Parent Submitted: Rob Gunderson (Sr.)

A Parents Perspective on UAA
I feel compelled to state my opinion of our son’s situation – in the fall of 2010 he began his NCAA experience as a Freshman Goaltender with the UAA Seawolves. My motivation is from two directions, one of extreme gratitude and another of distaste for others historical opinions of the UAA program in general.

Why he picked UAA
As with all of us adults, Student Athletes also have choices to make that will affect their entire futures. Depending upon their athletic level, they can be inundated with numerous colorful packages and inviting words from many NCAA Institutions. This was the situation our son found himself in during the 2009/10 year. 

Being slightly well-versed in separating fact from fiction, I thought the ‘sifting’ process would be a good role for me to take in this whole affair. We received many ‘packages’ from teams who had obviously spent a fortune on advertising aimed at lighting up a young man’s eyes and hopefully luring them into, what appeared to be, the the best place on earth to go to school and play NCAA hockey. 

So what did we do?…we waited….. UAA was the first program to actually ‘talk’ to us and that meant two things to me. Firstly, UAA were interested enough to take the time to put the personal touch to their recruitment process and, secondly, they were actual people of whom we felt very comfortable asking questions and they were forthcoming with answers. 

Definitely, the coaching staff and the administration support in the UAA program are second to none that we have had any dealings with. That is a powerfully encouraging statement for a parent to make because, as parents in these situations, we have to entrust our most precious resources to the care of other people. Believing whole-heartily in the people and systems available to your child is simply a great feeling as you watch them board the plane to leave on this adventure.
 

Were we wrong?
This is a good question. One would think, judging from all the negative opinions of the UAA hockey program that we had made a bad choice. Unfortunately, the people who get the press usually have no idea what they are talking about and their opinions are based on something else someone said sometime in their life. 

My recommendation guys…..Do your research;  become informed, we did and we made the best choice!! …..We were fortunate enough to have a couple of great connections to the program to use as resources when doing our initial research. I called a friend named Dan Urness. Dan and his wife Murphy, who is a native Alaskan, met while he was playing for the Seawolves (he started in 1970 and is one of Brush C’s best friends). Dan was our next door neighbor when Rob was born but, at that time, we didn’t know he would play a role in this decision at all. 

Dan speaks glowingly about the program and has just retired from teaching, made possible by his Education Degree from UAA.  As a side note: Dan has driven back and forth from Southern Alberta to Alaska 37 times in his life and suggests that it is the most beautiful drive anyone can take. Also, Rob had played with Jade Portwood during his Brooks Bandits days in the AJHL and Jade had moved on to UAA. So, Rob phoned Jade in Victoria and asked him his opinion of the program before making his decision. Jade said “Gundy, you would have to have rocks in your head not to come here to this program”. 

So, now, our son has literally ran up and down mountains while training with his team this season, he has preempted me on Skype to check out the Salmon splashing up the creek behind his dorm. He has seen Moose several times right on campus and has experienced Alaskan hospitality and traditional food. One simply cannot buy this type of adventure while going to school anywhere else.  Enough said…………The players/students love the people, the program, the environment and the school (probably in that order)!! But do the parents?
 

“I may never go to Alaska”
Until parent weekend in February of 2011, I doubted that I would ever go to Alaska. Interestingly, I have two, first-cousins in the Anchorage and Homer area and had never been to that part of the world. We came up for parent weekend looking forward to a dark, cold place with tons of snow – oops! 

First Impressions - Alaska could be the most beautiful place on the face of the earth!! If you have not been there…Go!! This was the dead of winter and I was completely in awe of my surroundings. Rob had said he couldn’t believe the environment when he arrived in the fall and I just thought “yah, he’s young”. But, for lack of a better word…WOW!! and everything that goes with that. 

Parent weekend was awesome, what a bunch of great people, the blueliners, the boosters and the long time fans. It gave us a chance to talk with all the coaching staff as well and, I am pleased to report that they are still the same. Imagine that! They have not changed since the first time we talked with them a couple of years ago and that, my friends, is the essence of a genuine person – a person you can count on and not have to wonder if there is some underlying agenda. If at all possible, we will be attending all the parent weekends while our son is with the Seawolves and we are already planning to get to Alaska this summer as well. My new prediction is “I might just stay in Alaska someday”.
 

For anyone who is thinking about an opportunity to play NCAA Div 1 hockey in the best league that  amateur sport has to offer, I suggest doing your research on the UAA program and everything it has that others simply cannot reproduce. I believe I can speak for all the parents of this batch of UAA hockey players when I say that the fanciest arenas and sparkly city lights cannot begin to provide anywhere near the experience that the UAA program can.
 

This has been an unpaid advertising for UAA Hockey, completely unsolicited from an obviously amateur writer and I stand by every word.

-Rob Gunderson (Sr.)-