This is an Feature Story that I did for the Frederick News Post. They published my story in their "Slice of Life" page in the paper and on their website.

Slice of Life Story: Joe Antos

Most federal agents have their mind dedicated to work 24/7, but Joe Antos likes to donate his free time to slinging pucks into a hockey goal.

Antos, 51, resides in Walkersville, and works for the federal government in Washington, D.C, as an intelligence analyst.  It’s a grueling daily commute to and from his job, but he absolutely loves what he does.  However, with a job that is intense, by the end of the day it would not be rare to find him on the couch watching a game, especially his one true passion, hockey.  Antos has history with this sport, and most of his spare time is devoted to Skate Frederick where he has coached teams for over 12 years.

Antos has loved hockey all his life.  He grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., where the game has an intense popularity among youth.  “Since I was 5, hockey kind of just grew on me,” Antos said. “Every day after school you’d see my friends and me on the ice playing nonstop until it was time for dinner.”

Since then, Antos carried out his passion for hockey by joining teams and leagues in high school and in college.  After college Antos started a family and settled in Walkersville where he raised his two sons on the sport.  He ended up coaching them and other minor leagues for a while at the local ice skating rink.

Antos worked multiple functions at Skate Frederick, one of them a two week mini-camp for kids.  This event involved kids being trained and conditioned and then playing in scrimmages.  This was a part of his teaching: running clinics like these were his strengths.  In addition, Antos was one of the coaches of the club hockey team at Mount St. Mary’s University for five years.
But most of Antos’ focus was at Skate Frederick.  For eight years he ran the Frederick Hockey League for Men.  He would coach men’s hockey in practices, scrimmages, and games.  “I enjoy coaching a men’s league.  The guys are a good bunch,” he said.

“Hockey is definitely a pastime,” Antos said.  “Of course work comes before hockey, any free time I have I spend with my family and watching hockey.”

Antos has contributed a lot to Skate Frederick.  From coaching mini-camps to men’s leagues, Antos has made a lot of effort to inspire other beginning hockey players and showing them the ropes.  After 12 years of coaching, he decided to throw in the towel.  “The coaching was fun, but I want more time with my family,” he said.  “Scheduling the next big family vacation is what I have my sights on.”

After a commute and a long day, Antos loves nothing more than to come home and watch his favorite team, the Buffalo Sabres, play their all-time rivals, the Boston Bruins.