It has not been an average year for hockey star Jeremy Shur.
Although he loved the St. Charles high school experience, he is glad to be back at Seaholm.
“It’s nice to graduate with my friends,” Shur said. “It’s interesting to see Seaholm after being removed from it. It gave me a fresh perspective. The kids at Seaholm are definitely more academic-minded [than in Chicago],” Shur said.
Shur will be walking on graduation day with the 2011 graduating class of Seaholm.
“It’s really great to have Jeremy back at Seaholm,” senior Matt Roden said. “It’s awesome that he has such strong hockey goals, but having him back at adds a little extra to life at school.”
Shur’s return to Birmingham will likely be temporary. After completing summer classes, Shur will report to the Texas Odessa Jackalopes in The North American Hockey League for the 2011-2012 hockey season. The season will start in September.
He will receive living and hockey expenses for free but will not get paid above that.
His parents have been supportive with his decision of putting off college.
“It has been excited to watch Jeremy grow and mature as a hockey player,” Shur’s parents said. “We are very proud of him.”
Shur showcased his goalie skills while playing for Team Illinois.
According to the Tier One Hockey league’s website, Shur had a save percentage of .914. As a goalie, he specializes in reaction time, speed and competiveness in the net.
“Jeremy was a great addition to our team,” teammate Douglass Waters said. “He worked hard at every practice and we could always rely on him at the net.”
He was not only focused on hockey at the rink but at home as well. In Illinois, he lived with his coach John Hall.
“It was interesting living with my coach because he was the opposite of my parents. He was strict. He would enforce the rules he set and made me responsible for my actions,” Shur said.
Team Illinois practiced four times a week, had work outs three times a week and played games on the weekends. His teammates were from Illinois, Michigan, New York, Alaska and New Hampshire.
His team traveled around the Midwest to Detroit, New Hampshire, Philadelphia, and Wisconsin. The team did not win states, although Shur finished at the top of the league for saves.
He adjusted to a new style of learning in Illinois. Shur took online classes for the first semester and enrolled in St. Charles North high school in January.
“Overall, my favorite experience of Chicago was attending school. It was a big school with a lot of people and a lot going on,” Shur stated. “It was very fun.”
Shur has one credit to take at summer school to graduate.
Shur is going to continue his career in hockey despite moving often and becoming behind in school. He has a dream to play in the NHL and pursue a degree in law and career in politics.
