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| June 1, 2008
By Daryn Goodwin
I’m a numbers guy
One – Two – Three: 3, 2, 1
|  More than anything, some random thoughts.
Doesn’t really matter the order. Maybe I’m thinking a little too much like Hurley from LOST, but it’s still a funny coincidence. There were 132 games in this long, but awesome tournament. My room at the Radisson was #321. My Yukon XL gets 12.3 miles per gallon. When you see as many scores in a hockey tournament and line add them up on the boards, numbers take on a whole new meaning.
This tournament was great. In fact all of the tournaments in California have been fantastic this year, so it was nice that this was not a let down in any shape or form.
Alex has given some insight to divisions, so I’ll try not to be repetitive. One of the cool things to see today was the atoms play out. It was a great division with a whole new set of exciting players and parents. 5 atom teams here (the Blades 99’s actually played up in mites) and 4 of the 5 did not play in the Irvine Qualifier. That means there are 8 motivated atom teams over the two events, which is exciting for the sport. The Championship Game was barnburner between the TO Warriors and 949 Anarchy. The Anarchy pulled it out to win their 2nd NARCh Regional Title in a row. To see the parents jumping up and down and going nuts and the kids faces light up when you put the large NARCh Medal around their necks is more rewarding than you know.
What really makes this sport special besides the great memorable games, are the people involved and their commitment to the sport. There are hundreds that come to mind across the country, and without their hard work this sport would not be what it is today. I guess this is true in any sport as parent involvement and volunteers are certainly important. In my position I’ve seen so many people who are key members of the inline community play such an instrumental role, only to fade into the background or disappear all together. It’s not their fault in any way, it’s just that their children have moved on to other things, so they have as well. I’m sure everyone reading this knows what I’m talking about, and if you don’t, you’re just at the front of this curve and probably have a younger child.
A couple of programs I’d like to recognize are the Las Vegas Tour Rebels and Tour Outcasts from AZ. Larry Sanford and Tony Robone are the backbone of the Rebels and Nick Boyarsky is the brains behind the Outcasts. These teams travel almost every single weekend to play in tournaments in So Cal. They are so embedded in the roller hockey community here that I think the local teams have taken it for granted a bit. Imagine driving from So Cal to Vegas or Phoenix almost every weekend. It’s certainly a higher commitment level than most realize. Next time you play one of these teams, or any team that traveled in to compete, please make sure to thank them. Having teams travel in always makes the events better.
While I’m patting people on the back, which is something I probably don’t do enough of, I want to recognize Pat Barber. Pat is on the bench for every single AKS game that I can remember. Scott Accongio is the head coach and the founder of the organization, but Pat is much more than a dad on the bench. He’s got such a pleasant calming demeanor about him, that I’m sure it permeates to the way the players perform on the rink. (That’s a lot of big words in one sentence). Seriously though, when I walk into the rink and see Pat, he’s always gone out of his way to greet me and smile. I know it’s always 100% sincere. People like Pat just make the rink a better place.
Pat also resembles another calm successful manger.
 
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