North Padre Island Moon
A6
February 15, 2008
Former Ice Rayz Player Geoff “Bummer” Bumstead is Now an Ultimate Warrior ‘”Known for Taking Fighting from The Ice to the Cage” by Mary Craft Geoff Bumstead was a student at a high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada when he signed a full hockey scholarship with Cornell University. After earning his degree he played hockey in Germany for a year. When he returned to the States he played professionally at Vegas, Alaska, Utah and New Mexico. The coach of the New Mexico team started the Corpus Christi Ice Rayz franchise and tried to convince Bummer to join him. “He told me Corpus Christi is a beautiful place and we will put you on the water.” They lived up to their promise and Gene Guernsey helped him find the perfect town home on Gun Cay to rent. Fellow player Scott Brower was his roommate. Sadly, a drunk driver going the wrong way killed Scott in a head on collision on the causeway. At the time there was only one lane going each way. Geoff became known as “The Enforcer” and
was extremely popular with the fans. He was voted Western Professional Hockey League’s Best Fighter his first season 1998-1999. The games were played at the Memorial Coliseum and he would eat his pre-game meals at the Water Street Restaurant. He met his wife Shannon who was a waitress there and they married in 2000. They have two daughters sixyear-old Danika and four year old Makenna and live on the Island. Bumstead retired in 2001 after 196 games when be became unhappy with the coach and general manager. He left holding records for assists, points and game winning goals. He became marketing director for Vista Automotive but in 2003 the Rayz got under new management and “they begged me to play so I returned”. He played the 2002/2003 season and worked the office. “ In 2005 I got the idea there was money to be made building homes so I hired Sea
Crest Homes to show me the ropes and oversee everything”. That venture lasted until the market shifted. “Meanwhile I was always training and lifting weights. I’ve always enjoyed the competition of sports and I still have the fire to compete.”
anytime which means the other guy wins. To date he has two wins and one loss and his next bout is in Hawaii in May. In the meantime, 35-year-old Geoff continues his strenuous regime and can be found at times bartending at the Pelican Lounge.
A trainer with MMA Fighting came to recruit the former Bad Boy Rayz player who has always been involved with boxing. In 1992 he was the amateur golden gloves winner with a record of 131 in New York. Prior to that he boxed in Canada. MMA stands for Mixed Martial arts and has been around for ten years and is, outside of football, the fastest growing sport in the U.S. It combines boxing, wrestling, kick boxing, ju-jitsu and is a “no holds barred” form of fighting. “I spent a lot of time in the hockey penalty box for things I am now free to do.” The fight is inside a thirty-foot cage and the fighters wear shorts and 4 ounce knuckle protectors only. “ When you land a clean shot it’s over”. A fighter can “tap out” (tap on the floor) at
Writers note: The same day I was writing this story I took off my Moon monkey hat to do an eye exam and the patient turns out to be an MMA fighter. She is 28 years old and goes by the name Boxerella and has a bout in College station this weekend. Her brother trains with Bummer and is a good friend of his. The night before I saw one of my son’s friends at Mimi’s and he lives on the island and is being trained by Bummer to be a fighter. I guess this sport really is popular in South Texas. There was a large fight card at the American Bank Center last November.
University Theatre presents “The Exonerated” The University Theatre at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will present “The Exonerated” Tuesday, Feb. 19, through Sunday, Feb. 24, in the Wilson Theatre in the Center for the Arts. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Taken from interviews, letters and transcripts, case files and the public record, “The Exonerated” tells the true stories of six wrongfully convicted survivors of death row in their own words. Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, the award-awardwinning play is directed by J. Don Luna, chair of the Department of Communication and Theatre. “The Exonerated” is for mature audience. Tickets are $8 for general admission, $7 for seniors and military, $5 for faculty and staff and $3 for students with SandDollar ID. For more information or to order tickets, call 361.825.5800.
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