Russ Rankin:

I have had a busy and successful career in music for most of my adult life but I was always a huge hockey fan and began educating myself on the nuances of the game long before I knew I was doing it. When I stumbled across SMWW something clicked and I saw an opportunity to channel my passion for and knowledge of the game into a possible career. The SMWW course was amazing; I learned so much about the history of the game and about the events in hockey history which served to shape and define the landscape of the modern game and the labor issues which have confronted it recently. The weekly chats were also great and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with my fellow students and firing questions at the scouts who moderated the sessions. Their insights were invaluable in helping me to decide that I could be a successful scout. The SMWW course gave me the confidence to pursue a career in hockey and now I am the California/Western U.S. Regional Scout for the Kootenay Ice Hockey Club of the Western Hockey League.