Kirk Thode
Kirk Thode is a long time camper and staff member of Camp Shutout and has also had the privilege of playing for Stan Anderson at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Kirk began attending camp shutout in 1997 as a freshman in high school after meeting Stan at an Illinois ODP tryout. Over the 4 years of Camp Shutout building up to college he was able to impress Stan, and was eventually was recruited to UWM where he played for 5 years.
While at UWM he developed as a goal keeper under Stan’s tutelage and went on to have a strong career between the pipes. During Kirk’s time at UWM the panthers were nationally ranked and competed in NCAA tournaments for 4 seasons; of which Kirk lead the panthers between the pipes for 2 of the 4. Building up to his top season in 2003 as a Panther, Kirk averaged a .76 goals against average and posted 9 season shutouts in a season that lead to a national ranking as high as 8th in the country and a second round birth in the NCAA tournament.
After graduating from college Kirk maintained his connection with not only the game but also the training ground that launched his career. Since 2005 Kirk has coached a multitude of teams of all ages and most recently was the goal keeping coach from 2007-2009 at Whitefish Bay High School. And though he no longer handles the coaching responsibilities for any specific teams at the moment he has stayed connected to the art through Camp Shutout where his involvement has lasted over a decade. 4 years as a camper, 5 years as a staff assistant and 5 years as a staff member.
“I’m proud to be apart of something that has meant so much to me and my development as student, teacher, and ultimately a leader”
