Avariety of motives bring us all to the Vail Valley if we aren’t lucky enough to be born here. It’s often making the decision on a whim or only to move for a season. Then, the next thing you know, it’s 10 years later and your whim of a decision has helped mold your life. That experience definitely rings true for Vail Yeti hockey player William “Bill” Foster.
Foster grew up in Pennsylvania with skates laced to his feet starting at the age of 3, played Division III hockey for Numan University, dabbled in semi-pro and then found himself looking for something to build his future when he found the listing for player coach of the Vail Yeti. Foster had his initial phone call securing the job on a Tuesday and was packed up and moving to Colorado on that Thursday; it was a no brainer to relocate.
Photos courtesy of Bill Foster.
For the first eight seasons, Foster filled the role of player coach well — day-to-day operations, scheduling bus trips, planning line ups, recruiting players and ordering jerseys. Since Kyle Forte purchased the Yeti last season, Foster has had the ability to step backa bit and immerse himself in the joy being a player, when not working his full-time job as an electrician for Eagle River Water & Sanitation.
“For me it’s the camaraderie of the team and kind of always has been. I genuinely enjoy competing; that’s half the fun, going out there and playing in a game and trying to win. Ultimately if we win or lose that doesn’t really matter to me,” Foster explains.
MAKING THE VAIL VALLEY HOME
When talking with Foster about what motivated him to stay here after his initial season, all roads point to the camaraderie of Yeti hockey — and the fact he met his wife here during the 2013 season.
“The team aspect of it is bigger than anything for me. When I moved here, I had no place to live, no job. The first place I went to was practice. By the time I left practice, I had a job lined up and a place to live. That says a lot.”
Foster is humble to his core, especially when talking about his ability among the team. Proud of the growth the team has seen, he not-so-nostalgically looks back on the days Friday night games barely drew 500 attendees and Saturday nights were mainly girlfriends and wives.
“It’s grown a lot since the first year,” says Foster with a smirk. “The fact that now it’s a consistent part of everyone’s Friday and Saturday night and the place is crazy packed all the time, that growth has gone a long way.”
Every player on the Yeti carries a normal job, attending one Tuesday morning practice a week during the season. They all know the reality of hard work in this and love the ability to put on a show for the people that make this town what it is.
“I’d say 90% of the people that go to games are local people. We’ll get some tourist traffic in there in the height of our seasons.” Foster says. “It’s an entertainment thing for the people that work here, live here and are actually part of the community. It’s a really great community event, and you get to see all the people you know that you might not see all the time.”
When friends back home question why Foster still plays, it usually takes a ski trip visit and one Yeti game for it to click, and they all understand why he made the Valley home.
RECENT YEARS
Since Forte took ownership of Vail Yeti hockey back in fall of 2022, it seems the awareness and hype around the games has continued to grow. Forte not only crushes advertising and sponsorship goals, but he is also really focused on giving back to the community that makes Yeti hockey thrive. The players of the team see the importance of that, too.
“I think Kyle has done a really good job since taking over of inserting a giveback mentality with the team,” Foster explains. “That was one of my qualms with the old owner; we had this team that operated and made a bunch of money, but it didn’t give back to the community that we live in. Kyle has done a really good job of making sure that’s a big part of it. If we can sponsor one charity a weekend or make a difference, that’s awesome. Use the team for what it should be used for — to bolster the community and make it a better place for everybody.”
Not only has Vail Yeti had the ability to give back in recent seasons, but they’ve built an incredibly capable team.
“We’re going to be really good this year,” Foster says confidently. “We’ve got a bunch of younger players that are really talented. We’ve got an even more competitive schedule this year than in the past, and that will make for some very entertaining games.”
If you find yourself with a free Friday or Saturday night this season, make sure to grab a ticket and enjoy the show at Dobson Arena.