Ice Dawgs update, anyone? Yeah, a hockey question.

[RocketCityDawg]

MSU had games against VU and UA in Pelham AL this weekend. Results?

No, the rest of you don't have to give a rip.
It may be a couple of notches below Soccer or T-Dawg basketball in your esteem.

RCD

 

[War Machine Dawg]

[No message]

 

[SnakePlissken]

I spoke at length to one of the player's dad and he told me we only get to practice 1-2 times a month. The players have to drive to Huntsville to practice. Vandy has a full-time, though non-scholarship team, and this is Bama's 3rd year I believe. This is actually State's first year playing hockey. As of today, only 2 SEC teams don't field a hockey team - OM and Auburn. OM will have a team next year but not sure about Auburn.

We were totally outclassed on the ice but we played our asses off. You could tell that we had no sense of communicating and playing as a "team" with the lack of practice time.

Someone really needs to open an ice rink in Starkville or Columbus. It would make a killing like the two rinks in Pelham. That place is packed with kids all the time! I'm sure the Huntsville rink(s) are packed with kids as well.

 

[BewareOfMSUDawg]

Not sure how well it would do in the long run, but it would generate good initial interest, anyways.

I would love to see the athletic department get behind ice hockey, but with Title IX and budget limitations it probably won't happen anytime soon.

BTW, will there be any more games in Tupelo this year? I would like to make it at least one.</p>

 

[graddawg]

When I was in school we had to do a business proposal along with all the relevant marketing research in my marketing research class. While everyone other group in the class aimed low and offered small ventures like taxi companies and such, we offered a proposal for an multi-million dollar entertainment complex. It was basically a Dave and Busters with an ice rink and go-cart track attached. I don't know if it would work in Starkville or if you could ever raise the capital needed, but the people who filled out our surveys loved it. That's the kind of **** we are missing that would give the town more of a college feel.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

add both men's and women's hockey.

 

[patdog]

Someone really needs to open an ice rink in Starkville or Columbus. It would make a killing like the two rinks in Pelham. That place is packed with kids all the time! I'm sure the Huntsville rink(s) are packed with kids as well.

No way Starkville or Columbus could support an ice rink. The population is just too small. Hell, even the one in Flowood (Lakeland Dr. just across the Pearl River from Jackson) didn't make it. Although I never understood why. The times I went they seemed to have decent crowds.

 

[BewareOfMSUDawg]

to run a hockey program? I have no idea.

 

[SnakePlissken]

is about 15-17,000 but we also have Hoover, Helena, and Alabaster to draw from. I was just thinking that a lot of kids would come from Columbus, Ackerman, West Pt, Louisville, etc., since it is less than a 20-30 minute drive from all of these towns. It sometimes takes 20 minutes to go 5-7 miles over here.

 

[patdog]

It's about 20 minutes from downtown Birmingham. I'm pretty sure the metro Starkville/Columbus area doesn't have quite that many people.</p>

 

[SnakePlissken]

and the Pelham area doesn't support B'ham, Irondale, Trussville, Vestavia, Homewood, etc. Pelham is not the only rink in town. There are enough folks in the areas I mentioned around Starkville to support an ice rink.

 

[patdog]

Still though, if the Jackson metro area can't keep an ice rink open, I don't see Starkville/Columbus being able to. Although, I really don't see why the Jackson metro area rink didn't work out.

 

[RocketCityDawg]

I appreciate the effort of the guys wearing Maroon and White on the ice, not a common venue in MS.

RCD
</p>

Plissen, I forwarded your evaluation to my former boss, who just moved to Orlando a few months ago. He called me Saturday afternoon to ask if I was going to make it to Pelham, which I didn't. His son, a former [Madison] Bob Jones Patriot, plays on the Bama Frozen Tide. His 3rd year, now.

Columbus needs an ice rink; wish I had the money to lay down for that. I think it could work.</p>

 

[HockeyDawg14]

I'm on the team, and we have thrown around the idea of pushing for a rink in the Golden Triangle Region. The only way it would work is if the university becomes a huge backer. We would need them to be the primary bankroll and make sure they realize that ice rinks almost NEVER break even. MSU would also have to find uses for the rink to help pay for it, here's a great idea: Broomball is a huge intramural sport in colleges up north. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y3pXWEEI2Y

We have kids on the team who were active in the Tupelo youth league back in the day and I'm sure we could make the contacts up there that would help start one down here.

But here's the bottom line: In order to keep a rink from losing too much money, you need to have the rink rented for probably an average 6+ hours each day. Of course the hockey team would practice as much as possible, but we probably couldn't afford to rent more than 2-4 hours a week. This would mean that we would have to start youth and adult leagues which I'm not convinced would work. Given enough time it might catch on, with enough MSU staff from up north playing in adult leagues the youth may catch on but hockey is a VERY expensive sport the play (e.g: 1 hockey stick = $60 minimum) and I don't know if the GTR has the money for it. (I'm hoping I'm wrong, if you have accurate/recent income information of the GTR community at large please let me know).

Of course, if a youth league did start we may draw people from Tupelo, Jackson and other areas around. The closest youth hockey leagues to Starkville is in Memphis and Pelham.

All I'm saying is who knows what can and will happen. We are in our building year and while not playing great hockey we are having fun and our supporters seen to enjoy following us around the South. We have high hopes for next year. Last week we actually had a full roster for our games (2 goalies and 18 skaters) and we expect at least 30 for training camp in August.

Thanks for all of your support and come check us out. Bring your sweety to Nashville for Valentine's Day next month and watch us play Vandy Feb. 13 and 14, both games at 10:15pm. If you have any other questions about our team or know someone who wants to join feel free to contact me at [email protected].