Across North America junior hockey has a long tradition of local families hosting players who live with them during the hockey season. For most players, the opportunity to advance their hockey career means moving to another city, state, province or even country, and having a family home in which to live is a critical element in a player's success.
Starting as young as 16 years old, these young men are welcomed into the homes of their "billet" family and quickly immerse themselves in daily family life. Players become older siblings to the family's children, and even refer to their "billet mom" and "billet dad." Players live in their own room, unless a family is hosting two players, and eat with the family, hang out during free time, and participate in doing household chores. Many billet families stay in touch with "their" player for years into the future as they advance their hockey careers. To offset the expenses, billet families receive a monthly stipend from the player to cover the costs of food and other small incidentals.
The Ravens are currently seeking billet families! If you are interested in serving as a host billet family for a Ravens player this year, please complete the form below and our Billet Coordinator, rita Schwarting, will follow-up with you to schedule a personal interview. If you have questions, she can be reached at billet.coordinator@seattleravens.com.
