Beers loses to win

CEDAR RAPIDS - Jared Beers had the euphoria of being a non-drafted player on “the list” last summer immediately tempered.

“The list” is posted by head coach/general manager Mark Carlson minutes following the conclusion of each Cedar Rapids RoughRiders' tryout camp. It's hand written and includes only last names.

If you're on “the list,” you wait around for a one-on-one conversation with Carlson because you've cleared the first hurdle in becoming a member of the RoughRiders. If you're not on “the list,” you move along to your next destination, whether it's home or to another tryout camp.

Kind of harsh, but that's the way it works.

“I had no guarantees,” Beers said. “I just felt like I had to work that much harder than everyone else.”

Beers worked hard and made “the list,” only to have Carlson give him an ultimatum. Lose 20 pounds or don't even bother showing up a month later for conditioning camp.

“I did it,” Beers said proudly. “I ran seven miles a day for a month. I had to totally change the way I ate, what I did during the day. I had to base everything off my workouts.”

The 19-year-old from Mishawaka, Ind., listed at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, made the team and has been an important part of the Riders' defense corps. Going into the weekend, he had played in every game, posting four goals, five assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-five that is tied with Andy Simpson for tops among Cedar Rapids rear guards.

It was doing something he hated that has helped him get here - running.

“What kind of got me through it was I had to put a bunch of good music on my I-Pod,” Beers said with a smile. “Music kind of helped me out ... The main music I listen to is country, but for running, I like to listen to techno, something like that to keep me going.”

It's hard to imagine many have jumped through as many hockey hoops as Beers has to pursue his dream of playing collegiately. Not only did he lose weight, he also spent the previous year living in Soldotna, Alaska, playing for the Kenai River Brown Bears of the North American Hockey League.

“Kind of out of the loop a little bit, but it was fun,” Beers said. “It was a good experience up in Alaska ... There was lots of snow, kind of like here, but it went from like November and December all the way through March. What the weather is like here now is what it's like in Alaska all the time.

“It took a lot of support from my family and my friends to go through that situation because it's not everyone's first choice to go to Alaska.”

Kind of like losing weight.

“I think he's really improving,” Carlson said. “He's got real good ability. He still needs to work on his conditioning, but he's got a chance to be a really good player.”