(This is my first article)

Joe Ackryod's climb to fame started all the way back in elementary school. Whenever he say that he had a substitute teacher, he always braced himself. He was always the first name on the roll call list. The teacher would call the class to attention and begin. "Joe Ach...Achri...Ach-ri-yoid?" she would say. He would always respond the same way, "Ack-ree-odd" he would reply, careful to so slowly as to only have to correct them once. The class always got a laugh out of it, and so did Joe, even as it got tiresome always having to correct the substitutes. However, as he and his classmates progressed into the older games, it became a sort of game between them. Whenever they had a supply teacher, the students would quietly bet on how many times it would take for the substitute to get his name right. It was only for a juice box or a cookie from lunch, but it added some entertainment to the school day. 
It was the same deal with hockey for Joe. Coaches never knew how to pronounce his name. He would quickly gain nicknames, as to not have to mess up Joe's name. He gained nicknames such as JA, Jam, Jack, and Ryo. However, Joe says that his favourite was Jazz. It was bestowed on him by his high school coach, John Johnlockerbee. When Mr. Johnlockerbee saw Joe skate for the first time, he described him as almost floating on the ice, skating with the grace of a dancer. Appropriately, he named him Jazz. Now, he says that while on might not consider Jazz to be a smooth, well choreographed dance, he insists it fight Joe perfectly. "When he was on the ice he had the grace of a dancer" says coach Johnlockerbee. "However, sometimes he would go off the script, and do something erratic, that no one expected. All of a sudden, he became the centre of attention, similar to Jazz." 
Ackryod's smooth skating has lead him to enter this years SMJHL draft, as he currently competes in the Annual Showcase. While scouts have begun to rave about his skating ability, they describe him as still being very raw. As they continue to evaluate him, Joe says that he is just looking to fix what he has control over. 'It all starts with what I can do to better my game." says Joe. "I do not think that there is any athlete out there that will say they have perfected their craft. They are always trying to improve. And thats what I want to do. Everyday, I want to walk up and go, what can I do today to improve my game. Because in the end, that is what will help my career as a hockey player.
Joe's taking everything in stride, one step at a time. However, just like jazz music, he claims that he is best, when he improvises.