Your Moharimet days will soon be in the rear view mirror as you move up the ladder to sixth grade at Oyster River Middle School.  We celebrated your elementary years at a special ceremony at OR High School where you received your certificate and had fun with friends.  Congratulations C-Man, proud of you, you left a signature mark behind!

Everyone had a great time at Grammy’s “retirement” party, held at Martingale Wharf in Portsmouth overlooking the Piscataqua River.  While she’s only 60 years old… young to stop working…  it was the right time for a number of reasons. Grammy and I built a successful business (Beaupre & Co. Public Relations) from scratch beginning in May, 1983.   Having worked together nearly every day for 33 years, it will be a big adjustment for both of us.  We made a great team if I say so myself – she was “inside” and I was “outside.”  She handled the people management and financial side; I handled the client and new business side.  It was a match made in heaven!  thanks for being with us on a special night she will always remember!

10 reasons why the 2015-2016 hockey season rocked and you set the ice on fire:

1.  Your Dad – he helped coach the team, a once in a lifetime experience for you both, in what turned out to be a special hockey season.
2. Plenty of competition – Five months of head-to-head battles around the state, week after week, your team playing in two simultaneous leagues, the Granite State and Seacoast League.  Practice started in October 2015, games began in November and the season officially ended March 13, 2016.
3. A challenging backdrop – last year you played hockey in Maine, so when your family relocated to Durham, the coaches placed you on a team without your friends, with several first-timers learning the ropes.  Some kids may have been upset and negative, but you accepted reality and put the team on your back.
4. A nose for the puck and goal  – it was obvious from the first game how you have the instinct, confidence and “get it done” drive.  You anticipate the buck and explode down the ice with one vision in mind: puck in goal.  You aren’t thinking negative thoughts, you’re thinking “I’m going to score a goal now.”
5. Improvement – one of the most satisfying parts of the season was watching you evolve… your skating improved, stick- handling, defense, shooting.
6. Putting up impressive numbers – You started off strong and kept going… 13 goals in your first six games.  When the season ended, you had racked up 54 goals and 12 assists.  Your Dad lost track, but he said you had at least six hat tricks.  What a season! You played your heart out and never gave up.
   
7. Two championship tournaments; life lessons learned – the first tournament was in Concord, NH for the Granite State League. You won the first two games, moving into the leader bracket. The semi-final game was a tough one, you played your heart out but ultimately lost. You scored the only goal in a 3-1 loss.  A few weeks later it was the Seacoast League championship in Dover.  You scored both goals in a 2-0 shutout and Championship win.
8. Leadership – everyone looked up to you.  When a goal was needed, you instinctively understood this and made it happen, often single-handedly flying down the ice as  teammates struggled to keep up.
9. Humility & team – some kids may have gotten a “big head” doing all you did, but you stayed cool and steady, making the pass to a teammate whenever you could and never bragging.  You encouraged the younger talent and became a mentor, the kind of player everybody looked up to.
10. Representing–  I appreciated how you represented the Beaupre name!  Hearing “Camden Beaupre” announced at games (a few rinks had the audio equipment) raised goosebumps for Papa Beaupre and your Dad.  At one game in Rochester, you scored six goals; each time they shouted out your name. I was so proud.

Here are some favorite photos from this season:

Game One of the entire season:

Leaving the locker room after the last game of the season having won the Seacoast League Championship game in Dover with a 2-0 final score.  You scored both goals.

Two weeks after a stinging loss in the Concord semifinals, your Granite State League team was in the finals of the Dover tournament.

The whole team was nervous as it waited to hit the ice… you told your Dad you felt like throwing up.  But once you were out there, the nerves went away and you dominated, scoring both goals in a 2-0 shutout and Championship win.

This is a great example of you and your team rising up, putting a big L in the rearview mirror and moving onward and upward to a great W.  More  important life lessons, proud of you for being resilient and relentless.

Congrats Cam and team!

While waiting for our food at British Beer Company in Portsmouth, you shared some of your favorite cat videos.  Hilarious!   Photo courtesy of your Dad who thought it was one of those rare “natural” shots:

Your first tournament of the Granite State League 2015-2016 season was held in late February in Concord, NH. After winning the first two games, your team moved into the leader bracket.

The semi-final game was a tough match-up.  You played your heart out but ultimately lost 3-1.

While you scored your team’s only goal, it wasn’t a consolation.  For you, hockey isn’t just a game,  it’s something more meaningful, something that feeds your soul and returns a favor for all your hard work. You took the loss hard, not only as your team’s proven leader but at a personal level.

Grammy and I will always remember you sitting outside the entrance door of the Everett Arena on the sidewalk after the game, looking down, eyes tearing up, not able to say a word. That’s how much hockey means to you.

You learned a valuable lesson that day.  Sometimes, even when you give it your all, you don’t win.  What determines your character and ultimate success as a human being is your ability to put it behind you, welcome a new day, try even harder and never, ever give up.