The Underwater Loon

Results of 2009 National Underwater Hockey Tournament

2009-06-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

1. Club Puck A
2. San Diego
3. LA
4. U of FL
5. 3 Corners
6. Ripple Effect
7. Cincinnati
8. DC
9. San Francisco
10. Dal/Hou
11. Minneapolis Loons
12. St. Paul Loons
13. Connecticut
14. New Jersey
15. Chicago A
16. GMU
17. U of I
18. MSU
19. Roger Bacon Varsity
20. Club Puck B
21. GT
22. Chicago B
23 Roger Bacon Junior Varsity

Light Rail Construction Plan extra time on Sunday if returning to airport

2009-06-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

Portion of Hiawatha Line closed June 26-29

Route 55 buses will replace trains between 46th Street Station and Mall of America Station from 11 p.m. on Friday, June 26, through 3:30 a.m. on Monday, June 29, due to construction.

Buses will operate more frequently than trains, but bus trips will take longer than train rides. Metro Transit staff will be at key rail stations to direct customers to bus service. Posters will also give instructions on where to catch Route 55 buses.

Trains will operate normally elsewhere along the Hiawatha Line.

http://www.metrotransit.org/

Day Camp-O-Rama- SIGN UP ON POOL DECK

2009-06-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Loons will be hosting day camp-o-rama on the St. Croix River, A National Scenic River and a jewel on the MN/WI border, http://www.nps.gov/sacn/, . We will travel from the Radisson at 10 am Monday by private cars to Kurt Allen’s beach house just south of Hudson and 45 minutes from the airport. There are two modes of transport back to the airport so various departure times should be easily accommodated. Take a look at info below.

A variety of water craft including an 18’and a 27’ catamaran, windsurfer, canoe and various inflatable toys will be available to relax on. Since the party is being held on the WI side we’ll be serving Bratwurst (probably some burgers and hot dogs too). Of course a variety of salads and snacks and soft drinks will be served up as well.

The cost will be limited to food, drink and return transportation. Food and drink will be $15/head, $6/ child. Transportation will be $25 or less back to the airport. See info below.
There are two ways to get to the airport:
a) Taxi Service. With 24 hours notice and cash, taxi service from Hudson, WI is appx. $53. Metered it is $65. That is per taxi, so up to 4 people could share. If people are organized, this can be the cheapest way.
b) Van Service from Hudson http://www.chippewavalleyairportservice.com/
This is $25/person. Rides are first come, first served and vans carry up to 7 people. I would expect that on a Monday they would not be terribly busy. This is a fixed schedule.

Captains Meeting/Start of Tournament

2009-06-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

The tournament rules can be found on the Captains meeting information. Please read this information.

The Captain's Meeting will be at 8:45 am in the north stairwell at the Aquatic Center.

Warm-up for the first game will start at 10:00 am.

Raffles, Raffles, Raffles

2009-06-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

We will be raffling items off during the tournament. Check the Jumbrotron for your name to see if you are a winner. If you are a winner please bring a photo ID to the LOON Bin to redeem your prize. Entry into the raffle will be from the team roster.

This year we have the following items to Raffle-

$25 Leisure Pro Gift Cards
$10 Sally Gift Cards (Place of the Symposium)
Set of Happy Hooker Sticks
An Underwater Hockey Bag- Made just for our Sport!!!
Super Big Beach Towels

If you have an item you would like to Raffle please stop by the Loon Bin.

WAIVERS REQUIRED AT START OF TOUNAMENT

2009-06-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Team Contacts are responsible to turn in ALL the signed waivers for their team. This must be done Friday before the start of the tournament. If a team needs a waiver at the tournament they will be charged $1.00 for the waiver and then they will be responsible to go to Kinko’s and make copies for their team.

Charges for a Waiver-

MN Waiver- $1.00
Video Release- $1.00
USOA Waiver - $1.00

(Each team will only get one copy of each waiver- Max fee $3.00 and than you have to go to Kinko’s to make copies. Kinko’s is across from the Radisson)

Avoid this fee by going to our web site and downloading the waivers now!

Hockey 101

2009-06-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hockey Players,

What a great response so far for our referee 101 section on our website at usauwh.com. Thanks for looking over the hand signals and taking the quiz. If you haven't done so, please do so as soon as possible. Our hope is to have everyone playing at Nationals to have a better understanding of the common hand signals used during competition. It is one small step, of many to come, to improve the understanding of the rules that govern our game. In turn, we hope that our overall level of play will also improve. Please put both your first and last name along with your email in the fields provided. They by no means will be used for any other purposes. Go to the website, study the information, take the quiz. It is that easy. Hope to see you at Nationals
Tom & Patty Redig
Development Directors
US Underwater Hockey

Day-Camp-O-Rama

2009-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

If you plan on attending Day-Camp-O-Rama (see Blog below) please e-mail us your name, team name and cell phone number. We'll get you on the sign up sheet. If you're still undecided there is time to sign up at the Loon Bin during the tournament.

