Chrystal's Story

    My name is Chrystal.  I'm 16 years old, and a New Jersey born 
girl.  I've lived in the same place my whole life.  Growing up so far 
has been hard.  As a teenager, I have had many troubles to endure, and 
many an obstacle to elude.   I've never really had many friends, 
because I never really wanted any more than I had.  I had my group of 
best friends and that's all that mattered to me.  I'm usually pretty 
quiet in school (But once you get to know me, and I you, you get to 
see a louder side of me that most people don't get to see.)  I've also 
never liked sports, which is pretty hard to believe if you know me or 
have read my entries on Mr. Tupper's Fan Forum.  The Trenton Titans 
have changed my life for the better, in so many ways.  The Trenton 
Titans are a wonderful influence on many young people.

    Jed Whitchurch changed my whole standpoint on sports.  Anytime 
I've watched sports on television or in person I've hated it.  
Honestly, I have no idea why, I just did!  I used to watch wrestling, 
but lately it has become so tiresome and tedious to me that I do not 
even waste my time with it.  I can't write that wrestling is not a 
real sport, because to some people it is.  I just don't find it 
interesting enough to watch anymore.  In fact, wrestling is the 
reason I even saw Jed Whitchurch.  That is why I'm so glad I didn't 
stop watching it sooner than I had because I would have never gotten 
to see Jed Whitchurch the way I had one day.  

    About a year ago, I went with some friends to the Sovereign Bank 
Arena in Trenton to get wrestling tickets.  It started to rain and we 
were all permitted inside the arena.  Well, it was incredibly boring 
until the Trenton Titans came out to practice.  Even then, I'll admit, 
I still thought it was somewhat boring.  But I did enjoy looking at 
all the attractive hockey players.  For this practice, they were all 
wearing their home game jerseys (with their real numbers and names on 
them).  Jed Whitchurch was number 20, Vince Williams number 2, Cail 
MacLean wore the number 10, Mike Hall had on number 13, Kam White was 
number 6, Sergei Skrobot was number 5, and so on.  

    I remember my eyes seemed to want to follow number 20.  He seemed 
to fascinate me so much.  Maybe it was because he is so young.  Maybe 
I seemed to be so fascinated with him because he is so cute.  Maybe I 
was so captivated with him because of the fact that he was so small 
compared to many of the other players, yet he still had the vigor and 
the determination to keep going.  Whatever the case, my eyes did not 
want to leave him.  I sat there freezing and watching the practice, it 
was so amazing.  I was truly mesmerized by the incredibly fancy 
footwork of these fine young men.  And I'll never forget the puck that 
was shot directly at my head.  As the adorable Jed Whitchurch skated 
by me, he shot a puck right at me.  By then, I was sitting right next 
to our penalty box with my face fairly close to the glass, staring at 
these men as they flew by me.  Completely satisfied with my startled 
reaction to his shot, Jed skated by me once more before their stretch.  
His huge smile and playfully gorgeous eyes seemed to be laughing at me 
and taunting me.  Their stretch was over, and the guys were skating 
once more.  Bruce Cassidy (then head coach) had left the ice, so the 
players were free to go when they pleased.  None of them left though.  
The players kept on practicing.  I can remember Jed skating by me a 
few times.  He looked so happy, yet so determined.  I suddenly 
realized why he must have been so determined: Jed Whitchurch (then 
#20) was a 5'10", 170-pound Center.  Many of the other men had a great 
height and/or weight advantage over him.

    A few minutes later, my friend showed up with the wrestling 
tickets and it was time for me to leave.  Little did I know I would be 
seeing these men in action very soon!  Over winter break of 
ninety-nine my family decided to go to a Trenton Titans game.  They 
bought a ticket for me and I refused to go.  (I still didn't like 
sports, even after seeing these men practice.)  My mom made me go to 
the game anyway, as a punishment.  The game we went to was the 
Millennium Game.  It was astonishing.  Seeing the Trenton Titans in 
action during a game was even more mesmerizing than seeing them in 
practice.  When I got to the Sovereign Bank Arena, I was in a horrible 
mood because I had been dragged there against my will.  When I left 
the arena, I was in a state of shock.  I couldn't believe how amazing 
the game was.  Even more, I couldn't believe the energy and the 
charisma of the Trenton Titans' Fans!  After that game, I attended a 
few more.  I became more and more attached to and fond of the team.  I 
bought a T-shirt and a flag at the souvenir stand at the Sovereign 
Bank Arena.  I began reading the articles in the newspapers, and 
collecting them.  I cut out pictures of the guys and put them up on my 
walls in my room.  My friends were so stunned that I had started to 
love a sport so much.  Sometimes, at lunch, I could sit there and 
discuss one game for the entire forty-six minutes we were in there.

