Anyone who knows me knows how much Vandal hockey has consumed my life over the last four years. The amount of my time, money and energy that has been spent on late night practices, games, long weekend road trips is immeasurable. Bonding with some of the greatest teammates I have come to call family is a true blessing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Since I came to the University of Idaho, Vandal hockey has been nothing short of absurdity, but with it came the greatest opportunity to play a sport I have loved since I first laced up for practice some 15 years ago.
Practicing and playing games in a ¾ sized ice rink covered by a domed tent, with limited locker room space and one bathroom is hard enough. Doing it at a college level is something else entirely.
But, every year, I am absolutely floored with the passion and resilience displayed by our team to commit to the sport that they want to play, and how much our fanbase cares each time we have an exhibition home game in the Palouse Ice Rink. Not only that, I am amazed at the support we receive from Vandals everywhere who come to our away games, whether it is one hour away or six.
We may be a club team, but words cannot express the love and appreciation we have for the Vandal Nation, and we strive every year to be the hockey team you deserve.
For the boys, this team and our fans mean everything to us. All we want to do is give them the season they deserve, in the rink they deserve, as a collegiate hockey team. From the first moment I stepped foot in the locker room for Vandal hockey, I could feel the spirit, the history and the passion involved with this team, and it still remains four years later.
I ask you, for the boys, for the Palouse Ice Rink, the City of Moscow, the UI and the Vandal Nation, to please consider donating to the Palouse Ice Rink now more than ever.
While the building may already be purchased, it has a long way to go before it can be renovated into a real ice rink, and we simply do not have the funding now to do so. This upcoming season will my last year as a player, and it has been my honor to serve as club president, and for the boys to embrace me as an alternate captain for the last two years. I will spend the rest of my life attempting to give back to them what they have given me. Hopefully, I can start the process of giving back before I graduate, with your support, because I cannot begin to imagine the joy that can be created for them, our fans and the rest of the Moscow, Pullman and Lewiston community.
Sincerely, Wyatt Tatakis, #15
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