Feb. 20, 2008

As a high school senior in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Bowling Green freshman forward David Solway faced a difficult decision; to give up on hockey and focus on his education or continue working hard to play the sport he loves. Always being told he was too small or missing that special something, Solway knew his dream wasn't going to come easy.

Living My Dream
By David Solway

I started out playing hockey at the age of two at the local rink in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I was inspired by my father Mike Solway and childhood hockey idol Brett Anderson to begin playing hockey. Growing up in Green Bay, I always got to watch the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL and made a dream for myself to play junior hockey someday and maybe even play in college if I could make it.

I played youth hockey in Green Bay and went on to play for the Junior Gamblers Midget AAA team in my high school years. Green Bay is not as heavily scouted like other hockey hot beds such as Minnesota or the likes of the AAA teams in Michigan so it was time to make a decision if hockey or school was more important.

This decision was whether I was going to work extra hard and continue to see how far I could go to reach my dream, or give up on hockey and attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, my choice of school for an education. I knew if I gave up all the hard work I put in that I would be second guessing myself for my whole life, so I had to give it a shot.

In my senior year I went on to try out for several teams in the North American Hockey League and locally the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Every team said I was too small or was missing something to make their teams so I gave it one last chance at the Santa Fe Roadrunners tryout camp. This was literally the last NAHL open camp in the country so I knew I had to do something special or I was going to college that next fall. Scott Langer, their head coach, took notice and took a chance on me as their last pick and has literally forwarded me on my hockey career today.

After a great season in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the NAHL where I had to work extra hard just to stay on the team, I got the chance to play in the USHL as I was drafted in the 13th round by Sioux Falls. Once again another coach took a chance on me. Personally, I knew that this was my chance to fulfill my dreams. As the summer passed, I made the team in Sioux Falls, went on to become Assistant Captain, got to play in my hometown of Green Bay against the Gamblers, and eventually won the Clark Cup National Championship with present Bowling Green teammates Dan Sexton and Patrick Tiesling.

All of this dreaming, hard work and the will to love the game of hockey have fulfilled my dream to play college hockey and now possibly even pro. If I would have given up I would be a junior in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison right now as a basic student, but instead I am more than happy to be at Bowling Green State University playing college hockey. I credit all of my former coaches along with my family overall who have propelled me to where I am today. I have learned to never stop dreaming because it can take you so many places.