Rinks score big now, but scepticism remains

Mortgage crises, penny pinching and corporate layoffs have spread to and affected almost every facet of the U.S. economy.

But one area the crisis seemingly hasn’t touched is hockey rinks.

Whether it’s youth leagues, adult leagues, rat hockey or public skate, area ice arenas have so far been withstanding the economic pratfall.

“For the most part, the adult teams we have now have been here for a while,” said Jessica Hampton of the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva. “Even the club teams that starting at lower levels are sticking around each season.”

With Chicago’s winter weather sure to stick around well into March, the holiday season through early spring is boom time for many rinks.

“For our men’s leagues it’s usually up and down with the season,” said Davin Fennewald at Center Ice of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. “The men’s leagues about to start are our biggest of the year.”

Bill Gorey, youth hockey director at the Elmhurst YMCA, said league participation is getting stronger. The Elmhurst YMCA provides a unique hockey experience with its outdoor rink. Gorey said the facility received a boost in interest due to the widely publicized Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Redwings which was played outside at Wrigley Field Jan. 1.

“We’re fine here at the Y. Our numbers are actually up from last year,” he said. “I think we’re benefiting from the buzz created by the Blackhawks and the outdoor game.”

The YMCA’s house (non-travel) league has more players plus an additional team this season, saidGorey, who actually grew up playing hockey at the same YMCA.

George Hayes, Ice Rink Director at the Darien Sportsplex, has a differing view. He believes it’s only a matter of time before the economic crises hits hockey like a Gordie Howe forearm shiver.

“It’s happening all over the place,” Hayes said. “You see kids dropping out of programs because they can’t make their final payments. Being in the western suburbs near Hinsdale and Oak Brook, it hasn’t hit too hard yet, but something has to change because hockey is an expensive sport.”

Hayes said that league participation is down, but rat hockey and public skate numbers have been strong. He attributed those strong numbers to schools holiday breaks and suspects the numbers could fall after the holidays. To keep the ice in use and the money coming in, he plans to try some new ideas.

“I’m working on an over 50 league for the guys who are tired of skating with the 30 and under crowd,” Hayes said. “You get programs like that and you have to try it to see how it works in the community.”

While yachting, polo or car racing are typically the most expensive sports in which to participate, hockey certainly can be a strain on the pocketbook. From the cost of high-end equipment to the price of ice time, hockey is a sizable investment.

However, ice arenas have an advantage in two areas. One, hockey players tend to stay loyal to their sport, and when a player is fully grown into his or her equipment the cost of playing decreases primarily to league fees and peripheral equipment. Two, ice is harder to come by than a basketball court, baseball diamond or soccer field. Compared to other athletic venues, ice arenas are few and far between, ensuring the supply is roughly the same as the demand.

Not surprisingly, winter is feast time for hockey rinks. Youth and adult leagues are in full swing and rat hockey and public skate numbers are up thanks to children on holiday break. Fennewald said Center Ice’s rat hockey sessions are typically reaching the 30 skater and four goalie max.

“Right now kids are on break so rat hockey is big,” he said.

Fennewald also proffered his own theory as to why ice rinks have so far weathered the economic downturn.

“Public skate costs $7 and only $5 for kids 10 and under,” he said. “It doesn’t take much to come out.”

“When you look at it, I don’t think (public skate) costs any more than a movie,” Hampton said.

The holidays are especially big, according to Hampton. Kids home from school need something to do to stay busy, and public skate is an affordable activity for visiting family members.

“The holiday season is huge for us,” Hampton said. “Every Christmas it gets a little bit busier. It’s hit or miss, but some days we have over 300 people at our public skate.”

Youth league participation tends to fluctuate. Hampton said the Fox Valley-based Cyclones haven’t been affected, but things could change when spring season registration begins in February. Fennewald said the Center Ice-based Admirals have been growing since their inception two years ago. At the Elmhurst YMCA, Gorey said there are ways to get anyone on the ice despite his or her economic situation.

“Youth hockey can get pretty expensive. If a player has a financial circumstance, we have scholarship programs,” he said. “If a kid wants to be on the ice, we’ll get them on the ice.”

Hayes tempered the optimism with a dose of ice-cold reality.

“It’s a difficult time for everything,” he said. “When we start to feel the economic effects, it will be critical how we handle it. We have to make sure we have our bases covered.

“It’s something we have to think about.”
 

5 things you didn't know about: Hockey equipment

1 Skating away

PRICE RANGE $60-650

SPECIFICS The large price gap extends from low-end youth skates to high-end senior (adult) skates. Cheap adult skates can be had for under $100. The more expensive skates will have better gauge steel, a stiffer heel for better support and a more comfortable boot and insoles, and will generally last longer. Look for a snug fit generally a half size smaller than shoe size.

2 Stick with it

PRICE RANGE $25-190

SPECIFICS Sher-Wood will soon cease producing wood sticks; one-piece composite sticks are the sticks of choice. “Composite is basically what everyone uses now,” said Sean Quinn of Pick n Pucks pro shop at Center Ice of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. The new sticks are lighter, less prone to irregularities in the material and produce a faster shot because they allow more bend in the shaft. However, they break just as wood sticks do. Composite sticks start at $70 and range up to $190. A good way to measure height is to stand on tip toes and make sure butt of stick comes up to the nose.

