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HandoutsTHE DRYDEN BSERVER ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Springpole Gold Project Public Comments Invited Submit written comments by March 26, 2018 CarruLi Little Bands, big impact — Hockey tournament qApMJt,gd to generate $1.2 million economic activity S chrismarchand rn February 7, 2013 Q No Comments By Chris Marchand Dryden's service and hospitality sector is preparing itself for a monumentally busy week as 38 youth hockey teams in five age divisions from remote Treaty 3, 5 and 9 communities descend on the community for a full six days of hockey. Bringing over 1,000 players, coaches, managers and elders, the Little Bands Native Youth Hockey Tournament is expected to fill up every last one of Dryden's available hotel rooms and keep local food service establishments, and shops bustling. Running two sheets of ice from 8 a.m. to midnight daily, the Dryden Development Corporation's Andi Kidd says the tournament may have to branch out to surrounding communities. "Because the tournament has expanded to 38 teams we're actually looking at utilizing Eagle (Lake) and Vermilion Bay for additional ice throughout the week," said Kidd. Kidd adds that merchants are mobilizing to take advantage of the opportunities that come with large-scale events. "I've spoken with retailers to ask them how tournaments impact their business and they are thrilled that Dryden is hosting this tournament," said Kidd. "They know that sales will increase immensely throughout the week and they've taken the opportunity to order in specialty items of clothing that they know will be popular with teens and the younger kids." Kidd says the DDC estimates the tournament's direct economic impact at $1.2 million over six days. "Dryden and area has just under 400 hotel rooms and I can assure you that each and every hotel room in this community will be booked." r News W 2013, city of dryden, Dryden, Dryden Memorial Arena, dryden ontario, economic development, hockey, Little Bands Hockey Tournament, northern chiefs, northwestern ontario, recreation, Treaty #3 About chrismarchand Chris Marchand is a native of Dryden, Ontario. He served his first newspaper internship at The Dryden Observer in 1998 while attending journalism studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops B.C. He's worked desks as both reporter and editor at the Fernie Free Press as well as filled the role of sports editor at the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. Marchand was named editor of the Dryden Observer in Aug. 2009. View all posts by chrismarchand — https://fremonttri bune.com/news/loca I/hockey-tournament-makes-an-impact-on-local- eco nomy/a rti cl e_a 52cd b 5e-5 be2-11 e 1-ac39-0019 b b2 963f4. htm I ChrisZavadil/Fremont Tribune Feb20,2012 SUBSCRIBE FOR 17C/ DAY } � � $t>/♦�iw�., iia .e`�{iy, ar _tet Players from the University of Iowa, dark, and California State University -Northridge scramble for the puc the third period of play during the first round of the 2011-2012 ACHA Men's Hockey Pacific Regional Play Friday at the Sidner Ice Arena. (Tribune Files) The Buffaloes hockey team rolled into Fremont Thursday night. The Buffs, with 21 players, two coaches, and around 10 family members, booked seven rooms at the Clarion Inn. Along with seven other college teams competing in the Pacific Regional Playoffs at Sidner Ice Arena Friday and Saturday, Sidner officials estimated at least 300 people stayed in local hotels over the weekend, not to mention University of Nebraska fans who traveled for the games, but may not have spent the night. The Clarion alone filled around 20 rooms with hockey players and fans. "On average," said Evan Schinasi, director of hockey and ice activities at Sidner, "their roster is going to be 24 or 25 players, a couple coaches and then parents and maybe some extra team staff." While tournaments pay a fee to use the arena, the real financial impact is in the community, he said. "The fee definitely helps us cover the costs of operating the facility, but it does generate a lot of tourism and a lot of goodwill for the community," Schinasi said. "I think the key is the community embraces these people when they come in. They have a great time, they like being here, and that helps us be attractive to be able to bring them back. Hopefully you see an economic impact for local business people and the town." Sidner hosts tournaments nearly every weekend from January through March, Schinasi said, with some youth tournaments drawing more than 600 people to Fremont. "Those youth teams travel pretty heavy because you get 16 to 20 kids, plus parents, siblings, grandparents; a team of 20 players can bring 80 people in," he said. "They're probably staying in hotels, and if they're not, they're still getting up in the morning, grabbing a bite to eat, playing a morning game, buying gas, going out to lunch, playing an afternoon game, doing a little