Hey there mighty flak catcher

Richard and Justin,
In spite of the criticisms and suggestions about your message board, I personally think that it rocks. It has alot of options available depending on the computer know-how that one possesses. Good job on the versatility. Kudos boys!!

On a personal note for Richard. It has been a while since our Global Hockey Festival stint in Kitchener this past July and I stumbled upon something of yours ... hehe. wink,wink. Just kidding. Actually, it was something that you wrote in the souvenir program for 1999 that I thought was rather fitting for most of the topics that have been in the message board. So, without further adieu, "Inline hockey has spread worldwide, but it still faces many challenges in the years ahead ... but politics, self-interest and placing the making of money before inline hockey's best interests has harmed and delayed the growth of our sport. I [Richard Graham] believe that there are three keys to the future of inline hockey: commitment,d ebate and compromise.

Commitment means taking a long-term view and putting hte needs of the sprot ahead of the desire to make a buck. Many companies and individuals who were attraced to inline hockey hoping to make a quick buck are now gone. This is good, but we also need to support he companies and individuals with proven track records, as well as welcoming newcomers with great ideas and long-term vision.

Debate means having wide-ranging discussions about where we want the sport to go, with everyone with a valid viewpoint being heard and listened to. We're not going to always agree, but I think it's healthy to see viewpoints an dopinions besides our own.

Compromise means being willing to work with other people who might have different ideas. The passion of commitment is wonderful, but if it blinds us to the real needs of our sport, it doesn't do us any good. Put that commitment together with healthy debate and effective compromise, and I believe that inline hockey will continue to grow, eventually become an Olympic sport, and giv ve our athletes opportunities far beyond our current wildest dreams."

Well said, Richard. You're still my favourite flak catcher :)
Ripitup

Hi Ripitup,

Thanks for the kind words. I can't believe you typed that whole thing up. (One thought comes to mind: Spellcheck. I HOPE I there weren't that many typos in the original. LOL.)

I still believe those words I wrote a couple of years ago. Maybe instead of hosting another Inline Hockey Central Athletes of the Year Awards ceremony, I should host an Inline Hockey Central Summit. There are a lot of issues still facing our sport, and maybe the only way to get some of them resolved is to have the powers that be meet face to face.

(I hope we won't need an X-ray machine at the door to check for weapons...)

As for the new Message Board, I'm still getting valuable constructive criticism about it. If I can get a consensus on what changes need to take place, I'll make some. Unfortunately, I think that people are probably in too much of a hurry to read the FAQ that Justin put together. It should answer most of the questions readers might have about designing the board for their own personal use.

Thanks again for the kind words!

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central