I was raised in South St. Louis city and graduated from Cleveland High School in 1980 and then started playing Roller hockey not long after that. I was fortunate enough to play for the St. Louis Blast which was one of the best teams in the country along with the St. Louis Hikowee's (run by Ron Beilsten Hall of Famer (2014). It was at this time I built friendships that would last a lifetime and provided me the opportunity to begin a working relationship with Ron Beilsten.

The St. Louis Blast brought many great people in my direction but in the late 90's is where the next chapter of my life began. I started coaching youth hockey, more than one team, and we would travel to tournaments all over the United States. These were some great experiences for the kids and myself and I realized this sport needed more sponsorships and more organization.

I purchased the All American Sports Mall and converted it into an inline hockey facility in 1994. It was then when we started to work with Franklin Sports that donated equipment to the Blast organization, not only the adults but also to the Grass Roots program for kids. I wanted to continue the passion for the sport and let kids develop their skills and future potential. It is very satisfying to see kids like Pat Maroon who play in the NHL and other's like Ryan Kretzer & Kyle O'Kane who went on to play Division 1 NCAA Ice Hockey and know that they started their hockey careers with playing roller hockey with the St. Louis Blast.

As the sport took off we had many sponsors of skates, wheels and equipment that helped keep the cost down for parents. Another person who helped tremendously was Walt Frazier from Roller Derby/Tour Hockey. Walt donated equipment for years not only to the Blast but also to Ron Beilsten's teams playing out of Spinning Wheels and there were countless kids who could not afford it that were given new pair of skates.

In addition to All American I am involved with the Missouri Inline Hockey Association and TORHS Tournament series.

Thanks to everyone in this great sport of hockey.