National site changed

[RobC]

Due to circumstances beyond the control of the NCRHA, the 10th annual Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships will now be held in Colorado Springs, CO. The event will shift down the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains to the south of Denver into the Pikes Peak Region. The dates, times and blocks for the event will remain the same. A list of hotels with negotiated rates will be available to the teams on NCRHA.org by Monday afternoon, and teams are encouraged to wait until that time to book their rooms. Teams may fly directly into the Colorado Springs Airport (COS) or may fly into Denver International Airport (DEN) which is an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half drive from the north.

The main venue used will be the Tour Inline Hockey Arena in Colorado Springs, and a nearly equal number of games will be played at the Colorado Sports Center in nearby Monument. The two rinks are a 10 to 15 minute drive from each other, depending on traffic.

The Tour Inline Hockey Arena (http://www.sihahockey.com/TourArena.php) is arguably the finest inline hockey arena in the country. Built in 2002, at a cost of $2.1 million, the Tour Inline Hockey Arena has stadium style bucket seating for 250, full dasher boards with tempered glass (seamless in the spectator viewing area) and an NHL size playing surface. On the main floor there are four locker rooms, a pro shop and concessions area. The mezzanine level has the Penalty Box Bar overlooking the playing surface, a hospitality suite, a referee’s room, SIHA’s offices and a print media center. The facility has 200 parking spaces and a patio eating area.

The Colorado Sports and Events Center (http://www.socnroll.com/) is Southern Colorado's premier facility for sports and entertainment. The 54,000 square foot complex offers two rinks, the east rink for ice hockey and the west rink for roller hockey. The inline hockey rink has four locker rooms for players, and concessions and a pro shop are also available in the complex. The facility is in a beautiful location right up against the mountains in Monument, CO, just north of the United States Air Force Academy at the north edge of Colorado Springs.

The City of Colorado Springs has also jumped behind the the NCRHA to assist us in providing a first class event in the Pikes Peak region. The Colorado Springs Sports Corp (www.thesportscorp.org ) and Experience Colorado Springs (www.ExperienceColoradoSprings.com) have pledged their support to make the event a success. The Colorado Springs Sports Corp will be assisting with a number of things, including arranging cost effective lodging. The NCRHA is grateful for their willingness to assist us.

Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region are a fantastic place to visit, with its natural beauty and resources and plenty of activities to entice visitors when they are not at the rink playing or supporting their favorite team. Please return to NCRHA.org frequently in the upcoming weeks for listings of things to do and enjoy while in the Pikes Peak region.

For more information, questions or concerns about the Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships, please contact Rob Coggin, Director of League Operations and Officiating at [email protected] or 719-331-7344.

[dan sangiorgio]

what exactly were the circumstances

[GoRangrHky]

I don't really know all the details, but I do know that one of the rinks at OD's was not suitable for roller hockey in general, much less a national championship tournament.

[MBurke]

what exactly were the circumstances

I tend to think they're not going to post that in a public forum.

If you have questions, the contact info is there and as a member who pays dues you certainly have the right to ask.

Fortunately, Colorado Springs is the same distance from Denver as Ft. Collins so it shouldn't alter anyone's travel plans significantly.

[RichardGraham]

This news is now on the IHC Home Page, and it's good news for me, because my sister lives in Monument, and I want to go back and visit. Colorado Springs is an awesome place, when it's not winter.

[InlineMBA]

A wise man once said "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

The TOUR Arena is a fabulous venue.

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8

[csdahlberg]

I don't really know all the details, but I do know that one of the rinks at OD's was not suitable for roller hockey in general, much less a national championship tournament.

Was it OD's that had plywood behind the net on one rink? I can't remember which city I was in, but I hated playing with that behind me instead of normal boards/glass.

[TSUMoody89]

I have played there twice, and it is an unbelievable facility. The only complaint that I have ever heard about it is, if I remember correctly, there are no shower facilities in the building. Can someone let me know if this is true or not?

