HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.a. Player Development AreaI
AGENDA ITEM: Player Development Area
AGENDA SECTION:
Update
PREPARED BY: Dan Schultz, Parks and Recreation
Director
AGENDA NO. h
ATTACHMENTS: Aerial Photo
APPROVED BY:
9&)
RECOMMENDED ACTION: None, discussion only.
4 ROSEMOUNT
CITY COUNCIL
City Council Work Session Meeting: March 9, 2011
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ISSUE
The Rosemount Area Hockey Association (RAHA) is discussing the idea of a new player development
area for their hockey players. In 2003, the City worked with RAHA to remodel a portion of the
Rosemount Arena to add a meeting room and a puck shooting area in the southwest corner of the rink.
RAHA donated approximately $44,000 to cover the cost of the construction. Since the space opened, the
puck shooting area has been changed over to a small weight room.
A recent newspaper article reported on the popularity of dry land training in the metro area. The article
talked about players of all ages taking part in the dry land training programs on a year round basis.
The current discussions within RAHA are related to the possible location of a dry land site. There has
been consideration given to an addition to the Rosemount Arena, a standalone site or a possible
partnership on land owned by DCTC where they have discussed having a joint workout facility.
The area at the Rosemount Arena that has been mentioned for a potential site is north of the existing ice
rink between the existing outside wall and the back edge of the sidewalk just north of the building.
Included in the packet is an aerial photo with this space identified.
RAHA is planning to further discuss their options in the next couple of weeks and have indicated that they
will be in touch with staff in the near future.
This is an update regarding this item and no action is needed.
Possible Addition Location at Rosemount Arena
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Who needs ice for hockey practice? Associations, cities consider opening
less- expensive training sites for all
St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN) Monday, January 31, 2011
Author: Nick Ferraro nferraro@pioneerpress.com
The entire Apple Valley Squirt "C" hockey team showed up for its practice last Wednesday. And there was no ice to
be found.
Their coach, Tim Wehner, wasn't surprised. He's come to expect a good turnout when it's their turn inside Apple Valley
Hockey's Training Center a 4,500- square -foot facility built in time for last season. it's designed to make players
stronger, quicker, faster through off-ice workouts.
"I get better participation here than on the ice," said Wehner, who, along with assistant coaches, runs the weekly
dry-land workouts for the 9- and 10- year -old boys.
The center in leased space between a carpet company and a granite countertop store ensures that all of the
association's 400 or so players get organized dry-land training, not just those whose parents can pay for it at private,
for profit operations, said President Tim Everson. Teams use one weekly 75- minute training session instead of an hour
of ice time.
Dry-land training is the buzzword among hockey associations, insiders say, and its motivating them to build their own
facilities or partner with cities to set aside space in existing arenas.
Eagan opened a dry-land training area in its Civic Arena this month as part of a larger rink renovation project. Cost for
the space will be paid for through rental fees the city will charge to the Eagan Hockey Association over about 15
years, said Mark Vaughan, who manages the arena.
The Hastings Hockey Association plans to begin a campaign soon to raise $375,000 to build a 4,000 square -foot
training facility on city -owned land near its Civic Arena. The Hastings City Council passed a resolution this month
supporting the effort.
Parents are feeling increasing pressure to pay for off-ice workouts, said Marc Chorney, director of the Bantam teams,
who notes for profit training centers are now in many neighboring communities.
"I tell my 13- year -old to just go stick handle and shoot pucks in the garage, and he does some of that," said Chorney,
who played in the NHL. "But you can definitely pick up the kids on the ice who go to these places they're better,
farther advanced."
Hastings Hockey needs to respond to stay competitive, Chorney said.
"What I said to the boosters is that if I ran my own business the same way I did 10 years ago, I would be broke," he
said. "You have to change if you want to keep up with the Joneses."
NO SUBSTITUTE
One night last week at Total Hockey, Lakeville North Pee -Wee players in tennis shoes fired pucks at nets that lit up
when certain spots were hit. Other players took turns skating up a ramp of artificial ice to improve their quickness.