E-mail- flinguwh@yahoo.com

National T-shirt Order

2009-06-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

The pre-order time for t-shirts is closed. There will be some extra shirts for sale on the pool deck.

Underwater Hockey Symposium

2009-06-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

Please plan on attending our 2nd Annual Underwater Hockey Symposium at Sally's on Friday, June 26th. Sally's is right across the street from the Radisson. The program will start promptly at 8:00. Get there early for dinner, at your expense, and socializing. This year's program will include:

8:00 - 8:30 Discussion about the New Governing Board - Kendall Banks

8:30 - 9:00 Referee 101 - Phil Hickey

9:00 - 9:30 Playing both ends of the Advantage Puck - Doug Roth

Also, continue to encourage your players to vote for the logo that will represent U.S. Underwater Hockey. The logos can be found on the USA Underwater Hockey website at usauwh.com.

Looking forward to seeing you at Nationals.

Development Board

Teams for Nationals

2009-05-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

In this economy we thought the team count would be down. However, the opposite happened. We have 23 teams registered for Nationals. Guess it's a Recession Recess!!

Here are the teams:
MSU
San Diego
San Francisco Sea Lions
St. Paul Loons
U of Fl.
U of I
3 Corners
NJ Hammerheads
Ripple Effect
Roger Bacon Varsity
Roger Bacon Junior Varsity
Cincinnati
Chicago Deep Dish
Chicago Hot Dog
SA- Assisted Living
SA- Gated Community
Connecticut
Dal/Hou
DC Bottom Feeders
GMU/DC
GT Swordfish
LA
Minneapolis Loons

Day-Camp-O-Rama

2009-05-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

On Monday, June 29 we will be heading to the St. Croix River for day-camp-o-rama. Our local player, Kurt, has a place on the river. We will enjoy the day by sitting on the beach, sailing, bbqing, canoeing and general beach fun.

Minnesota team members will shuttle day-campers to the place. We are working on the transportation back, which may be a airport shuttle or a drive back from a local. The ride from the river to the airport is about an hour.

Minnesota will get the beverages and food. Payment will be determined by the number of participants.

You can e-mail us, flinguwh@yahoo.com, to let us know your interested in attending. Or sign-up by the end of the day on Saturday at the "Loon Bin" poolside.

Just a reminder...

2009-05-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

COMPLETED ROSTER/PAYMENT FORMS ARE DUE VIA E-MAIL ON SUNDAY, MAY 24 -5:00 PM (CENTRAL TIME). flinguwh@yahoo.com LATE ENTRIES MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCEPTED DEPENDENT ON THE NUMBER OF TEAMS.

THE HARD COPY OF THE ROSTER/PAYMENT FORM AND ALL FEES ARE DUE VIA MAIL BY FRIDAY, MAY 29.

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

2009-05-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

-The deadline for reservations at the Radisson has been extended to June 1.

-The deadline for reservations at the Days Hotel ends Monday, May 25.

Last minute information....

2009-05-13T12:17:00.001-07:00

In the day's leading up to the tournament and during the tournament there will likely be some last minute information posted to the blog. Be sure and check back often for the most current information regarding the 2009 Nationals.

We have a t-shirt design...

2009-05-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

And this year you will be able to order the t-shirt in a women's or men's style.

Snowshoe Weekend 2009

2009-03-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hot Tub Party!

2009-02-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Laurie!

2008-12-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Tag suit.... the guys on our team are all now tag less...

A delicious cake made by Karen enjoyed at our usual Wednesday night gathering spot.

I would never divulge another woman's age so we will just say Happy Birthday Laurie. Pictures do say a thousand words though...

Testing Testing...

2008-04-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

Today the Minnesota Loons have a blog to help them tell the world what they are up to!

What is Underwater Hockey you ask? Well, just in case you have come upon this blog by accident and are confused...

Underwater hockey is a fast moving game that quickly builds swimming and free diving capability. It is played on the bottom of a 6-8 feet swimming pool by two teams of six. Players wear fins, mask, snorkel, a protective glove and headgear (the same kind as for water polo).

The stick is short, approximately 1 foot long and made of wood or plastic polymer. The puck is heavy, around 3 lb. and coated with a protective layer of hard plastic. The goals are 3 meters (9’) long.

Play and strategy is similiar to soccer or ice hockey except that the playing surface is at the bottom of a pool. The rules are "non-contact" and players generally cover zones around the puck. Success (scoring) ultimately depends on teamwork, since no single person can hold her breath forever.

Play is fast and exciting - you go at it hard while holding your breath. The sport offers great cross-training for scuba divers, runners, swimmers, and bikers. Plus, because it's non-contact and underwater, people of different sizes and genders play on an equal field.