In Our Blood

I am a believer in Fate. Not the destiny kind of fate, mind you, where the outcome of our lives is predetermined. No, it’s more that I don’t give much credit to ‘chance’. I strongly believe that people and events appear in your life when you might not be expecting them, but often their appearance is the indirect result of certain actions or choices. In rare cases, these confluences can alter life’s course. Not just your own life, but others as well.

Just as it is in this case. What began as a simple search for noteworthy content for the website, Fate conspired to make it something more.

Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, of new beginnings… unless you love hockey. For us, spring signals the end of the season. The raw emotion of championships won or lost is replaced with a far more tempered response to training. Rinks begin to remove their ice, and the grind of off-ice workouts is a poor substitute for the adrenaline-soaked bliss of the playoffs. Skates and gear are packed away except for the occasional camp or shinny tournament that reignites the fire, if only for a moment.

And it becomes a challenge to find hockey stories worth telling.

Several short days ago, this is where I found myself. Mining the internet for ideas. Grilling our beer-league buddies for even the most mildly entertaining tale. Then I met Ryan and Leo – two affable inline hockey players.

The ‘Wheel’ Deal

I know what you’re thinking, and yes – people do play Inline hockey in Indiana. If you think ice hockey has a small underground following, ask these guys about inline. They practically are the Inline community.

Ryan Spahr and Leontiy Korolev were playing inline hockey in Indianapolis before there was even a place to play. With a handful of other enthusiasts, they would gather under the overpass at 12th and Alabama Street and play hockey using a ball and an old cooler as a net. Several years ago, when the ice came down for good at Ellenberger Park, they moved their games indoors. When they found that there wasn’t a league to play in, they started Indy Inline. Now in its fifth season, Indy Inline has a small but passionate following.

Over a couple of beers and some amazing stuffed breadsticks at Sam’s Silver Circle Bar (I highly recommend the ham and bacon), the pair shared their stories of how Indy Inline got started and how the Iron Man Tournament came to be.

Sticks…

For over 25 years now, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) hosts it’s “Man & Woman of the Year” (MWOY) event. The LLS describes the MWOY campaign as “a spirited fundraising competition in which participants across the U.S. build fundraising teams to compete for the title of Man or Woman of the Year.” In this event, potential candidates are nominated by someone within their local community. If selected, the candidate must then develop a creative ‘platform’ to attract support and donations. Every dollar raised by the candidate is considered a vote. Whomever earns the most ‘votes’ wins the election. Simple, right?

Last year, one of the Indy Inline players - Dan Goodrich - was nominated as a candidate. Goodrich’s goal was to raise $100k for his “campaign.” To aid in his efforts, Spahr came up with the idea of hosting an inline hockey tournament as a way to raise funds. Korolev was easily convinced, and the Iron Man tournament was born. They only raised roughly $2000 in that first year, but it was enough to help put Goodrich over his goal.

This year is Rich Blaiklock’s turn. His life having been intimately touched by blood cancer, and drawing his inspiration from another hockey buddy who years before had been diagnosed with Leukemia, Blaiklock launched his campaign for the “LLS Man of the Year” award with a lofty goal of $200,000.

Once again, the inline hockey community is backing their candidate. The second coming of the Iron Man Tournament is being held on April 23rd at Ellenberger Park. Spahr and Korolev hope to increase their contribution significantly over last year. They have added a ‘Sauce Toss’ competition and a Cornhole tournament to the event, and will also be offering “therapeutic adult beverages” – or beer, as we like to call it - at an exorbitant price of course. Well worth it, though, as the money all goes to a good cause.

The Iron Man Tournament isn’t the only way Blaiklock is promoting his candidacy. The good folks at the Circle City Foundation and the Carmel Ice Skadium have elected to back his campaign through the Light The Lamp Ice Hockey Tournament held in early May. Now in its fifth year, the LTL has quickly become the “must play” event on the Indiana adult ice hockey circuit.

… and Stones

Even hockey’s distant cousin is getting into the act. The Circle City Curling Club has announced plans to host a charity tournament also in support of Blaiklock’s efforts. The Curling For A Cure event will be held on April 21st at the Fuel Tank in Fishers. Members of the club will be on hand an hour prior to the tournament to provide some tips for those who have never tried their hand at curling. (I’ve heard from more than a few folks that it’s a blast!) Combined with a raffle and silent auction, the curling tournament should significantly bolster Blaiklock’s campaign coffers.

Blaiklock is the first to admit that this isn’t at all about him. He repeatedly mentions that “this has nothing to do with whether or not I’m a ‘good guy,’ but everything to do with raising as much money as I can…” He also heaps praise on the many volunteers and contributors that make all these events happen. It takes a small army to host a tournament – let alone three - and there are several battalions working behind the scenes. Many among the ranks have their own reasons for involvement. And so do we.

Closer to Home

For those involved in hockey – and youth hockey in particular – know what we mean when we talk about “the family.” Hockey folks seem to share a unique and special bond. Maybe it’s because hockey doesn’t seem to draw the notoriety of other sports. Or perhaps it’s the fact that during the season you spend more time with the people at the rink and at tournaments and at hotels than you do at home.

Whatever the reason, hockey seems to magically bind people together. Once your in, you quickly learn that your ‘hockey family’ is your family. Parents look after and care for those young boys and girls as if they were their own. Everyone cringes when any one of them gets hurt, regardless of which team they play for. What impacts one of us impacts us all.

This is where Jack comes in. Jack Miller has no direct connection to anyone mentioned in above, at least not that we’re aware of. He didn’t know Rich Blaiklock, or Ryan Spahr, or Leo Korolev, or even us for that matter. Yet he is at the very heart of this article and these efforts. You see, Jack plays hockey. He’s a part of the Bloomington Blades organization on their 12U team. And he just recently discovered that he has Leukemia.

Upon learning of his diagnosis, folks who knew and cared for the Miller family were looking for any way they could help. A friend of the Miller family reached out to us at INHockey.net to tell us about Jack, hoping that maybe we would simply share information about the GoFundMe page that was created to assist with the enormous medical expenses that accompany such an illness. But Jack is one of our own. A simple mention on our website or social media accounts didn’t feel like enough.

Hockey Takes Care of Its Own

When we started INHockey.net just six short months ago, the intent was to help grow the game in Indiana by connecting the various communities who share our passion. Our hope was that in sharing the stories happening around our state, we could further strengthen those bonds and increase opportunities for others.

Being able to use our platform and the connections within the hockey community to share scores and stories, promote tournaments, clinics, and other opportunities for participation is great. We love letting people know about all the cool things happening in our state. But to be able to leverage those connections for a higher purpose is beyond moving. It makes all the long hours meaningful and worthwhile.

We're looking for ways to do a little more, and we're asking that you do the same. It doesn't have to be anything big. Simple gestures have a way of adding up.

Once you’ve finished reading this article, don’t stop there. Share it with someone. Better yet, share it with everyone. Post it to your social media pages. Help us get the word out about Blaiklock, and the tournaments… and Jack. If you play, consider signing up for one of the tournaments (or all of them!) If you don’t, perhaps go and watch. Make a small donation. Buy a beer at the Iron Man Tournament. Send a get-well card. Anything helps.

We know there are more stories out there in the hockey community like Jack Miller’s. There are other great things going on like Rich Blaiklock’s MWOY campaign. If you know of one, let us know. Drop us a note at info@inhockey.net and give us some details. We’ll share your stories with the rest of the hockey community. And we’ll gladly help however we can. Hopefully others will do the same.

Remember, family takes care of its own. And hockey family IS family.