11/4/98

Sarah: You are from North Pole, Alaska. Right?

Josh: Right.

Sarah: So where exactly is that?

Josh: It is about ten miles south of Fairbanks.

Sarah: Have you lived there all of your life?

Josh: Yeah.

Sarah: What is it like up there?

Josh: It is pretty nice. Winters are kind of harsh but summers are really, really nice.

Sarah: Are they? I have heard it is suppose to be really cold up there.

Josh: Yeah.

Sarah: I have always wanted to visit, but we have never gotten the chance to. We have had a lot of players come out of Alaska. What is hockey like up there?

Josh: It is pretty good.

Sarah: Is it big?

Josh: It is not too big, but it is probably one of the bigger sports in Alaska.

Sarah: Well, I do not know if you know Bob Revermann.

Josh: I know Bob real well.

Sarah: Do you really? Can you tell me how you came to play here in Des Moines?

Josh: Well, I was playing for the Soo Hawks last year and Des Moines protects them. I was one of the players they protected, so I had pretty much no choice.

Sarah: So how did you come to play for the Soo Hawks then?

Josh: My older brother played for the Electricians, which is in Marquette, Michigan. We just have some ties between those two, so I kind of followed him.

Sarah: Where did you start playing?

Josh: I started in North Pole.

Sarah: Did you play high school hockey there?

Josh: Yeah, I played one year of high school during my freshman year. I didn’t play hockey for a whole season because I broke my leg. Then I went and tried out for the Omaha Lancers. I made the team and then they kind of released me. They told me they wanted me to play for the Alaska All Stars because they protected the Alaska All Stars. Then I talked to the coach of the Soo Hawks, and he said I should go there because Des Moines protects the Soo.

Sarah: What do you think of Des Moines so far?

Josh: I love it! I like it a lot!

Sarah: Do you?

Josh: Yep.

Sarah: What do you like best about it?

Josh: My housing parents’ food!

Sarah: That is good! What have you learned so far from the Bucs?

Josh: I get along with people a lot easier now, more open. I used to be a pretty shy person, but all these people coming up and talking to you. You have got to be pretty talkative.

Sarah: Yeah, you do.

Josh: So I guess I have learned that. That is pretty much it.

Sarah: Do you find it hard to talk to people?

Josh: Well, I used to but it is getting a lot easier.

Sarah: I am sure you enjoy it. There has to be a lot of people who come and talk to you now.

Josh: Yeah, there is.

Sarah: Do you find that people recognize you?

Josh: Yeah, they are starting to, slowly.

Sarah: That has to be pretty encouraging. Do you have a favorite hockey team?

Josh: Not really. No, not in the NHL. Mike McDonald is probably my favorite player. He plays for Dallas so that is probably the team I would go for.

Sarah: I noticed you have not been playing a whole lot this season. Does that bother you?

Josh: Yeah, it is bothering me a lot. I am actually out with injuries. I am having surgery on Friday.

Sarah: Can I ask what it is?

Josh: Yeah, it is my shoulder.

Sarah: What did you do to it?

Josh: I tore some cartilage in it. It could be pretty bad.

Sarah: After surgery, what do they think?

Josh: Two to four weeks of recovery or three to four months of recovery.

Sarah: That is not encouraging. Well, I hope you get better then. It cannot be fun not being able to play. What would you like to do in the future? I read in the program that you wanted to be teacher.

Josh: Yeah. First play college hockey and then maybe become a teacher.

Sarah: Why did you choose that?

Josh: I do not know. I think it would be a good career in a way. I did not like school at all though; I hated school. But on the other hand, I can see a teacher has pretty much a good job. I like my summers to myself.

Sarah: That would be nice. My dad loved being a teacher. That is what he was. He always wants to go back to doing that again so he would have summers off.

Josh: Right, that is why. I would Golf and go fishing.

Sarah: Do you have any particular hobbies you enjoy?

Josh: Fishing.

Sarah: Tell me a little bit about your family.

Josh: I have got a brother who plays in the league. He plays for the Sioux City Musketeers. He is going to UAA on pretty much a full ride. My little brother is a basketball player. He had to quit hockey cause he has asthma. The cold weather was not good on his lungs, so he had to play a warmer sport. My dad is a biologist and works for fish and game. My mom is an office manager for orthopaedic surgeons.

Sarah: What would you like to tell the fans, and what would they be surprised to know about you?

Josh: I want to be a teacher. Are you surprised? They would probably be surprised that I like to read but only at night before I go to bed. It helps me go to sleep. The fans are great here. I love them! They are really good. I like them a lot.