3518 E. Tonto Drive
Gilbert, Arizona 85298
February 22, 2008
Reebok / CCM
3400, Raymond-Lasnier
Montréal (Québec) H4R 3L3
CANADA
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Jared Swanson, I am 10 years old and I live in Gilbert, AZ. I love hockey but it is extremely expensive to play, especially in Arizona. My main focus is to become a NHL net minder when I grow up. I love hockey with a passion but, I do not get to play ice hockey until they finish building the new Gilbert Polar Ice Arena. All I am able to do now is play street hockey everyday with my neighbors and brothers. Whenever I can not play hockey outside I am in my room perfecting my skills and working on the stretching.
Every day my brother tells me to suit up in my goalie pads and I rush out and strap in and get in the zone. We play for hours on end everyday. Right now I have black, blue, and white Bauer leg and hand pads which I’m starting to grow out of. I like Reebok pads a lot more than Bauer, but I got those for my birthday so I don’t complain. I am grateful that I have those, but my protective pants have such little padding I get bruises on my legs whenever I get hit by a slapshot. My helmet is cracking from the impact of my older brother’s shots, but it still protects my noggin from getting totally pounded.
My idols are Marty Turco and Patrick Roy, they are two great goalies. I watch all of Turco’s games and watch clips of Roy’s games. My dad’s work has season tickets to the Phoenix Coyotes as we are big fans of them. We try to make it to most of the games and usually end up going to less than half. When we’re there I constantly study the goalies and how they move and play. I tend to drive my parents crazy with my comments about this save or that move.
Whenever my neighbors and brothers are busy and I can’t play hockey I am on the computer making my own pad designs. I start with a rectangle in paint and just make all sorts of different designs. When I run out of...