shopping; it's a definite impact." The exceptional aspect to college tournaments, he pointed out, is the distance teams will travel to get to Fremont. This weekend's tournament included several teams from as far away as California and Arizona, along with other states. "I would venture to say there's probably not a lot of events in Fremont that draw in 40 or 50 people from California in a weekend," Schinasi said. Colorado Coach Scott Smith said his team had dinner at the hotel restaurant, then ate breakfast at Village Inn Friday before they even played their first game. "The last time we were here we went to the Applebee's," Smith said. "We usually give the guys some free time to do whatever they want. I'm sure some will want to watch the games, and some will do their own things, but nothing really structured. Sometimes they go bowling or something like that," he said. Schinasi said that's common behavior by visiting teams and their fans. "They're definitely all going to eat and check out the local shops. It wouldn't surprise me if they had a team movie. Those are typical things that they do. It's certainly a huge impact," he said. "That's got to be a great economic impact," said Fremont and Dodge County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Shannon Mullen. Fremont has about 450 to 500 hotel rooms, and they typically aren't as full in the winter months as in the summer. "This is actually more of a slow season for us," she said. "This particular weekend is also the gun show at Christensen Field, so we do have a couple great events going on in the community." Mullen said there were 80 different vendors at the gun show, and 80 percent of them came from outside of Dodge County. "Typically those people will stay overnight because that's a two-day show (Saturday and Sunday)," she said. "That particular event also brings families and spectators to the community. We definitely see a nice economic impact from those types of events." The CVB, in fact, plans to launch a sports council in late March, aimed at attracting and retaining sports events in the community. In the mean time, people attending the hockey tournament and gun show got visitor packets from CVB, pointing out local attractions. University of Wisconsin -Madison May 2000 Staff Paper No. 432 Economic Impact of Youth Hockey Tournaments: A Case Study of the La Crosse and Onalaska Ice Rinks Marc Schultz and Steven C. Deller AGRICULTURAL & APPLIED ECONOMICS STAFF PAPER SERIES Copyright C 2000 by Marc Schultz and Steven C. Deller. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies. May, 2000 Staff Paper No. 432 Economic Impact of Youth Hockey Tournaments: A Case Study of the La Crosse and Onalaska Ice Rinks Marc Schultz and Steven C. Deller Marc Schultz is LaCrosse County CRD Educator, University of Wisconsin -Extension and Steven Deller is Professor and Community Development Economist, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension. Support of this work was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension. The views and opinions expressed here are not the views of the University of Wisconsin. Any errors of omission or commission are the responsibilities of the authors. University of Wisconsin, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Wisconsin Counties cooperating. UW -Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming including Title IX and ADA. Economic Impact of Youth Hockey Tournaments: A Case Study of the La Crosse and Onalaska Ice Rinks Introduction Youth hockey is a major recreational and family event in Wisconsin and throughout the upper Midwest. Formal programs exist for youth simply interested in learning skating skills and the fundamentals of hockey to those interesting in competing in national and international tournaments. Demand for "ice -time' at the available indoor ice rinks have youth hockey players skating in the early hours of the morning before school and into the evening. In response to the growing popularity of youth hockey, a number of formal associations, such as the Onalaska/Holmen Tornado Youth Hockey Association and the River City Youth Hockey Association, have been formed to coordinate a range of learning opportunities and formal team tournaments. Youth hockey tournaments have become a major part of the Wisconsin winter recreational landscape over the past decade. The most frequent response on the survey regarding what they enjoyed about the visit was "family time." With the growth and formality of youth hockey associations, the number, frequency and size of weekend youth hockey tournaments has rapidly grown. For communities with well -organized youth hockey associations and superior ice facilities, such tournaments can make significant contributions to the community's tourist economy. In October of 1999 a representative of River City Youth Hockey requested assistance from the La Crosse County University of Wisconsin -Extension office in determining the