Jerrid: Well, last year was a good year. It was very exciting for me to come in as a rookie and be on such a good team and be as successful as we were. Too bad we couldn’t win the championship but, you know, you can’t really complain about the season we had. The players were really great to be around. None of them were jerks or anything. It was just all around fun last year.

Sarah: Can you talk about some of the feelings you had in that final game? I’m sure you guys went in kind of expecting to win the championship, and you guys had done so well throughout the whole tournament.

Jerrid: Well, pretty much all season I expected us to win, you know. That game just wasn’t really our game, but it was just more, you know, what do you play for all season? I figured we would have won the game, but I wasn’t over confident, no. Just the feeling of the loss was kind of, I don’t know, just left your stomach empty inside, you know, and you just wish you could play it all over again and wish we would have played better and all these things you wish you would have done differently. But there is only one game and anybody can win it, I guess.

Sarah: Even though you didn’t win the championship, you were happy with the outcome.

Jerrid: At the time I probably wasn’t too happy but now I look back on it and I am very happy with what we did last year and how good we were.

Sarah: What about your role on the team this year? Obviously, you are one of the few veterans. Can we talk about that?

Jerrid: Well, this year I have got to be a leader and help the team out when we’re down and try to make that extra point. I am not a very vocal person in the locker room, so I lead by example and hopefully the guys will follow me. Everybody has got to be a leader out there, too. I just try to be a role model for the other guys that don’t know what to expect.

Sarah: How do you feel the team has gotten along so far?

Jerrid: I would say we’ve had our ups and downs. Right now we’re probably at a very good up, I think. At the beginning of the season it was kind of slow getting all these different players, you know, we had eight high school kids come to our team this year, which happens very seldom. It is weird but now we’re getting along pretty good and we’re winning, which is the most important thing. We’re at an up right now for sure.

Sarah: Why don’t you talk a little bit about what it was like growing up and playing hockey.

Jerrid: Well, I grew up in Ramsey, Minnesota, which is considered part of Anoka. I went to Anoka High School. When I was little I loved hockey and I was out at the outdoor ice rinks. You would find me either at school or at the outdoor ice rinks up in Minnesota cause that is where everybody went when you were little and that was the fun thing to do. As I got older I kind of shied away from going to the ice rinks, but I still loved playing hockey. I was always on pretty good teams, you know. When we were pee wees we took second in the state, and when I was a bantam we took third. In high school we took second and fifth when I was a junior and senior. So I’ve had a pretty good childhood, I would say, and we’ve always had a winning season. I still have a lot of friends off those teams. Growing up with the same group of kids, it is kind of sad when you’re a senior and everybody goes their different ways, you know. It’s great memories that I have.

Sarah: What do you think of the Des Moines area? Is it vastly different than up in Minnesota?

Jerrid: It is pretty similar to it. Where I live there are more open areas. Other than that, the temperature is about the same and the atmosphere is pretty much the same. I am used to this. When some guys come from California, they are like, "What is this snow?" I am used to that stuff.

Sarah: What about your most embarrassing moment?

Jerrid: I tried to remember one when I had to do this earlier.

Sarah: Do you have a story that you could tell?

Jerrid: About something embarrassing?

Sarah: Embarrassing, or fun, anything. Something that is most memorable for you.

Jerrid: Well, I would say one of the most memorable moments I’ve ever had is when we went to the state championship for my senior year. There were 18,000 fans and that’s the most I’ve ever played in front of. That is what everybody dreams though growing up is going to the state hockey tournament. And then all the kids that didn’t make it are at the rink too just cheering whomever on. When you step on the ice, you can kind of look up and look around. It’s like we finally made it, you know. This is my last game as a high school player. Just all these thoughts are going through your mind. We’ve got to win this game. But that was definitely the most memorable moment I’ve had so far, I think.

Sarah: Could you actually recognize people up in the crowds?

Jerrid: No, not really. Like our school had a corner of the section. If they were close to the glass, you could see some people.

Sarah: It was just too big.

Jerrid: Yeah, it was very big.

Sarah: Who has been the most influential person in your life?

Jerrid: I would have to say probably, there are a couple of them. My brothers and my dad. Pretty much my whole family, I guess. My dad always wants me to be the best and don’t give up and do all this. My brothers, as I was growing up, they always would think, you know, like what is he going to be like when he gets older. I had to be good. They just hope the best for me and want to see me succeed. That inspires me a lot. My dad doesn’t want me to settle for anything less than what I’m capable of.

Sarah: It is good to have that type of support from your family. Is there anything you want to let anybody know?

Jerrid: Well, I would just like to say thanks to the fans. Des Moines is a great place to play. I think it’s the best rink to play in but probably because I am bias, you know. When you go over to Twin Cities and there’s not any fans cheering against you or for you, it is not half as what it’s like here. It just gets your adrenaline pumping and you just want to do so much better when the fans are with you and cheering for you. Thanks to the fans and the whole organization. It is a good one here and I like it.

December 1999