[madfred]

I am glad the games are at a better facility. Colorado Springs is apparently much nicer. Does anyone realize what a potential disaster this is for anyone who booked a hotel in Fort Collins through say priceline. I seem to recall trying to figure out when and where it was going to be in December and January. It is a joke that 5-6 weeks out this happens. As a point of reference I have serious questions about a league which has 2 years in a row cashed our schools check in November and then had our league director ask us in February where the check was. I think our league director has done a fine job and I am certain he is just in the middle. I really question what those on the receiving end are doing other than receiving money.

[MBurke]

Was it OD's that had plywood behind the net on one rink? I can't remember which city I was in, but I hated playing with that behind me instead of normal boards/glass.

That was Raleigh, two years ago.

[catch]

the answer to your question madfred is that they are the future ceo's of enron

[MBurke]

I am glad the games are at a better facility. Colorado Springs is apparently much nicer. Does anyone realize what a potential disaster this is for anyone who booked a hotel in Fort Collins through say priceline.

I'm hard pressed to believe many were booking their tickets that early through a non-refundable service. If so, you're pretty cocky and probably deserve it - not many teams can claim that they have locked up a trip to Nationals early in the second semester

It is a joke that 5-6 weeks out this happens.

State Wars had a similar situation in 2005 with the Powerade Iceport (Cudahy, WI), which was under construction and suddenly went out of business only a few months before the event - and many people HAD booked for Wisconsin considering that many tryouts were six months in advance of the event. Considering that many consider that the most organized program in roller hockey next to NARCh... does that make them a joke, too?

As a point of reference I have serious questions about a league which has 2 years in a row cashed our schools check in November and then had our league director ask us in February where the check was. I think our league director has done a fine job and I am certain he is just in the middle. I really question what those on the receiving end are doing other than receiving money.

- Everything related to Nationals and WinterFest
- Working with USA Hockey InLine, ensuring players and referees are registered for insurance, etc.
- Mission Hockey College program
- Various sponsorship deals (ACE, Mission, Revision, etc.)
- Traveling to regions throughout the country on various weekends to monitor events and meet with league directors
- Organization of summit meeting for regional directors every year
- Running NCRHA.org and regional sites, which I think are pretty good compared to the competition out there (cmon I can toot my own horn for once, can't I?)

There's more but that's just some of what comes to mind.

Is there lots of room for organizational improvement? Sure - but remember that this is a 'side job' for all involved. We have lives and families, and not a single college roller hockey employee in the country is making enough money to live off of.

We're fortunate in the ECRHA to have a very good support staff with a lot of people willing to help out for relatively little compensation. Many other regions aren't so fortunate, and one person can end up with a bulk of work that is too much for anyone to handle in the spare hour or two they have during the week. I've been there, I know how it is

If you are really curious about what the people in the NCRHA do or think that you can help out, by all means, run for a position, ask your director for more information, or just go to the site and contact them! They don't bite, I promise.

[Rzorbck]

I have played there twice, and it is an unbelievable facility. The only complaint that I have ever heard about it is, if I remember correctly, there are no shower facilities in the building. Can someone let me know if this is true or not?

This is true. There are no showers at Tour. Otherwise it is a top of the line facility in a much nicer city than Ft. Collins.

[sdcopp]

no showers on-site and the Pro Shop has been pretty lacking for a while aside from a decent qty of wheels, but there is a Player's Bench about 10 minutes away with more gear, sticks, etc but less selection on wheels. The facility is nice otherwise, kind of hidden in a neighborhood so it's a few minutes to any food, hotels, etc. If anyone needs local info feel free to pm me, PIHAGoalie is also in the area I believe.

Colorado Sports Center had a decent selection in the pro shop (haven't been there in a couple years now though), but they've gone away from inline some. Bigger facility with more stuff, but it a lot of multi-use areas, like laying turf over the inline rink for soccer, etc. Former NHLer Al Pedersen is up there, great guy to talk to. He's got a picture floating around somewhere of him taking Greztky down.

[hockeymonkey44]

Very nice rink. Nicest I have ever played at. They even have replay capabilities last time I played there. To bad the owner is a douche and I am kicked out of there for life.