Whats up! my name is Chad Ortega, and Believe it or not, I used to play ice hockey! by looking at my height or my build, you would of never have guessed. I'm an average height Filipino guy at about 5"7 and only weighing 140 pounds. When you think of an ice hockey player, you picture tall and built, and I think thats why I excelled at it so much: because I pushed myself to do well and people always underestimated my ability to body check someone bigger than me!

I grew to love the sport when I was in the 6th grade and played for 4 years. I initially started because it was different. Living in the Bay Area of California, no one really played ICE hockey. I wanted to be physically fit and have fun at the same time. playing Ice Hockey with the Berkeley Bears pretty much became my anti-drug. it kept me busy, but in a good way. I practiced both on and off the ice (with the help of rollerblades) and spent many summer nights practicing my slap shot against my garage driving my parents crazy! I unfortunately had to stop half way through high school because I had to put academics first as student government became my bigger focus.

The thing I like most about playing sports are my team mates and the bonds you get to build as a team. I not only saw these boys as my team memebers but also as my brothers. I got a lot of support from them with school, athletics, and building skills. I would definitely pick up playing again if it werent so expensive! but what ever sport you play, always keep up the passion and the drive and find that motivation that keeps you going!