    Finally, the end of the season had come and we were still playing!  
The Trenton Titans had made it to the playoffs in their inaugural 
season.  I went to almost every home playoff game.  If I didn't go 
with my family, I made one of my friends go with me.  I didn't want to 
miss one game.  Jed Whitchurch, Cail MacLean, Vince Williams, Benoit 
Morin, Kam White, Bujar Amidovski, and Mike Hall were my favorite 
players last year.  I made signs for Jed and Cail mostly.  My favorite 
sign was one where I had written: "Go Jed.... #20 is #1 in my eyes...I 
believe in YOU!"  During the pre-game skate, I took the signs down to 
the first row seats and stood right by the glass holding the signs 
(right where I knew Jed would see me).  He skated by a few times, 
never looking up.  But he knew I was there.  Some of the other players 
had seen the sign, and laughed.  I know Jed had seen it.  Finally, 
when they were about to go off the ice, Jed tapped the glass with the 
blade of his stick.  He skated away, and then came back.  When he came 
back, he tapped the glass again and said "Thank You."  When he did 
this, I felt so happy.  My eyes lit up and the biggest smile spread 
across my face.  You would have thought I'd just been handed a check 
for a million dollars or something as equally unbelievable.  That 
unbelievable feeling didn't end until the game was over, and we had 
lost to Peoria.  We lost the playoffs.  Even though it was a sad time 
for our Trenton Titans, it was still somewhat amazing.  Many people 
doubted the Trenton Titans would make it even close to the playoffs.  
In fact, I've read that many people were sure the Trenton Titans would 
come in last place for their division.  But the Trenton Titans proved 
them wrong, very wrong! 
 
    The Trenton Titans finished in second in the Northern Conference 
Division.  The Trenton Titans' inaugural season had come to an end.  
The next season began in October.   In the beginning of this current 
season, I've had some truly unforgettable experiences with the Trenton 
Titans.  For my 16th birthday, my dad got me out of school to go watch 
the team practice.  The team signed a hockey helmet that I had won 
during the previous season.  My dad took a picture of Jed Whitchurch 
and myself.  After that, he took a picture of Cail MacLean and myself. 
That was truly the most incredible birthday I've ever had!  But my 
unforgettable experiences don't end there.  I've gone to two other 
practices after that.  I have an entire roll of file (and then some) 
of myself with the players.  At one of these practices, one of Jed's 
sticks broke.  When he came off the ice, he signed it "To Chrystal, 
Best Wishes, Jed Whitchurch 21, XXOO."  That was the most amazing 
present I'd ever received.  (Thank You Jed)

    Something that really surprised me though was that these men were 
willing to stop and take a picture with some crazy teenage girl who 
adores them.  The Trenton Titans players are all so polite when 
speaking with them.  I thought, for male athletes, that they would be 
at least a little more rowdy and ill mannered, especially after a 
practice when they're all fired up.  But they weren't; they were 
perfect gentlemen.  Each and every player that I asked to stop and 
take a picture with me did just that.  Some of them even stayed longer 
to talk, and most of them actually thanked me for being such a loyal 
fan and coming to their practices to show my support of the team.  
That was truly amazing.

    Now, here below is a letter to all of the Trenton Titans, former, 
current, and new.  

Dear Trenton Titans:

    You may not notice, but you bring so much happiness into people's 
lives.  Not just because you're all wonderful hockey players, but 
because you are all wonderful men.  All different ages of people 
appreciate the things you do for them.  To see the sparkle in a young 
child's eyes when they get a high five from one of you is one of the 
most joyous things you'll ever experience in life.  To see the way you 
touch people's lives as role models is so amazing.  From my own 
personal experience with you as a team and as individual people, I 
have learned that you are all very nice and respectable.  You stopped 
after one of your practices to take pictures with me.  I thank each 
and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.  Below you will find 
a Thank You if you are one whom truly touched my heart.  I hope you 
remember what I'm speaking about here!  

To all of the players that took time out to hug me and talk to me: 
Thank You!  You'll never know the feeling that I had when you 
hugged me.

To Jed: Thank You for everything you've ever done (your hugs, your 
hockey stick, the pictures, the phone call and just for being YOU).

To Vince: Thank You for your pictures and the phone call.

To Kam: Thank You for the phone call.

To Ian: Thank You for the pictures and thank you for signing the one.  
(I still get a kick out of looking at how short I am compared to you!)

To Cail: Thank You for the pictures (I miss you so much).

To the team behind the team (Mr. Troy Ward, Mr. Mike Haviland, Mr. 
Stephan Lipinski, and Mr. Jim Carey): Thank You for everything, you're 
all great!  No body ever gives you guys "thanks" for doing everything 
that you do to make our Trenton Titans the BEST TEAM IN THE ECHL.

Sincerely Yours,

Chrystal