Its all the same!

Took the family north (back home) over Thanksgiving. Had the opportunity to watch my nephew play some basketball.

Its all the same everywhere. It doesn't matter which sport, doesn't matter which state, its all the same. Parents fretting about rankings, players fretting about rankings. Parents worrying about scouts, players worrying about scouts. The same petty nonsense here and there. Its all the same!

Dreaded This Night!

Last night was the night we all dreaded, High School Soccer Banquet Night. It was a very hard year. We tried to stay supportive of the program but to sit and listen to everything about the season, awards, all conference, all region, etc. just sucks.

All those awards were supposed to be my sons', not someone else. He trained his ass off getting ready for this season only to have it all taken away. He loves his HS team and wanted to lead them to great things.

Jordan did a great job of helping the team despite his injury. He coached the younger guys, giving them tips, and getting on them when they were lazy. For this he was recognized by his coaches and teammates, he received the coaches award. I am very proud of him. Many athletes pack it in when faced with adversity, he rose to the occasion. It has made him a stronger man.

On the rehab front it looks like he has gained back most of the muscle mass he lost due to the injury. Everything is looking good for at least a brief appearance in the Tampa Sun Bowl.

The First Game

We had the first varsity soccer game since J's injury. Let me tell you, that was a lot harder than I though it would be. It was supposed to be his year. This would have been his 4th year on varsity. It was his year.

It has been quite some time since J's name was not announced in the starting lineup. I believe that is when it hit home for both Heather and myself. I never expected it to be quite so hard.

He's now on the long road to recovery. We'll hear his name announced again, I'm positive.

On a happier note. The batting cage will be here on Wednesday. Devan is chomping at the bit to get a crack at that badboy.

Surgery!

Well its been a couple of days since Jordan had his ACL repaired. I would like to give a shout out to the wonderful group of people at Duke Sports Medicine. Unbelievable is all I can say. Dr. Garrett is phenomenal, the whole staff is phenomenal.

Jordan has greatly improved. His spirits are back up. He is now more determined than ever to play college ball. I have no doubt that he'll be back better than ever. Duke Sports Medicine is as good as it gets. Dr. Garrett is as good as it gets. We are very pleased to have access to such a fine institution. As a Michigan man I tip my hat to the Blue Devils-J and the rest of us thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

It seems we are looking at 5 months of recovery. Some make it back sooner. If anyone comes back sooner it will be Jordan, the kid's a freak of nature. Dr. Garrett agrees. According to the doc he has the strongest hamstring tendons he has ever seen. So his new ACL will be beastly.

PT starts Monday. It will be tough, but the boy is very ready to tackle this challenge. He wants to play in the CASL Shootout in early December. He just may do it!

On another note, started a new website 123moneyforfree. Check it out, make some $$$, get some free stuff. It's quite easy.

A precursor: Jordan attended the Ralph Lundy camp 2 weeks ago. It went great. Many colleges left impressed by my boy.

Next up was the University of Michigan camp. This is his first choice, the reason he has been training since he was five years old. The head of recruiting even sought him out before camp to discuss his future. The dream was coming true.

Camp started with a fitness test which of course he dominated. Next was the first scrimmage of the camp. Five minutes in it all came crashing down. Jordans' left knee blew apart. ACL-tore, meniscus and mcl-will know more after surgery.

Senior year leading Pinecrest to the state playoffs-gone, Region III with TFC-gone. An unbelievable turn of events for a kid that didn't deserve it. Hopes are now on salvaging a portion of club season. College soccer is a huge question mark now. What was a sure thing is anything but at this point.

How do you comfort a child that just had everything he has worked for taken away? I do not know the answer. We are staying positive, but it is very hard. The whole town is in a daze.

As his not so little brother Devan said, "How did this happen, that is Jordan, he's invincible". Jordan can't get hurt, he's "J HOW" for crying out loud.

He will be seen wednesday by Dr. Gates-Team Dr. for the Men's and Women's National Soccer Teams and Team Dr. for Duke University. I believe this really shows what kind of reputation my son has. People pulling strings to get him the best care and rehab.

He will be back, with a lot of prayers and hard work, we believe the Duke sports medicine machine will make him like new. He will play college ball.

Back to our story-not so fast

We shall get back to our story very soon. Just got back from districts. We did manage to get a couple of days of some much needed r&r. The boys were able to watch their beloved Tigers play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jordan hobnobbed with Sheffield and got his autograph on a ball he got during batting practice. Devan did the same with the walrus Todd Jones. Jones tossed him a ball and then signed it. It was very cool. Now its back to the grind.

Districts!

It has been awhile since I have posted anything. Have been very busy with the boys. We are heading to Districts in Florida Wednesday and just finished a full weekend of hockey/soccer. I will get back to the boys story just as soon as we get back from districts. I will try to update on the goings on in Florida. So until then, later.

Back To The Boys!

Ok, we had our first taste of travel sports and it tasted good. We had a pretty successful tourney in Raleigh and were ready for more. I knew the boys were good but they had to get better competition than what we had in the Sandhills Youth Inline Hockey League if we ever wanted to compete with the best.

