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Off · 12-18-2018, 01:52 AM

This is my first ever article!

(500 Words x2 First Article)

Born into the town of Kladno, Czechia on September 30, 1997, Bernik grew up in the more rural parts of town. His family often went skating and with a growing focus of hockey in the Czech Republic starting to bring rinks, gear and organization, it was all but too easy to for young Bernik to get his first set of gear, and chase his friends up the local ponds and rivers.

His family was not one of extreme athletic pedigree. His mother, Ada was a jewelry store owner, and his father, Ales was a politician who occasionally played tennis. His father took part in the Velvet Divorce, the event that peacefully split Czechoslovakia in to the Czech Republic and Slovakia respectively. This mirrored the actions of Ales’s father and Bernik’s namesake who took part in the Velvet Revolution, the event that shed the communist puppet government from control of the country in order to reform a democracy.

Being an only child, Bernik often left his home to experience life with his friends, who happened to be watching hockey one day. On this day in particular, they were watching Jaromir Jagr play for his native country and something about the sport just enraptured Bernik. He eventually started skated more and more and eventually found his way to a local gym with a trainer that helped him with his core, speed and balance. He eventually started to outpace even the older kids that Bernik started playing against.

It was in doing this that Bernik found his niche. Quiet and reserved, Bernik was never a person to draw too much attention to himself. While developing his skills as a player, he found comfort in helping the team win by playing back and keeping the puck out of his own net. Many times he used his speed to catch up to a kid that was on a break away and rob the puck before the shot could get off. Bernik was calculated in when to unleash his inner speed demon to ensure that if he were to get tired, he would do so at the end of his shift, as not to compromise the play.

Bernik’s Adventure to the SMJHL is not a tale of loss or a tale of hardships. It is simply the tale of passion that one can only have if they love something with every fibre of their being. Bernik loves to play hockey, loves to talk hockey and loves to watch hockey. It is simply a way of life.

Bernik’s goal is to play as long as he can and to get as much out of his time in the league as humanly possible. More than anything, he wishes to follow in his heroes footsteps and represent his country on every level. He has the utmost pride for his country and wants to show the world that while there are powerhouses in the sport, that the little guy shouldn’t be counted out and to watch out. He’s never more than a stride off his mark.