Though she is only 3 years old, Nick Bjerken is confident his daughter will join the hockey program in Silver Bay as soon as she’s old enough. “I’m sure in a few years, she’ll be making her way through,” he said.
Hockey is an important part of Nick’s family. He serves as the president of the Silver Bay Blue Line Club, a role he took on a couple years ago. He got involved as he had a kid in the program, who graduated last year. He is also the camp director for the North Shore Hockey Camp that occurred at the end of July. It’s a large undertaking but well worth the effort and is something he enjoys being part of.
“It’s nice for me because I know a lot of the kids,” Nick said. “Some of the new kids that come from outside of our program, you get to know them, too.”
This year, 140 kids aged 5-18 (mites through varsity) attended the camp. There were local kids as well as players from Austin, the Twin Cities, River Falls, and all over the state. Many were repeat customers and those new in attendance will likely be back.
“Once they come, they go the next year. So, we’ll probably see them again next year,” said Nick. “They look forward to the new color jersey for the next year.”
This year was orange and white. There was a vote at the end of camp this season for next season’s colors, but I don’t have any spoilers on what combinations may have topped the list.
“We get some sponsorship through Lovin’ Lake County,” Nick said. “That helps to pay for the jerseys, t-shirts and hats, all the swag the players get so they’re a huge help. This is a fundraiser for our Silver Bay Blue Line Club so it’s nice to get a little help wherever you can. They’ve been a great partner for the last few years.”
Many sponsors and volunteers help to make the camp run smoothly. Nick explained that there are volunteers who help around the concession stand or help set things up. He had a special call out to Bryan Carpenter, Steve Graden, and Larry Carter who work with the Rukavina Arena.
“Those three work their butts off for the whole week. It’s hot out. There’s a lot of things that go into trying to keep ice in the middle of the summer. They did an awesome job,” said Nick.
This season’s camp featured many different instructors from all different skates of life.
“We have really good instructors who come from all over. We have one with NHL experience. He played for the Colorado Avalanche. Then we have some UMD alumni who played some pro hockey,” Nick reported. Sydney Bordt, of the Minnesota Professional Women’s Hockey League, was also on hand to share her hockey wisdom, and Sarah Ching, of Duluth, worked with the kids on power skating.
After a day of on and off ice instruction, the players took part in scrimmages. This year the police and sheriff departments faced off as volunteer honorary coaches. Another day, the fire department vied against the search and rescue team.
The competition adds to the fun. According to Nick, “That’s what it’s all about. Making new friends and having fun during the summer. I know that kids’ schedules are crazy busy with all the sports and camping and doing all the things but when they get to spend some dedicated time with their friends and playing sports that they like, it’s always a good thing.”
As hard as it is to believe, hockey registration is right around the corner. Nick advised that information would be coming to silverbayhockey.com soon. It will be interesting this fall to see what kind of skills the young players picked up over the summer!
