Monday, March 27, 2006 - 10:50PM

Well I'm back at UNH, and my mind is racing! I've spent the day trying to gather my thoughts on this year's weekend in Canada. I am mentally and physically exhausted! In fact, my teacher sent me home early from my lesson because I had no focus, and was playing so terribly! Luckily, he understood. With a full night's sleep, hopefully I'll be able to pull myself together again!

We packed 3 coach busses with 159 people Thursday night and pulled out of the Pilgrim Lanes parking lot at 6:15PM EST. After 14 hours of driving including 2 pit stops, customs, and breakfast, we arrived at our hotel at 9:30AM AST Friday morning.

I had the pleasure of going out to lunch on Friday afternoon with my dad Bart, Art MacMillan- the owner of the Bowlarama chain, and Bruce Stephen- who ran the old bowling shows up in Canada. What an honor it was to talk with these fine gentlemen. With the help of Mr. Stephen, we are hoping to get the new Candlepins for Dollars TV show on the air in Canada. Let's hope it works out. We shared some memories and talked a little business. He sure knows what he's talking about!

As far as I'm concerned, Art MacMillan is one of (if not THE) nicest, and smartest people I have ever met. He knows the game and knows how to do business. What a spectacular host he was all weekend. Not only did he pay for our lunch, but he spent the weekend helping us out, running us around, giving directions, shuttling people between bowling centers on Saturday, etc. Not to mention giving my bus an escort to South Centre so I didn't get us lost again this year so we showed up on time! I can't say enough good things about Art. As much controversy there may be around him, he's still #1 in my book. He is most gracious. Thanks, Art for all your help and hospitality once again!

Dinner Friday of pasta, meatballs, salad, and bread was phenomenal! Thanks to all that helped make happen and who made it run so smoothly! Special thanks goes out to Chuck Bonanno who shared his expertise in the kitchen for hours that afternoon and Marianne Kelly who made the sauce. It was fantastic, and we saved hundreds of dollars from last year when we had cold cuts (which were pretty horrible!)

The kids had a blast at the swimming pool Friday night. Between the 4 water slides, the diving board, rope swing, and hot tub, I think everyone kept busy! (By the way, I DID retain my title as highest jumper of the rope swing!)

Saturday was absolutely fantastic. Our kids were so pumped up to bowl, they were yelling and cheering before we even started! Let me just take a second to thank my coaching staff at South Centre. Without all of you, I never would have been able to do everything. My Assistant Head Coach Chuck Desrosiers was my go to guy all day. Whenever something came up that I wasn't sure I could handle, he was on it. He caught a few mistakes that were made during the day, and because of his help, everything ran so much smoother. Thanks for all your help at the bowling center and on the bus Chuck, I couldn't have done it without you! Another HUGE thanks goes out to Marianne Kelly who put in all the scores and was in charge of making sure the kids were fed all day long and that everything happened when it should. She is so organized, and I would have forgotten tons of stuff if not for her. Not to mention Mary-Lynne Maderios, Beth Joyce, Joe Vega, Stacey Forte, Gary Carrington, and all the parents who helped throughout the day. You guys really are awesome!

Thanks to the staff at South Centre as well! Linda is an absolute doll, and really made everything run on smoothly and on schedule. There were a few format issues and she and I worked together as a team to come to a consensus that was best for everyone. Thank you Linda and staff! Of course I have to thank all the Canadian bowlers and parents who were so gracious to our group all day. You guys are great to be around, and I know most all of the American parents enjoyed your company. Thanks for your wonderful hospitality!

Now how about our kids? We saw some FANTASTIC bowling! What a thrill it was to watch our M4 team work together and pick each other up throughout the match. You guys did great! How about those girls, huh? Boy were they loud! They never stopped cheering and yelling for each other. That's the kind of sportsmanship we are so proud of. The boys were no different. I got to witness our kids cheering for each other and cheering for the kids, and the Canadians did likewise. You Canadian bowlers are just as great! Thanks for all your support! You have some excellent bowlers, and you all showed great sportsmanship. It wouldn't be as much fun without you! Here's to many years to come!

As for the group in general, nobody gave up on themselves or each other, which is really important. I'm so proud of each and every one of our ICYBA kids. I've never seen so many smiles in one day! I didn't see any tears, just excitement. This is why I do what I do, and I'm sure the rest of our staff will agree with me. You guys have earned a great reputation and you all have bright futures! Thank you to everyone for such a great day of bowling on Saturday. I know I will remember it all year long! I'm sure Bart will eventually reflect on his day at Woodside when he gets a chance. I can't speak for him.

The dance Saturday night was a blast! We had tons of people dancing, talking, mingling, playing cards, bowling and just having a blast! Thank you to South Centre for hosting this event. That Bart is one crazy character, isn't he!? He showed once again that he's got the moves (we have plenty of blackmail photos!)

Thanks for everyone's cooperation on the bus as well. I know it's a long trip, and we had some problems with the temperature, but I did the best I could. I tried to make everyone happy. Thank you especially to Mary Wall and Chuck Desrosiers for all your help on the bus. You guys made it happen!

A big thank you to Dale and Maria Angelotti of Pilgrim Lanes for all their help and support! You saw first hand the fun those kids had all weekend long. Without you, along with Sil, they wouldn't have such a fantastic opportunity!

Without question, the biggest thanks I want to give goes to my dad, Bart Maderios, who is mainly responsible for this trip. Without him it simply would not happen. He is one of the most organized people I've ever known, if not the most organized. He works year round to make this happen for the kids. He puts in hours and hours and hours or planning, making phone calls, and working out the details. Most of you will never know just how much work he puts into it, and how much it takes to make it happen. Not to mention that while he was planning this trip he was simultaneously getting the new Candlepins for Dollars TV show off the ground in addition to his day job. And he doesn't get a dime for his work with this organization; in fact he SPENDS his own money and time on the kids. Most often, he won't even take the credit, but push it off to someone else. On behalf of the ICYBA, thank you Bart, dad, for everything you do for this organization! You are the BEST!

Thank you for your patience with this post, I know it is very lengthy. To be honest I could probably write for hours. There are so many stories to be told, I encourage you, if you didn't get to go, ask someone who did how it was.

I will be posting the results and photos as soon as I can, hopefully this week. I'll be juggling this with schoolwork, so please bear with me. Keep an eye out on www.ICYBA.org! Feel free to send me an email regarding the trip at Andrew@icyba.org. I'd love to hear your thoughts, reactions and feedback. Don’t forget to submit possible questions for our annual questionnaire to NRGBunni@aol.com!

Thank you again everybody for another successful trip!

-Andrew Maderios