House a Blizzard Player
Get Involved with the Blizzard by Housing A Player!
The Alexandria Blizzard Hockey Team is looking for good
homes to house a Blizzard Hockey Player for the upcoming 2010-2011 season.
Players in the North American Hockey League come from all corners of the
country and around the globe--last year alone the NAHL boasted players from
Canada, the Sweden and Slovakia, among others--and when they arrive in
Alexandria they need a place to live during the season. This is where host
families are very important, by performing the incredibly vital job of
providing Blizzard hockey players with a place to live while these young men
chase their dream of playing ice hockey at the collegiate and professional
levels.
Housing families invite these players into their homes to be a part of their
family for eight months out of the year. They are not a renter but a part of
your family.
The unique bonds your family will form with the player(s) you house last a
lifetime. It is not uncommon for players, years after their time in the league,
to keep in close contact with their former billet family: keeping them informed
of their collegiate, professional and family lives.
It is easy to become a housing family for Blizzard Hockey, with a few
requirements.
- Provide a separate private bedroom
- Daily meals/nutritional food for each player you house
- Players provide their own transportation and cell
phones.
Housing families are compensated $225 per player per month
to cover grocery expenses along with 2 season tickets per player for the
Blizzard Home Games.
Blizzard players report to Alexandria in late August/ Early September and stay
until the end of the regular season in late March. If the Blizzard qualify for
the playoffs--which they have the last three seasons, the players stay through
the end of the postseason, end of April beginning of May.
The players adhere to a strict set of rules while in Alexandria, rules which
are observed at the rink and at home. Family/ house rules are also part of the
guidelines for the boys.
Blizzard Hockey is looking for housing families, both short-term and long-term.
If you have questions or are interested in becoming a housing family, please
contact Housing Coordinator, Michaela Olson at (651) 283-2369 or email housing@alexandriablizzard.com.
Become a host family!!
Testimonials from a few of our host families:
"Our host experience was wonderful, we had two players, and with an "only child",...our son had "big brothers" for the first time. We loved the hockey too. Overall...It was great; we look forward to hosting again this year..." ~ The Berning Family
"We hosted Blizzard players last year for the first time. It was a beautiful experience. We had two players and they both were very different from each other. However, they both had their benefits. We have three kids who play hockey in our family. It was great to have older role models for our children to watch. The players fit into our lives and became part of our family. Bungee, our first player, played non-stop with the kids. He was a student at the tech college and the kids saw him working hard to be a good student as well as a hockey player. Our second player spent a lot of time playing hockey with our son and he even went to practice with him. We are excited to have players at our house again this year." ~ Kelly and Tom Wosepka
"We have been a host family for the Blizzard since its inaugural year. Each year we look forward to the beginning of the season/the arrival of our "host-son". We enjoy forming lasting relationships with the young men who call our address "home" for the length of time they are in Alexandria. Brandon moved into our home only 4 days ago and already we feel like he is a part of our family!" ~ Pam & John Messer