impact of youth hockey on the local economy. The county office then involved the UW- Madison/Extension to assist in the study design and data interpretation. The intent of this study is to examine and document the impact that youth hockey tournaments have on a local economy. The study focuses on youth hockey tournaments that occurred in La Crosse and Onalaska for the winter session of 1999-2000. Survey data were collected from tournament participants during the months of January and February 2000. Volunteers from the local youth hockey associations had adults complete the survey and walked each interviewee through a simple one-page, two sided questionnaire. A total of 373 surveys were completed, 219 from Onalaska and 154 from La Crosse. This report is composed of five parts beyond the introduction. In the next section we provide a profile of youth hockey tournament participants. We then provide a brief review of the methods used to conduct the economic impact assessment. In the third section we summaries the results of the impact assessment. In the fourth section, we profile other activities such as scheduled games and we close the report with a brief review of key findings and provide some closing observations. Youth hockey tournaments are almost exclusively a weekend or vacation time activity. The greatest portion of the ice time at rinks is available during the week for games, practices, clinics, and public skating. A portion of this time is for teams to play non -tournament games. These non - tournament games involve a home team and an away team usually from out-of- town. For the La Crosse Rink in the 1999 — 2000 season there were a total 76 non -tournament home games ranging from Mites to the High School team. Twenty-five of the away teams came from a distance of 80 plus miles, 26 teams came from a distance of between 26-79 miles, and 26 teams came from a distance of 25 miles or less. For the Onalaska rink in the 1999 — 2000 season there were 97 non - tournament home games played. This also includes teams from the Mite level to the High School level in boys and from the Squirt level to the High School level for girls. In addition to the 97 home games, due to the lack of available ice time, the boys played 37 home games in La Crescent and the girls played 8 home games in La Crescent. Of the 97 home games there were 37 games against teams traveling a distance of 80 plus miles; 28 games against teams from a distance of between 26-79 miles and 32 games against teams from 25 or less miles. There were 2,595 individual visiting team participants in the non - tournament week time games conducted at both the La Crosse and Onalaska rinks. For these single non - tournament games the vast majority of individual participants travel to and from the game the same day and do not stay overnight. The number of fans for each game varies greatly. Most of the fans consist of friends and family of the participants. High School game fans consist of youth and adults from the communities involved in the game. Attendance ranges from 50 or less for some younger youth games to up to 1,000 for certain High School games Tournament registration fees average $350 per tournament per team. Tournament gate fees are $5 per non- participant. While these dollars stay within the Hockey Associations they are funds that go to pay for ice time, referees, trophies, and other incidentals associated with the tournaments. The tournaments are a fundraiser for the associations through concessions and sales of hockey related items. Referees are paid per game and involve both adults and youth depending upon the level of play that they are officiating. A copy of the questionnaire is included as Appendix 1 of this report. The last three questions were; What have you enjoyed most about your visit? What have you enjoyed least about your visit? What else could we do to make you trip more enjoyable? These results are available upon request and will be used by the associations to better conduct tournaments, games and activities as well as serving the needs of out-of-town guests. In general the individuals completing the survey were very obliging in providing time to complete the survey. There were a number of requests from visiting teams for the results of this survey. II. Visitor Profile Not surprisingly, the majority of youth hockey tournament participants at the La Crosse and Onalaska facilities are from Wisconsin. As depicted in Figure 1, 66.6 percent of the surveyed participants are from Wisconsin, but one in four (25.4 percent) are from Minnesota and 4.1 percent travel from Iowa and 3.9 are from Illinois. Figure 1: Residency of Tournament Participants Wisconsin Minnesota 25.4% 3.9 .1% Source. University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension Given the location of the facilities the high percentage from Minnesota and more modest number from Iowa is not surprising, but participants traveling from as far away as