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The Pride of Baudette Hockey

By Minnesota Hockey, 12/09/14, 8:45AM CST

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Terry & Janice Nelson - December Total Hockey Volunteer of the Month

Congratulations to Terry & Janice Nelson of Lake of the Woods Youth Hockey Association (LOTW)! The Nelsons are the first couple to be selected as the Total Hockey Volunteer of the Month in recognition of their combined efforts over the past decade.

Terry and Janice have been active members of the LOTW association for over ten years, after getting involved when their youngest son started playing. Terry has spent time in nearly every position on the LOTW board including President, Vice President and Secretary, while also helping coach. Meanwhile, Janice filled the seasonal role of youth hockey coordinator for eight years while volunteering as the concessions manager and a team manager.

Together, these two have been key parts of keeping hockey alive and well in the Baudette area. We sat down with Janice to learn more about their decade of service to youth hockey.

What has been the biggest motivator for you over the years?

“It’s the kids. I have two sons. Hockey let them both tap into what they needed. It was one of the best things we’ve ever done, signing them up for hockey. It gave so much to my kids that it was easy to give back.”

“Some of it you just do it, you don’t even think about it. I live two blocks from the arena. Kids would call at 10 pm on a Friday, and I would go and open it up for them. We try to have an open door policy. There isn’t a lot for kids to do here. If they want to go skating on a Friday night, that’s great. You take a lot of pride in it - watching the kids starting at mini-mites and up to high school.  By that point, you don’t even look at numbers because you know how they skate. You just get wrapped up in watching them.”

What’s the most significant challenge you have faced?

“The hardest thing is numbers. Our population of children is going down. We have gone from two classrooms of kids at each grade level to now four or five grade levels only have one classroom. We’ve had to adapt to try and keep it going.”

What’s the most positive change you’ve seen in youth hockey over the last ten years?

 “It feels like there are more programs available. Minnesota Hockey is doing more to help small associations. Minnesota Hockey has become much more user friendly for associations. If you need something, whether it is equipment or marketing help, they can help. It’s really a great thing.”

Hockey is often associated with a major time commitment. How do you balance hockey with family time?

“I have to credit my husband. I’ve only needed to have a part time job, and that has opened me up to spend more time with the kids. We spend a lot of time together at the rink. If you need to spend time with your teenager, lock them in a car with you for three hours. We’ve always had some of our best talks – not about hockey – while in the car traveling to hockey games.”

Thank you Terry and Janice for their dedication to youth hockey in the Lake of the Woods area! Volunteers are the reason community based hockey in Minnesota is so strong, and it’s people like you two that make the difference in our communities.

Nominate a volunteer from your association today for the Total Hockey Volunteer of the Month! Each recipient receives a certificate recognizing their hard work and a $100 Total Hockey gift card to use online or in the store. Nominators also receive a $50 Total Hockey gift card.

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