Troubled Future for Local Rinks/Youth Hockey | The Boneyard

Troubled Future for Local Rinks/Youth Hockey

Bomber36

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The South Windsor Arena was built in 1966. I can’t attest to the ice surface because I haven’t skated there since the early 80’s, but it is still heavily used. I can attest that it’s a dump. Watching a game inside was like watching one at UConn’s old outdoor barn. It sold for 1.85 million back in October, so some up grades may be in it’s future.
 
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The South Windsor Arena was built in 1966. I can’t attest to the ice surface because I haven’t skated there since the early 80’s, but it is still heavily used. I can attest that it’s a dump. Watching a game inside was like watching one at UConn’s old outdoor barn. It sold for 1.85 million back in October, so some up grades may be in it’s future.
The Enfield Twin Rinks just recently sold also. I wonder if the 2 deals are related?
 

Bomber36

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The Enfield Twin Rinks just recently sold also. I wonder if the 2 deals are related?
They are not.


 
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They are not.


Thanks for the info!
 

Bomber36

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Thanks for the info!
You‘re quite welcome. I think the important thing here is that they both continue operations, as there is a dearth of ice surfaces for the kids to use in this area. I was kind of hoping that Freitas would be re-purposed for high school and youth leagues but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Location probably has a lot to do with that.
 
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They are not.


Wow. I played hockey year round for many years and skated on these a lot, especially the South Windsor one. This would have been in the mid 90s to mid 00s. They were both awful. Would be curious to see what happens to them in the future. The ISCC rink where my parents live apparently did huge renovations lately. Haven't seen it yet but was told it's vastly improved.
 
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This is off-topic from Freitas but fits with rinks being sold... Black Bear will be the death of youth hockey in Connecticut.
 

Bomber36

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This is off-topic from Freitas but fits with rinks being sold... Black Bear will be the death of youth hockey in Connecticut.
That’s quite a statement…care to tell us why? They seem to have a plan.

 
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They are buying out youth programs and breaking the volunteer structure of non-elite youth hockey. This comes in the process of making small programs like ECHO into organizations with paid coaches and for-profit operations. I mention ECHO because it is the organization that I grew up with and have done some coaching for at the lower level. Last year we had 40 kids in learn-to-play, now we have 8 because they jacked the price up so high and messed with the time slots. Some ECHO teams are now merged suddenly with Cromwell, so kids from Mansfield playing for ECHO now have to drive to Cromwell on a Thursday at 6 for practice. Black Bear's initiative is making hockey more exclusive and professional, which is horrible for a sport that is already very hard to access.
 
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This is off-topic from Freitas but fits with rinks being sold... Black Bear will be the death of youth hockey in Connecticut.
They are buying out youth programs and breaking the volunteer structure of non-elite youth hockey. This comes in the process of making small programs like ECHO into organizations with paid coaches and for-profit operations. I mention ECHO because it is the organization that I grew up with and have done some coaching for at the lower level. Last year we had 40 kids in learn-to-play, now we have 8 because they jacked the price up so high and messed with the time slots. Some ECHO teams are now merged suddenly with Cromwell, so kids from Mansfield playing for ECHO now have to drive to Cromwell on a Thursday at 6 for practice. Black Bear's initiative is making hockey more exclusive and professional, which is horrible for a sport that is already very hard to access.
Probably should be it’s own thread because it’s not a really a UConn/Freitas issue and we can go on and on but It’s not just Black Bear, it’s the whole pay to play youth/travel hockey in general (Yale is no better for example). The whole structure is out of whack.

It was a discussion over the holidays. It’s caused historically elite public high school programs such as Hamden and West Haven to struggle w/ numbers (in addition to the whole parochial school open enrollment issue).

The older rinks need capital to upgrade the facilities and also address environmental/EPA mandates to move away from old school ice making refrigerant systems (freon) and emissions. The sport is under challenges from a variety of fronts. It’s a shame.
 

Bomber36

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They are buying out youth programs and breaking the volunteer structure of non-elite youth hockey. This comes in the process of making small programs like ECHO into organizations with paid coaches and for-profit operations. I mention ECHO because it is the organization that I grew up with and have done some coaching for at the lower level. Last year we had 40 kids in learn-to-play, now we have 8 because they jacked the price up so high and messed with the time slots. Some ECHO teams are now merged suddenly with Cromwell, so kids from Mansfield playing for ECHO now have to drive to Cromwell on a Thursday at 6 for practice. Black Bear's initiative is making hockey more exclusive and professional, which is horrible for a sport that is already very hard to access.
Thank you for this thoughtful response. I see your point. You obviously are close to this issue and have valid reasons for that statement. What can we do to help? Is there a way to help these kids monetarily? Connecticut high school hockey cannot afford to lose talent due to money considerations.
 

Bomber36

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Probably should be it’s own thread because it’s not a really a UConn/Freitas issue and we can go on and on but It’s not just Black Bear, it’s the whole pay to play youth/travel hockey in general (Yale is no better for example). The whole structure is out of whack.

It was a discussion over the holidays. It’s caused historically elite public high school programs such as Hamden and West Haven to struggle w/ numbers (in addition to the whole parochial school open enrollment issue).

The older rinks need capital to upgrade the facilities and also address environmental/EPA mandates to move away from old school ice making refrigerant systems (freon) and emissions. The sport is under challenges from a variety of fronts. It’s a shame.
Agreed…this would be a great thread to separate. I had no idea prices had gone so insane.(using the Yale example) Pricing kids out will, indeed, help kill this sport in CT.
 
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Agreed…this would be a great thread to separate. I had no idea prices had gone so insane.(using the Yale example) Pricing kids out will, indeed, help kill this sport in CT.
I also had no idea. I appreciate the insight into all of this. Hockey was a big part of my life as a kid, so it’s a shame. I remember my dad volunteered for a few years with to do scheduling.

I recently found out that ice hockey (particularly girls) is thriving in upstate NY. Was talking to a few clients who live up there and apparently they have a decent number of teams and it’s quite popular. I don’t know what it’s like anymore in CT but I imagine everyone is suffering in this new system.
 
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@huskymedic is 100% correct here. I speak of Black Bear specifically because it’s a situation I’m close to but the growth of these big money programs goes well beyond this one sports group and is actually a youth hockey epidemic.

I don’t know what can be done to help other than if your kid isn’t a superstar, keep them in the local programs, don’t send them to the CT Chiefs where they’re gonna have a similar development as playing for Central. Even a kid with D3 talent doesn’t need to go play for an elite program, they can play split season with a good team then play for their high school, later pursuing Tier III-II juniors hoping to go play college.

In my first year of Bantam I was on the B team at ECHO, by my junior year of high school I was a point-per-game player while kids who spent $10k/year traveling to Pennsylvania every Tuesday for 8 years were the same in production or less than me. The difference was minimal. I can go deeper with so many people that I know, going through many programs, spending different numbers of money… in the end 99% come to the same dead end.
 
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Every player and their parents should do what they feel is in their son or daughters best interest. Don’t worry about what someone else is doing, just do what is right for your situation. If you have the means and ability to play on a pay to play travel team and that’s what you and your son or daughter wants to do, then do it. If staying local is what you want to do, then stay local.
 

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