Illinois hints at the commitment that some youth hockey participants have in the sport. One adult commented on the question regarding whether the trip was a family function "This is our way of life. While none participated in this study, interviewees mentioned that it is not uncommon to have teams travel from throughout the Midwest as far as Nebraska and indeed from Canada for special tournaments. One tournament participant included in the survey traveled from Philadelphia. While the clear majority of youth hockey participants traveled from within Wisconsin, only a handful was from the La Crosse and Onalaska areas. Participants travel from all corners of Wisconsin including Brookfield and Milwaukee, Janesville, Green Bay and Onieda to name a few. A second potential reason for the low number of tournaments attended away from home is the relatively newness of youth hockey to many of today's participants. The majority (55.5 percent) of respondents stated that this is only their second year involved in youth hockey tournaments (Figure 2). The average number of years involved is srightly less than two at 1.8. This is partially a reflection of the recent growth in interest in youth hockey but also a reflection of the growth in and maturing of youth hockey associations. Figure 2 Number of Years in Youth Hockey 2nd Yr 3rd Yr 22.6% Source: UmasTyd Vvvm o,MadeanEpwreAn Yr Youth are most likely involved in hockey for several years before participating in tournaments. Still, slightly less than one in five participants have been involved in youth hockey tournaments for four or more years. This latter group includes not only young children moving though the age categories, but also families with more than one child interested in participating in organized hockey activities. One individual commented that she was a single parent and this was a weekend with her son. If one examines the age profile of the groups attending youth hockey tournaments at the La Crosse and Onalaska facilities during January and February, it becomes clear that these are family -type events. Numerous respondents said the thing they enjoyed was watching their child play hockey. Nearly half, 48.5 percent are under the age of 21 and 42.9 percent are between the age of 35 and 50 (Figure 3). Given the nature of the tournaments, this result is as expected. When queried, nearly all (93.2 percent) reported that attendance of the tournament was considered a family function. Figure 3 Age Distribution of Party (Ave No. in Party) Total No. in 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 Source'. University of Wisconsin-MedisoNExlension While the vast majority (99.2 percent) reported that attending the youth hockey tournament was the primary purpose of the trip, many tournament attendees reported that they did participate in other activities while in the area (Figure 4). Many (38.9 percent) reported that they went sightseeing in the area three in four (75.8 percent) stated that they went shopping while in the area, either for specific items that they needed or for souvenirs of their visit to the area and participation in the tournament. Smaller percentages reported visiting friends and family and a handful conducted business while in the area. One individual said they enjoyed visiting their daughter at U.W. La Crosse while others commented on the great scenery, great shopping and great restaurants. Figure 4 Uses of Trip Percent Responding "Yes" do 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Source: University of Wisconsin Mederon/Extension Because of the design of youth hockey tournaments, it is difficult for teams from outside the local area to travel to and from the tournament daily. Based on the respondents to the survey, only 3.5 percent did not stay overnight for at least one night (Figure 5). Less than half (41.0 percent) stayed one night in the area while slightly more than half (53.4 percent) stayed two nights. Only a small handful (2.2 percent) stayed three nights in the area. One respondent stated: "if we would have known how nice your facility and community is we would have come earlier and spend an extra day." Another individual commented 'The friendliness of everyone, everywhere that includes the people running the tournament, the lodge manager and definitely Marty the Butcher at Festival." Figure 5 Distribution of Number of Nights Stayed One Night Source: University of Wlscansin-MadisoMExtension Partially because of the scheduling of specific games in the tournament, many travel to the tournament late Friday or very early Saturday morning and return Sunday afternoon or early evening. While some elect to stay at the ice -rink for a significant part of the tournament, many take advantage of being in the area to go sightseeing, visiting friends and relatives and/or go shopping (Figure 6). To assess the economic impact of youth hockey tournaments on the local economy, special attention is paid to the spending