New program/facility: Xtreet Hockey!

[DannyG]

Howdy! from far west Texas!

Locally, we are starting up a new program of five sports: basketball, baseball, inline hockey, indoor soccer, and indoor lacrosse. The name of the facility is "Xtreet Sports." Each game is a smal-side, small-floor version, either 3v3 or 4v4, of the sport, and promises to be a lot of fun.

Picture in your mind a residential street in Brooklyn in the 1940's. That's where kids played everything in their neighborhood. In various sports, the streets of the big cities, the sandlots all over the country, the frozen ponds of the northern climes: these are the playgrounds where our sports "grew up."

That Brooklyn street is the playing field of Xtreet Sports. The Mateflex(tm) surface is colored tiles made up to resemble an actual city street. The game fixtures and equipment are made up from the things you would find on that big city street. Manhole covers and sewer grates are the baseball 'bases.' Trash barrels turned on the side are the hockey and lacrosse 'goals.' Bus stop corrals are the team bench areas, a hot dog stand is the scorekeepers area. The spectators may sit comfortably on one of the brownstone porches along the street. There is a cafe, a train station, and other shops/stores along the street. Both of the rink end board areas are flanked by 'warehouses.' The reception/information/registration desk is a news stand.

I have noted several facilities around the country that house two or three sports, but none that does all of the five that we have planned. The small-side format should be great for player development, as well as just plain fun. Weren't those the best neighborhood games you played as a kid, anyway? The idea is to take the positive elements of the nieghborhood games we all enjoyed as kids, and organize them "just enough" to keep the fun, but make sure the organization "stays out of the way so the fun can happen."

This week, we finally got the building leased. I have now signed away my pension from my former job & my life savings. We hope to finish the equipment construction and set up by January month-end. Registration and preseason in February, and our first season (March through May) is on the way!

We'll let you know how it goes over the next few months.

[RichardGraham]

Hey Danny,

Wow. That sounds cool... and daring! Good luck on this, considering how much of yourself you're investing in it.

You're right about how great the sandlot aspect of sports was/is. I played stickball against the school buildings in Toronto, and of course, hockey in the street in front of my house. We played with a worn-out tennis ball and nets that we dragged in and out of the way as the occasional car came through. It was some of the most fun I've ever had.

Send some pics when you get a chance, Danny.

[Defense1st]

Danny,

Good Luck...and yes, I grew up playing all those games on the streets of Brooklyn. We also played stick ball (sans the wall strike zone), punch ball, whiffle ball and stoop ball (you can use the brownstone bleachers for stoop ball). Stoop ball is a game that makes a baseball player better, fielding grounders and flies all game long.

Those were the days...............

Send me some pics when it is completely done........and I may come and visit.

Phil Steur

[CUDangled]

Do you have a website? I would love to see pictures. Great concept. Get the kids back into sports and away from the damn video game controllers!

[DannyG]

should have a website and pictures the first two weeks of February...thanks! for the interest. We're planning some special events this summer that might be worthwhile to various programs around the country...back later in the week with the first construction steps...