3 Heads up

PRICE RANGE $50-130

SPECIFICS Like everything else in the hockey world, helmets have become lighter, more advanced and  more expensive. The old style one-piece plastic shells are a thing of the past. New helmets are adjustable to better fit the player’s head front-to-back, and some are adjustable side-to-side for a perfect fit. Face shields and cages (sold separately) range from $30 for steel to $100 for titanium. Oakley plastic face shields are engineered to be scratch resistant.

4 Shoulder the load

PRICE RANGE $35-150

SPECIFICS The more recent trend in upper-body defense is the move from full body armor to lighter and more streamlined pads that sacrifice nothing in terms of protection. “Now they make them like shoulder caps,” Quinn said. “They’re not as bulky but are a lot more protective in the chest.” Shoulder pads should come down to the abdomen and cover the shoulders and upper arms.

5 Secret glove

PRICE RANGE $30-200

SPECIFICS Youth gloves represent the low end and pro-style mitts the high end. A solid pair can be had for $90 or less. The more expensive gloves are constructed of more durable material (especially in the palms, which are susceptible to wear-through), breathe better and have more flexible fingers and thumbs for better stick handling. “They’re more like real gloves now,” Quinn said. Many players desire a looser fit as opposed to a skin tight fit.
 

Rink Roundup

Addison Ice Arena
Location 475 S. Grace St., Addison (just south of Fullerton Avenue and west of Addison Road)
Info (630) 543-9200, www.addisonice.com

Carol Stream Ice Rink
Location 540 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream (just east of Schmale Road, first street south of St. Charles Road)
Info (630) 682-4480, www.carolstreamicerink.com

Center Ice of DuPage
Location 1N450 Highland Ave., Glen Ellyn (just west of Glen Ellyn Road, north of railroad tracks, south of North Avenue)
Info (630) 790-9696, www.centericeofdupage.com

Darien Sportsplex
Location 451 Plainfield Road (just north of 75th Street, west of Route 83)
Info (630) 789-6666, www.dariensportsplex.com

Downers Grove Ice Arena
Location 5501 Walnut Ave., Downers Grove (just north of Maple Avenue, just east of I-355)
Info (630) 971-3780

The Edge Ice Arena
Location 735 E. Jefferson St., Bensenville (across from Redmond Park, east of York Road)
Info (630) 766-8888, www.bensenville.il.us

Elmhurst YMCA
Location 211 W. First St., Elmhurst (on north side of railroad tracks, 3 blocks west of York Street)
Info (630) 834-9200, www.elmhurstymca.org

Fox Valley Ice Arena
Location 1996 S. Kirk Road, Geneva (just south of Elfstrom Stadium)
Info (630) 262-0690, www.foxvalleyicearena.net

International Ice Centre
Location 1581 W. Normantown Road, Romeoville (east of Weber Road, south of I-55, west of Route 53)
Info (815) 886-4423, www.internationalicecentre.com

Rocket Ice Arena
Location 180 Canterbury Lane, Bolingbrook (south of Briarcliff Road, north of 107th Street, west of Route 53)
Info (630) 679-1700, www.rocketice.com

Seven Bridges Ice Arena
Location 6690 Route 53, Woodridge (at intersection of 63rd Street)
Info (630) 271-4423, www.sevenbridgesicearena.com



Hockey still distant thought for IHSA

By the numbers
10 Percentage of IHSA member schools that need to field a team in a certain sport before the sport can be considered for IHSA recognition

13 Schools that compete in boys ice hockey

750 Approximate number of IHSA member schools


Despite their many similarities, there is one major difference between ice hockey and lacrosse: Lacrosse is on the verge of becoming an Illinois High School Association sanctioned sport, while hockey has its work cut out for it.

Beth Sauser, IHSA assistant executive director, outlined the process of an unrecognized sport becoming a recognized one, and hockey’s development is still in its embryonic stage.

“The board of director’s policy is that if 10 percent of the member schools play a sport in the regular season, then the board considers it to be a sport,” Sauser said.

Getting 10 percent of high schools competing in hockey is one step on the road to sporthood.

The IHSA prefers that schools hosting hockey teams notify the board so it can more closely monitor the growth of the sport as it approaches the 10 percent threshold. It could be to a school’s and a sport’s benefit to submit an emerging sport form, but either not enough schools field hockey teams or not enough are submitting emerging sport forms.

“Hockey has traditionally hovered,” Sauser said. “Right now lacrosse shows more growth than hockey.”

When and if hockey reaches the 10 percent mark, it will then need to take another step. Official IHSA sports have season limitations (when practice starts and when the season ends). An emerging sport needs a school administrator (or other official) to ask the IHSA board of directors to pass a bylaw that sets season limitations. Right now hockey has no limit and can be played year-round.

“No one on the (IHSA) Board can make or create a bylaw,” Sauser said. “It has to be (initiated) by a school administrator.”