patterns of tournament participants. A total of eight commodity groups were identified for the purpose of soliciting expenditure patterns of tournament participants: accommodations; restaurants; grocery stores; apparel; gasoline and service stations; miscellaneous retail; movies and other entertainment; and a general other category. Each tournament participant within the sample was asked to estimate how much their party (i.e., family and/or group) spent or plan on spending in a typical day while in the area. A summary of these expenditure patterns is reported in Table land Figure 6. Figure 6 Average Expenditure Patterns Lodging Restruarants Grocery Stores Apparel asoline/Servics Misc. Retail ainmentlMovies Other Onalaska $0 $20 $40 $60 $60 $100 Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension The nature of youth hockey tournaments dictates that the major categories of expenditures are overnight lodging and restaurants. The average party spent about $95 per day for lodging which is reflective of typical hotel and motel rates in the study area. Typical expenditures for eating includes about $66 per day in restaurants also about $9 in grocery store purchases. These latter purchases might be for in -room consumption or for the return trip home. Other major categories of expenditures includes about $21 for gasoline and car servicing, and $13 for apparel. The latter is most often hockey Table 1 Averace Expenditure Per Partv related apparel or souvenirs of the tournament or trip in general. These expenditures are no doubt conservative as the survey was taken on Saturday morning in most cases and all expenditures are not fully accounted for. Total per day expenditures for the typical party participating in a youth hockey tournament is about $220 with a slightly higher level in La Crosse than Onalaska. Given the number of tournaments hosted by the ice -rinks in Lacrosse and Onalaska, we estimate that there are about 1,845 individual youth participating. This translates into 1,845 parties, or about 6,458 persons including players and other party members. Given that one team from either La Crosse or Onalaska generally hosts any given tournament, this translates into about 1,575 players, or parties, traveling to the area to participate in the tournaments. Given an average per party expenditure level of $440 (2 days), youth hockey tournaments inject slightly less than $700,000 of new spending into the local economy. III Economic Impact Methods In addition to developing a general profile of the participants of youth hockey tournaments, a focal point of this study is to assess the economic impact of these tournaments on the La Crosse/Onalaska area. For this study, the impact of the tournaments comes from the spending of nearly $700,000 in the local economy. LaCrosse Onalaska Combined Total Expenditure Lodging $ 96.69 $ 94.41 $ 95.58 $ 295,342 Restruarants $ 67.83 $ 65.18 $ 66.30 $ 204,867 Grocery Stores $ 9.20 $ 9.42 $ 9.33 $ 28,830 Apparel $ 12.41 $ 13.13 $ 12.83 $ 39,645 Gasoline/Service $ 21.41 $ 20.41 $ 20.83 $ 64,365 Misc. Retail $ 9.84 $ 8.01 $ 8.78 $ 27,130 Entertainment/Movies $ 2.29 $ 1.95 $ 2.09 $ 6,458 Other $ 6.22 $ 2.22 $ 3.91 $ 12,082 otal 1 $ 225.89 $ 214.73 $ 219.65 $ 678,719 Once the expenditures were gathered, the economic impact assessment was conducted using a model of the La Crosse County economy. The model, developed for this study by the authors, is a standard input-output model of the County's economy. At the heart of the La Crosse County input-output model is the transactions table. The transactions table maps all flows between buyers and sellers in the economy. One could think of the transactions table as a spreadsheet of the economy with buyers along the columns and sellers down the rows. Individual cells where columns and rows intersect capture the interactions between that particular buyer and seller. By altering these flows between buyers and sellers, one can trace the impact of that change on the whole of the economy. In this case, new buyers are introduced in the form of youth hockey tournament participants and sellers are lodging establishments, restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores among others. By using the detailed information contained in Table 1 and Figure 6 an assessment of the economic impact of youth hockey tournaments was undertaken. In addition, there is nearly $45,000 paid in tournament registration fees above and beyond the actual expenditures by participants and their families at the tournament itself. IV Economic Impact Results The economic impact of the youth hockey tournaments hosted at the La Crosse and Onalaska ice -rinks is summarized in Table 2 below. In total, the nearly $700,000 in new expenditures brought into the region translates into about 15 jobs and slightly more than $330,000 in aggregate income. Of this $330,000 in income, $210,000 is in the form of labor income, or wages and salaries. The balance of the