It is familiar ground for the Battlefords Midget Stars, they are once again searching for billet homes for their players.
Chairperson, Bruce Yockey said more will become clear as the exhibition season is played, but the Stars could be looking for as many as six more billets. Already, six players have billets lined up for the 2011-12 season, but Yockey says anywhere from three to six more players will need billets.
Some families have either cutback on the number of players they will be taking in while another family who billeted for the team in previous seasons has left the program after years as a billet including last season where three players were billeted to their house.
Some of the potential Midget Stars are away at WHL or SJHL camps this week, but Yockey said most will be in the Battlefords Tuesday and expected to start school and have no place to stay, that is why they need members of the community to step forward and open their houses to these players.
The Midget Stars, along with the Battlefords North Stars, have had many of the same billets for a number of years and are now searching for some new homes for the players.
According to Debbie Prescesky, the North Stars are fine again this year with the number of billets, but would always welcome new people who are interested. The North Stars need to house 25 players throughout the season and with a handful of local players and others doubling or even tripling up at houses in the Battlefords, she said the number is usually around 12 to 15 billet homes needed per season.
The North Stars have found some constituency, as their newest billets have been housing players for five years already, with the Prescesky's billeting for 28 years themselves.
Yockey said it is a transition faze for their billets, as some families have their own children who are getting older, while others may not have children of their own at home anymore, but would like to be able to come and go and watch their grandchildren and children play their own sports.
It is a comforting for the players' parents knowing they are leaving their young hockey players in good hands, as some of their children leave home for the first time at 14 or 15 and have to embrace a new home, new hockey team, new school and new community all at once.
"My billets (Kent and Kara Rosen) were very supportive," said former North Star Barrett Penner. "They were like second parents to me and now have become really good friends."
Many of the players and their billets have developed similar relationships and those who have been a billet see it as a rewarding experience and great way to help young men grow.
Battlefords Midget Stars billet homes receive a payment from the players family while with the North Stars, billets receive grocery coupons from the team to help feed and raise a young hockey player in their house for what could be eight months.
Yockey encourages anyone interested to contact him at his house at 445-3327 or his cell phone at 441-7783 ASAP.