Kirk Olson, Total Hockey's general manager, said the downtown Lakeville operation draws players from all over the
area. Its biggest customer is the Lakeville Hockey Association, which is sending more than 40 teams to Total Hockey
for dry-land training this season.
Other similar businesses have sprung up in Apple Valley; Stillwater; Hudson, Wis.; and elsewhere in recent years.
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The competition is thick," said Olson, a former Wild strength and conditioning coach.
Total Hockey charges about $40 an hour for off-ice training, Olson said. The Lakeville teams incorporate the cost into
association dues, he said.
"I think we keep things here pretty cost effective," he said.
Jack Blatherwick is a physiologist for the Washington Capitals who for four decades has been teaching off -ice training
to hockey players and coaches across the United States. He said dry-land training can be done cheaply by youth
coaches.
"Think of all the things you can do with a sandbag on your shoulders you can jump, do side to-side lunges and
squats. It doesn't need to be expensive," he said.
This past summer, Blatherwick, who lives in St. Paul, helped convert the Wild's former practice locker room and
storage area at Parade Ice Arena in Minneapolis into a dry-land space for kids. Other rinks should look for similar
space, he said.
"In my opinion, every youth practice should either begin or end with some dry-land training practice," he said. "And that
can be done in arenas by finding wasted space."
Hal Tearse, coach in chief for Minnesota Hockey, agrees that there is value in putting kids through dry-land training.
But he believes some associations are going that route as a way to substitute expensive ice time.
"How much value there is to it, nobody really knows," he said. "But it seems to be the trend. It's also a lot cheaper than
building a new ice rink, which is five million bucks."
The best resource is free for kids and associations, he said.
"From my perspective, they'd be much better off going to the outdoor rink and playing shinny hockey," he said. "I drive
around communities and I see all this great ice with no one on it. There's no substitute for ice time, none
whatsoever."
PARENTS BACK IT
Everson, Apple Valley Hockey's president, said they went ahead with the training center after a survey of parents
showed support for it.
The cost to convert the vacant warehouse space and equip it was about $70,000 money generated from the
association's pull -tab and bingo operations, Everson said.
Team fees keep the doors open, he said, noting it doesn't cost parents any more because the one hour on the ice the
training replaces would be more expensive.
"We didn't do this in addition to what they were doing already," he said. "I bought less ice this year than I did in the
previous years because I know each week one of their practices is going to be at that facility."
Parents are on board with that philosophy, he said.
"You're always going to have a few naysayers that say we need more ice and this isn't enough," he said. "But to be
quite honest with you, the majority of the people like it for the simple fact that the kids are able to work on specific skill
sets that you aren't able to do on the ice in a one -hour scenario."
Parent Dee Dee Buzay- Southwick is in that camp.
"I like it because it seems like they get more one on-one attention here," she said after dropping off her 9- year -old
son, Tyler, on Wednesday. "And my son loves it here. He loves hockey."
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Wehner, the Squirt coach, said the only complaint he hears from parents is that the center's synthetic ice dulls their
kids' skates. He said he likes that it provides more of a "classroom environment" to coach.
"These guys need fundamentals at this age, and we can work on specific things here with skates on and without
skates," he said. "When they're done, they're sweated out. So they're getting a good workout, for sure."
Caption: 2 Photos: PIONEER PRESS: CHRIS POLYDOROFF 1) Ethan Kapps plies the "Russian box' while
teammate Blaise Cloutier waits his turn last week at Apple Valley Hockey's "dry land" training site. The association
wanted the dry -land site for all to afford. 2) Josh Dehn, foreground, jumps through the ladders course, as teammate
Brady Campbell, left, follows and coach Tim Wehner directs at the Apple Valley training facility. The ladders course is
designed for conditioning and balance.
Edition: St. Paul
Section: Main
Page: A 1
Record Number: 11013013111916
Copyright 2011 Saint Paul Pioneer Press
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