income is in the form of proprietor income, rents, and profits. Given the nature of the event examined, it is not surprising that the Table 2 Economic Impact Summary bulk of the economic impact falls into the Trade (i.e., retail and whole) and Service (e.g., restaurants and lodging) sectors. Nearly half (49.6 percent) of the employment impact falls into the Services sector and 43.7 percent goes into Retail (Figure 7). The remaining 6.7 percent of the employment impact is scattered across a range of other sectors, but accounts for less than one job in aggregate. Figure 7 Distribution of Economic Impact Jobs sem: un�Mdv�,aaeiswurximsgn In terms of Total Income, a slightly different distribution becomes apparent. Although Trade and Services still account for the majority, at 35.5 and 43.3 percent respectively, the general category Other accounts for 21.2 percent of income (Figure 8). In other words, Total Income for each job created in the Trade sector is about $17,600 and about $18,900 for each job in the Services sector. For the broader Other category, Total Income is about $68,500 per job created. Direct Total Multiplier Jobs 11.4 14.8 1.3 Labor Income $141,950 $209,700 1.48 Total Income $211,100 $331,900 1.57 bulk of the economic impact falls into the Trade (i.e., retail and whole) and Service (e.g., restaurants and lodging) sectors. Nearly half (49.6 percent) of the employment impact falls into the Services sector and 43.7 percent goes into Retail (Figure 7). The remaining 6.7 percent of the employment impact is scattered across a range of other sectors, but accounts for less than one job in aggregate. Figure 7 Distribution of Economic Impact Jobs sem: un�Mdv�,aaeiswurximsgn In terms of Total Income, a slightly different distribution becomes apparent. Although Trade and Services still account for the majority, at 35.5 and 43.3 percent respectively, the general category Other accounts for 21.2 percent of income (Figure 8). In other words, Total Income for each job created in the Trade sector is about $17,600 and about $18,900 for each job in the Services sector. For the broader Other category, Total Income is about $68,500 per job created. Figure 8 Distribution of Economic Impact Total Income Two general observations can help explain the differences between Figures 7 and 8. First, the estimate of jobs includes both part- and full-time jobs. For the Trade and Services sectors, some of these jobs may be part-time in nature. Second, when one considers the types of jobs in lodging, restaurants, auto service stations, general retail stores, and grocery stores, these tend to be modestly paid jobs. V Summary and Conclusions Youth hockey is becoming an increasingly popular sport in Wisconsin and throughout the US and Canada. While youth join formal teams for a range of reasons, participation in organized tournaments is becoming increasingly important. These events become family vacations with family groups enjoying hospitality, attractions and social interaction with other hockey families and tourism oriented establishments. While some youth participate in only non -tournament games, there are a number of youth hockey teams that travel great distances to participate in a range of tournaments. This study is designed to profile participants in formal youth hockey tournaments in La Crosse and Onalaska. The vast majority of tournament participants who took part of this study view these weekend events as time for family and commonly turn the tournament into a small vacation for the family. In this case survey results show an appreciation for the natural beauty, friendliness and diversity of shopping and restaurants available in the La Crosse/Onalaska area. While on these small family vacations tournament participants spend money in the local economy. Based on survey results, the typical tournament participant and the party that he or she is with stay between one and two nights per tournament and spend about $220 per day. This injection of "tourist" dollars into the local economy translates into about 15 jobs and $330,000 in total income. Flood Warning + 10 More (/article/10211/) `4 Minneapolis, MN: This Brilliant Company Is Disruptir JA $200 Billion Industry EVER'�l.: Tourney Brings Economic Impact on Rochester TOURNEY IMPACT December 27, 2017 07:21 PM (ABC 6 News) -- The local economy is reaping the benefits of multiple sports tournaments going on throughout the weekend. Brad Jones, the executive director for the Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau, says this is considered one of the best times of the year for local businesses. Adveatsemenl "It's a great week for Rochester, it's kind of sports week between Christmas and New Year here," said Jones. He also says the city has become a hub for sporting events and many, like the local hotels, are cashing in. 0 Kristine Ihrke, the director of sales for Centerstone Plaza Hotel says they have in between 250 and 350 additional guest stay