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Since 2005 I have been going to the Dreamsports Center to run the Team North Carolina tryout, in those 9 years I believe I only didn't make the trip one time. There is something about that tryout that I always have loved, not sure if it is because there are so many fellow Long Islanders that have transported there, the beautiful weather, or just how nice everyone down there truly is. Kids refer to me as "sir" or "Mr.McManus" not like some places where you'd think my name was "yo" or "hey". The parents down there definitely deserve an A in raising their kids, don't get me wrong they have their knuckle heads too, but overall what a great group of people. Steve Werner has done a terrific job at DSC, I know some may not love the business approach he takes but I really respect it and how professional he runs the building, and I feel that is a big part of why it is such a successful facility. I remember walking into DSC for the first time in '05 and thinking "wow is this place clean" and I can honestly say that nine years later it still is! Kudos to the staff and families there for taking pride in THEIR facility.

As for the tryout itself, we were so energized by seeing so many younger players at tryouts. There were a bunch of 06s, 05s, and 04s at our first session and that is amazing to see. We had an early 730am start and for once I was up bright and early and at the rink well in advance, but of course this time the rink manager arrived late, so for about a half hour there were a crowd of parents and anxious kids standing in front of the dark building. It was funny watching from our rental, seeing every so often a parent walk up and try the door handle, thinking that magically the doors would be open and that no one had tried that already.

Cole Latzy is a player to watch out for in the 2005 division and a lot of fun to watch, his teammate Landon Boucher is awesome as well and is actually born in 2006! A big thank you goes out to Andrew Barron who was instrumental in spreading the word to all the parents about State Wars.  What was pretty cool is a lot of these kids were running back and forth to ice games in between tryout sessions, so it is great to see the parents embracing both sports and the benefits of them. There were a ton of strong 04s as well, one that stood out to me was Liam West, he is a little stud and should be one to watch out for.

Zack Robinson is always a player that stands out in the 2003 division and this years tryout was no different. Alan Bettner and Hayden Shannon were also both pretty dominant and they will make up a strong core for this group. As usual there were many other teams fielded at tryouts in the 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996 birth years. There are many stand out players in all of these divisions, too many to mention but pound for pound the most exciting player to watch in the state has to be Graham Rex from the 98s. This kid is just a stud player and such an awesome person, when his goalie got injured during tryouts, he was the first to go get him a water bottle and make sure he was ok. A true leader for the 98s and definitely a player that North Carolina can be proud of.

Our quick turnaround trip to Raleigh wouldn't be complete without a trip to Tony's late night where each year we see our favorite patron that we have nicked named "the Captain" as he looks a heck of lot like Captain Kangaroo. Thank you North Carolina for another great trip and a big thank you to all of the players and parents for their tremendous support of State Wars Hockey...see you all in Chi-Town!

-Tim McManus