State Wars Kicks Off In High Gear

Wow…the first two days at State Wars have been nothing but amazing, I don’t even know where to begin. I guess I should start with thanking all of the players, parents, coaches, managers, staff, fans, and sponsors that once again make this event not only the BIGGEST but hands down the best in the sport! There are an incredible 11 different countries being represented at State Wars this year in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Teams from Argentina, Brasil, Canada, Catalunya, Colombia, France, Korea, Namibia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States are in attendance and boy do the international teams add a fun element to this tourney. Where else can you play a team from Namibia Africa one day and Nebraska or Texas the next? Simply no where but at State Wars!

I want to recognize all of our amazing sponsors that not only support State Wars but are here in attendance. It is so costly and time consuming for these companies to be here for two weeks but they add a terrific element to State Wars. As I talk to our sponsors they love it here and the comment is consistently repeated that the atmosphere here is like no other. Thank you to Alkali Hockey, Mission/Bauer Hockey, Tour Hockey, Konixx Wheels, Labeda Hockey, Rink Rat Wheels, Mavin Hockey, and WrapAround for being here on site. Warrior Hockey, Monkey Sports, Top Shelf Targets, JORD watch watches, CarShield, and Rocket Puck are also tremendous supporters of ours that may not be on site with a booth.  

World Inline Hockey is also on site taking incredible photos and putting together some great slow motion high light videos for us.  BC Photography is here taking great action and team shots as well.

I also want to make sure to mention what an incredible facility the SportsONE/Parkview Icehouse is and what a terrific staff they have on site. The facility is just as clean as it was in 2013, the first time we were here. To have three full NHL sized rinks with the ice below melted, all under one roof, and having upstairs viewing of all three sheets is just awesome. And Fort Wayne is honestly such an incredible city to host an event like this. On day one, we had a press conference covered by all of the local tv stations where I got to meet the mayor and talk live about the impact State Wars has on the local community. Then later in the day ESPN radio ran their talk show on site and I got to spend some time as well talking about the sport and promoting what we do. If you drive around town, you will see local stores, restaurants and hotels all showcasing welcome signs and the city 100% embraces this event like no other. Thank you to Visit Fort Wayne for all they do to make State Wars their #1 priority in this awesome city!

Today the playoffs have begun this morning and already I witnessed an incredible 2003 game between North Carolina and Northern California, where Nor Cal would tie the game with seconds left in the game only to have NC defeat them in overtime. North Carolina coach Bob Robinson was so excited that he jumped up, ran on the rink and ‘swept the floor’ with his hand. I cannot wait to get video of that! Speaking of video, I hope everyone at home is logging into SW Live as we & Mr. Video Productions team up to broadcast for FREE every single game at State Wars this year! Chris Treft and George Brown will be on the mic for many games this year at State Wars, as two of the very best in the business.

Make sure to keep checking us out on social media for pics and videos. More to come…