Hello Friends of DinoMights. The blog has been temporarily moved to: http://dinomights.blogspot.com Currently, I will be posting every week day for the next 40 week days to tell the DinoMights story. Look for lots of fun. Games, Trivia, EVEN PRIZES! Please get involved in the new blog and tell everyone about it! Thanks, Scott

We wrapped up the year of tutoring with a trip to the Minnesota zoo and a grillout. The kids loved it!

For the second straight season the PeeWees captured a trophy in the competitive District One Playoffs. Trophies are awarded to the top three teams to emerge from a grueling double elimination tournament. This year's team survived to the last day of the season after playing five games in six days, and they earned third place.

Here are the players and their "nicknames" from the 07-08 PeeWees:

• Jalin "The Natural"
Any time. Any position."
• Callaway "Anxious-to-go Dino"
• Sam "It's tough to have a bad game when you play for the Dinomights!"
• Jesse – "Captain Dinomight"
• Sandy "The Show Must Go On!"
• Layana "Oh, am I bleeding? I'll take care of it later. I've got a hockey game to play."
• Janaya "I own the slot"
A great scorer from the front of the net!
• Joeny "Hustle Heart"
Always chasing the puck, always smiling and encouraging
• Kid Keenan
The fourth and final DinoMight in the Baynard Family posessing endless talent.
• Jacob "Cool as Ice"
Jacob is always cool under pressure, and he makes the most ridiculous moves look easy!
• Josh "Jarome Iginla"
The teams leading scorer does it with gritty toughness and intensity
• Michael "The Human Cannonball"
If you ask him what he likes most about hockey he'll tell you he loves to check.
• Levi "The Lover"

Today we took the DinoMights to Feed my Starving Children, and then had a "Winter Break Party."

18,000 children die of hunger EACH day. Feed my Starving Children is committed to feeding God's children both hungry in body and spirit. They provide a sense of hope and some sense of sustainability in many places around the world.

Feed My Starving Children

The DinoMights demonstrated their "off the ice" team work skills today as they packaged up meals.

Overall, it was a really powerful experience for the DinoMight youth to serve together.

Dear DinoMights Friends and Family,

As I am writing this letter, I am reflecting on almost ten years of coaching the DinoMights. I have plenty to reflect on because as some of you may know, tonight I coached my final game as a DinoMights coach. It was a tremendous blessing to see our Pee-Wee team take home the second place trophy and end the season on a positive note. After the Peewees showed courage and unity in defeating Langford in a thrilling 3-2 victory, the team presented me with a collage of pictures and signatures wishing me well and thanking me for the years I've spent as their coach.

I maintained my composure in the locker room after the game as any good coach would do, but as I left the rink and sat down in my car, I wept. I wept tears of joy and tears of sorrow as I reflected on how much this program has meant to me over the years. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many players, parents, and fellow coaches since the first Hockey in the Hood camp I attended in 1997 and I must admit I feel like I've been personally blessed and been given more than I've received over the years.

When I first knelt down at center ice for the 1997 Hockey in the Hood camp, I immediately felt like I was part of something special. As any hockey player could tell you, the hockey rink can be a difficult place to honor the Lord yet still keep the edge needed to play a fast-paced physical game. The DinoMights changed that for me and I am grateful that God brought me to the ice that summer so I could learn that the game could be coached and played in a way that would bless all involved. Words couldn’t adequately describe how I felt that summer but I knew one thing – the DinoMights was something I wanted to be a part of for a long time.

I am proud of this organization and I am proud of what it has become. John Foley has done an amazing job in starting this program with a dream, lots of prayer, and the support of volunteers, board members, tutors, and financial supporters. Without this supporting cast, the DinoMights would not be able to exist. I am also proud of where this organization is heading. Anyone who spends a few minutes with Scott Harman knows that his passion and enthusiasm for the students and the program will allow the DinoMights program to flourish well into the future.

As I join the esteemed ranks of former DinoMight coaches with Lawrence Wang, Kyle Christenson, Jay Lindsay, and Coach Abe, I hope to continue to be a part of the family by working with Scott to develop additional ways to keep "former" DinoMights involved in the program. Please pray for us as this idea continues to develop. I will have some adjusting to do as I transition from coach to spectator but I plan to be in the stands occasionally next year giving it my best shot.

In Him, Coach Mike