Around the same time Jordan was asked to tryout for the Sandhills Youth Soccer Leagues' new U10 Classic team, The Sandhills Lightning. This team would be comprised of the best players in the SYSL recreation program. They would play teams from different cities and play some tournaments. Jordan needed this, there was very little competition for him in the rec league.

Tryouts went just as expected, Jordan and Coby Kavanaugh were clearly the top two, although a few others had good talent also. This was going to be a good team. My only concern at the time was the coaching, would the coaching be on par with the talent?

The team was chosen and practice began. Almost immediately the coach stepped down and a new one was named. I didn't have a clue about either guys so we just went with the flow. How good could this team be?

Busy Busy!

I have not had the opportunity to blog much the last week or so. The boys have been keeping us very busy. Devan just returned from a hockey trip to Maine and New Hampshire. They did pretty well only losing one game. Jordan and Murilo (our Brazilian, more on that later) have been busy with club soccer. Heather and myself have been busy with work and taxes. We will be leaving for New York in a few days for another hockey trip, then it's off to Florida for the district championships. Like I said busy busy.

I have also been working on another blog Forex For Profit. It is a description of my currency trading. I have designed a system (The Grail) that is proving to be quite profitable. Each day I put my trades on the blog for all to see, no cheating. Check it out. An

That's it for tonight, we are watching the MSU-UofM basketball game. It doesn't get any better than that. I will continue with the boys' saga tomorrow. Stay tuned. GO BLUE!

Raleigh here we come!

We were ready for the big time. We were ready to take the show on the road. The Carolina Hurricanes were having an Inline Hockey Tournament. Our team was decent, the boys were growing tired of playing Fayetteville, it was perfect. There would be teams from North and South Carolina, we thought it would be great to see how our boys measured up.

Off to Raleigh we went, kids and parents alike all chomping at the bit. We actually fared pretty well. We beat a few and lost a few. Jordan really stood out, scoring at will against everybody. One game he scored a few in regulation then won the game on the last shot of the shootout, incredibly exciting. Devan played very strong defense against boys 2-3 years older than him. The most memorable moment of his tourney came against a team called the biscuit bangers based out of the Gretzky Center in Raleigh. They were a very good team (eventual champs) and they were physically dominating us. Taking extra runs at both Jordan and Devan. One player in particular was really giving the boys a hard time. He was a year older than Jordan and quite a bit bigger. Donovan was his name. Anyway, late in the game he put a good lick on Devan, Dev got up and chased him all the way to the other end of the rink. They were going at it pretty good in the corner and suddenly Devan grabs Donovan by the Jersey and swings him around. They are now face to face and Devan is challenging him to a fight. Remember this kid is 3 years older and way way bigger. Devan could care less, he had (had) enough, he was going to settle it one way or the other. It would not have been pretty, thank god for big brothers as Jordan stepped in to quell the uprising. To this day Devan has backed down from no one. I think that day he decided he owned the rink, period! It helped that Jordan always kept an eye on his little brother, although he would never admit to it.

The boys hated the biscuit bangers, particularly Donovan. He was their arch-nemesis. Ironically, later on, Jordan and Pat Donovan would become good friends and teammates. Small world. All in all it was a very successful trip to Raleigh and it set the stage for bigger and better things to come. Look out world, here come the Howlett boys.

Pinehurst

Lo and behold the hockey league was a success. I do not remember exact numbers but after the initial short season, it blew up. I believe we had almost 200 players at one point. It was fantastic, and of course the Howlett boys owned it. It was only fitting that Devan scored the very first goal in the Sandhills Youth Inline Hockey League. The SYIHL was just what the doctor ordered. The boys were happy to be playing, I was happy to be coaching. We were having a blast. Jeff and I decided to form a travel team. It was comprised of the top players in the league. We were u10 team, which Devan made as a 7 year old. This meant both boys playing on the same team, life ws good. Early on we would scrimmage a team from Fayetteville, NC. They were close and they were good. I don't think we ever beat them but the boys had a blast. Things would get quite interesting in short order in the SYIHL, more on that later.

Pinehurst was treating us well on all fronts. Heather loved her job, I had found a decent job, and the boys had their sports. They were both excelling on the hockey rink (we had built a makeshift rink at the old tennis courts), kicking butt on the soccer fields, and hanging tough in the local little league. We were cruising, and it would only get better.

The beginning!

We all know how it starts, your child picks up a bat, kicks a ball, or throws a pass. You think "he has it". We have all been there. I have been lucky enough that my first thoughts were right on the money. My boys "have it". I have been blessed. Not only are they great kids, they are phenomenal athletes.

Ever since they hit their first ball, threw their first pass, took their first slapshot, it was quite obvious to me and everyone around that my boys were special. They have not disappointed.
It has been quite the journey so far, and I expect it shall continue.

I hope to convey to everyone the trials and tribulations, the victories and defeats, the success, the failure we have endured through the years. Many points will be covered, from training tips to travel tips, I hope to help the parents of all athletes enjoy the journey just a bit more. I hope you enjoy!