with them throughout the week, "there are three major tournaments happening this week. The Kiwanis Hockey Tournament, the Clash: National High School Duals and also the Rotary basketball tournament." "These 3 events with bring about 90 plus teams to Rochester, 1,400 athletes with their families and it creates about $1 M in economic impact," said Jones. The economic impact hits the restaurants as well. Heidi Mensink, the general manager at Perkins south, says it could see up to 500 more customers this week, "Being quite cold outside, you know that really helps us out because some of our regular customers don't make it out." "It's good for the businesses, it's good for the employees, it's good for the full community," said Ihrke. It's also a community that is already built to handle an influx of Mayo Clinic patients. "Mayo Clinic, they're still operation but we don't see as many patients coming in and our city is really built for that threshold of business," said Jones. The Kiwanis Hockey and Rotary Basketball Tournaments go through Friday. The Clash Wrestling Tournament starts on Friday and goes through Saturday. KAAL-TV Created. December 27. 2017 07:21 PM Copyright 2017 - KAAL-TV, LLC A Hubbard Broadcasting Company lneapolis, MN:This Money -Saving Iorithm Is Sweeping The Nation 0 EVERclY DOTE Advertisement MOST READ STORIES F O-dv - CORGIrE&D p ' Lackey 2ouirnament hze $P, Ili 1 ia A n c�a.,. l 1 r1a c t By: Wayne Heilman (/author/Wayne+Heilman) • February 18, 2017 Updated: February 18, 2017 at 4:12 pm COS Tigers Squirt A players listen to a talk from their coach before their game against Texas Warriors Squirt A at the Sertich Ice Center as part of the CSAHA's 4oth Annual Presidents' Day Hockey Tournament on Saturday, February is, 2017. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette View Gallery O (/gallery/ articleid/ 1597163/pictures? display=flexFullscreen&galleryTheme=lightTheme) Log in to comment (/comments/1/1597163) Hotels and restaurants across Colorado Springs are full of youth hockey players and their families this weekend for the 4oth annual Presidents Day Hockey Tournament. Organizers estimate 1,600 participants from Colorado and io other states will spend about $2 million on hotels, meals, rental vehicles and activities during the four-day tournament, which is among the city's biggest annual tourism events, giving local a hotels a boost out of season. The tournament began Thursday evening and ends on Monday. "This event is a great benefit at this time of year, which is traditionally a slow season for hotels. They Cheyenne Mountain Resort sells out and 10-12 other hotels will be full of hockey players," said Mike Pipkins, the tournament's co-director for sponsor Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association. John Garcia, of Sacramento and father of Joe Garcia of the San Jose Sharks youth hockey team, said he has come to Colorado Springs for several years to watch his son play in the tournament. They family often makes the trip part of a small vacation - this year they are visiting the Air Force Academy and riding the Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the summit of the area's most famous landmark. Team members and their families are staying at the Hyatt Place hotel on Garden of the Gods Road and have been frequenting nearby restaurants including Panera Bread and Bird Dog BBQ. "We come here every year. I like to enjoy the history of the military here. There are a lot of vital installations here that a lot of people don't realize are located here," John Garcia said. The tournament features 89 teams of hockey players ages 9-16 who fill more than 3,000 room -nights, or one room rented one night, in local hotels, said Cheryl McCullough, director of sports and special events for the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau. The games are played at The Broadmoor World Arena and Ice Hall, Honen Arena at Colorado College, Sertich Ice Center in Memorial Park, the Cadet Ice Arena at the Air Force Academy and the Pueblo Plaza Ice Arena. "Some teams arrive early and make it a family vacation of sorts," McCullough said. "Many hotels will bring in additional staff to help out during the tournament." Special events in this year's tournament include a Thursday exhibition game between an all-star team from Alaska and a local team, another exhibition game between a local team from the association's adaptive program and a peewee team from Dallas. Participating teams are from Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington state. Contact Wayne Heilman: 636-0234 Twitter @wayneheilman Facebook Wayne Heilman Articles ® Back to Previous $ -.A iVlillion Econ3inic Impact Expected from Rink Rat -tournament Wednesday, February 13, 2013 12:00 AM 20th Annual Rink Rat Tournament expected to n Rink Rat generate over $1Million in economic stimulus for Capital District businesses WHO: Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association, approximately 