatically inspecting each sheet of ice. I bleed pond hockey. My passion for the game began when I started hearing the voices of Hobey Baker and other pond hockey greats at the age of 3. Since then, I’ve logged 5,235 hours in 20 below weather, frozen nose hair and all, to make people’s backyard rinks better than Lake Placid. So, that’s a little about me. I’ll send another update soon.
For now, keep praying for 40 below weather in September� and I’ll see you on the pond.

Fred Haberman, Commissioner
U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

Tags: winter, hockey //