800 families from the USA and Canada. WHAT: 20th annual "Rink Rat" youth hockey tournament. WHERE: 131 games will be held in 8 area hockey facilities in Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties. WHEN: February 15th - February 18th, 2013. COMMUNITY SUPPORT: "The City of Troy is passionate about hockey and proud of its tradition of success at the youth and collegiate Levels. The Rink Rat Tournament is a fantastic way to bring people into the Capital District to celebrate the area's youth programs and highlight our area's athletic facilities and amenities," said City of Troy Mayor Lou Rosamilia. "A tremendous amount of planning and hard work goes into this special event, and I want to thank aLL the individuals who have contributed to its growing success. The Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association is the driving force behind this competition, and I wish the teams all the best during the Rink Rat Tournament." "The Rink Rat Tournament is a great event for our region's economy and for the teams involved as well," said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy. "This tournament will show that the region is a wonderful place to visit and one that has first-class sporting facilities. The Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association is doing a terrific job in bringing such talented youngsters together for what promises to be a great hockey tournament. The association deserves our thanks for its effort to make the tournament such a huge success and helping kids learn about sportsmanship. These types of events enable us to showcase all the good things we have in the region." "The Troy Albany Youth Hockey Program provides a wonderful opportunity for players to develop skills that will carry them beyond the ice and guide them throughout life. We are delighted that they will hold their Rink Rat Tournament here in Rensselaer County and at other ice rinks throughout the Capital Region. We wish all the players the best of luck and hope that they and their families will take advantage of the outstanding hospitality of our lodging, food and other retail venues," said Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen M. Jimino. "Congratulations to Bill Andrews and the Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association on their 20th Youth Hockey Tournament," said Albany County Comptroller Michael F. Conners, II. "The tournament gives over 800 young hockey players the chance to show the Capital Region the future college, Olympic and NHL hockey players in advance. Our fantastic facilities give the teams and families the opportunity to enjoy world-class facilities in a Capital setting." Rensselaer County Sheriff Jack Mahar along with Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple are partnering together during the tournament and had this to say, "This tournament is not only good for the local economy, but it's great to see our youth participating in team sports. The more kids stay involved in sports and academics, the less chance of having an encounter with law enforcement .... please take a moment and stop by our SAFE CHILD ID booth and have an ID made for your child. Be safe." - Contact Bill Andrews for more information: (598) 250-8499; troyalbanytournaments@gmail.com Categories: Press Releases Comments Search Archives 2018 • (23) 2017 • (33) 2016 • (43) 2015 • (38) 2014 • (32) 2013 • (38) 2012 • (5) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: - Over 900 players from 58 teams will participate in the Rink Rat. The teams are from 7 states, and 2 provinces including teams from Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal, Quebec, and Princeton, making it one the largest youth hockey tournaments in New York State - According to the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau, this tournament will generate over $1 -Million in economic stimulus for Capital District businesses, and over $50 -thousand in sales tax revenues to local governments. - Saturday February 16th, there will be a "Rat Roast" in Troy, featuring a bonfire, fireworks, food from the Dinosaur BBQ, music, games, and more for participating teams and their families. - Participating rinks include the Albany County Hockey Facility, the Knickerbacker Arena (Lansingburgh), the Frear Park Skating Rink (Troy), the Conway Ice Area (HVCC), RPI and Union's rinks, the Albany Academy Rink and the Clifton Park Arena. - The tournament takes place during USA Hockey's "Hockey Across America Weekend." This weekend is to celebrate hockey throughout the nation. Friday's theme is "Wear Your Jersey Day;" Saturday's theme is "Try Hockey Day;" and Sunday's theme is "Celebrate Local Heroes Day." To celebrate local heroes the Rensselaer and Albany County Sheriff Departments will serve as honor guards during championship games and these games will also feature the Albanettes, Albany High School's all female a cappella group.