USAHIL vs AAU, moved from College Nationals Thread

[Mtour71]

The Anaheim Hockey Club has relocated up the freeway to the old Corona facility. The NHL'S Anaheim Ducks are the new owners of the facility and are putting more than a million dollars into it. The rinks and scoreboards were brought from the facility in Anaheim. Every other square inch of the facility has either been redone or is in the process. To say that this is a world class facility would be an understatement. Upgrades to the Corona facility include new lighting, Air conditioning, new locker rooms, offices, flat screen TV'S and also to be added soon will be a new Pro Shop built above the locker rooms on a newly added second floor and a new snack bar with first class pizza going in. With the Anaheim Ducks getting involved with Roller Hockey in Southern California, the future in the area looks very good. By the way the new rink is now home of the Anaheim Jr. Ducks travel program (formerly the Anaheim Bulldogs) and will also be home to a new Jr. Ducks pro team that will play in the pacific division in the new AIHL. There will be more exciting news from the So. Cal area soon. Stay tuned!

I have heard great things as well....I know NCRHA is USA HOCKEY Sanctioned. Anaheim is a HUGE AAU supporter. Don't really see it happening. AAU has Anaheim on a tight leash!

[ianmackie]

[InlineMBA]

AAU doesn't have Anaheim on a tight leash, Anaheim is a huge supporter of AAU just as the Coast to Coast rink is because they are the best thing for roller hockey and for the future of the rinks. USA Hockey does not support roller hockey, never has and never will. The NCRHA needs to get on board with AAU if they want to be a legitimate force in the sport. The October issue of USA Hockey magazine just arrived and with 64 pages of hockey there is absolutely no mention of Roller Hockey to be found. They should change the name to USA Ice Hockey. People in the Roller Hockey community need to wake up and get on board with AAU, because they are the only ones who care about our sport.

Every one is entitled to his/her opinion. Me? I've only been involved with the sport since 1999. Been to plenty of TORHS, NARCh & AAU regional qualifiers and finals (or whatever you want to call them - Nationals, J/O Olympics, or Finals) and I think moving the NCRHA to AAU would be a big mistake.

If you think USA Hockey does not support roller hockey and AAU would, I think you're mistaken. Roller Hockey is the forgotten step-child of AAU. But please, don't start with that "if Roller Hockey is ever going to be an olympic sport" stuff. Let's be real, it ain't going to happen. Then again, that's not number one on my agenda. I'd rather see more kids at the grass roots level playing roller hockey again. Also, I'd like to see the barriers come down between ice hockey and roller hockey. Maybe that's already starting to happen, but we've got a long way to go.

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8

ps - only Mackie (loved the Cool-Aid though)

[alex]

NCRHA isn't a "legitimate force in the sport" because its not on board with AAU?

[InlineMBA]

Interesting read from this past summer: http://www.narch.com/NARCh_Blogs/rol...723083476.html

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8

[ianmackie]

Where is AAU's magazine?

I am affiliated with both entities and I see faults in both of them. I just don't get the Kool-Aid drinkers that are so set in their ways. It's the mentality of you're with us or you're against us. I just think that is the wrong way to look at it. We should be looking at ways to work together as opposed to working against it.

Finally, my thoughts on Pacific Cup and WIHA is this...there was one business doing the tourny's of the area, the rink owners wanted more money and took the ideas and business from the other tourny and started their own, and now we have one more good roller person out of the business. Say what you will, but I saw the main winner as NARCh last year. They sold each Cali Regional out last year because people wanted a true tournament that meant something again.

Just my two cents...carry on.

[alex]

Going along with what Ian said, maybe there's a bit of a trade off in quality there...Pacific Cup was a superior tournament series to WIHA. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, I know they've only been around one year. Maybe over time it will create its own tradition. But winning Pacific Cup meant something.

[Mtour71]

Lets not get into the USA Hockey vs. AAU debate. I have been to an AAU event and it was a JOKE. At least USA Hockey has people like NARCh, State Wars, USA Clinics, etc.. who actually care about the sport of Roller Hockey. They are actually Roller Hockey people who care about the growth and development of the sport. I think Torhs may even be on board this year? Not too sure though. The leaders of the sport are all together (NARCh, State Wars, NCRHA, PIHA, TORHS?) Those are the best events in the country with the right people involved..

Like Ian said...What magazine does AAU you have? I have never seen it? I know that AAU didn't even have their schedule made for NATIONALS until the day of the tournament. Come on guys, if they cared about the people then they would have had the schedule made weeks in advance to help out the families spending thousands of dollars to come to their event. The atmosphere at the tournament was horrendous and the reffing was even worse. Where did these guys get certified? A crackerjack box?

Let's face it if USARS never gave AAU the rights for FIRS then AAU would be nothing. If these International teams saw a NARCh event there is no question that they would never go back to AAU. It is very unorganized to say the least.

Sorry Socal just my opinion. BRING BACK PAC CUP! Class act organization!

[Mtour71]

Oh and SoCalHockey a few more things....

1. You obviously have some affiliation to the AAU group in Cali so I understand that you HAVE to stick up for them

2. Can you stop with the "big news in SO Cal hockey coming soon" sh$t no one cares. Unless you guys have found a cure for cancer no one else wants to hear it

3. I've lived most of my life in the mid west but have visited the east coast a bunch of times, don't ever brag about a pizza joint opening up at your rink. Stick to tacos or the deep fryer.

4. You say that Narch doesn't give back to the rinks yet Wiha gives so much. I don't agree. Narch gives back by offering great hockey for the past 15 years. It is a big part of the reason inline hockey has grown and Pacific Cup and Narch were responsible for growth in So Cal to begin with. Ask the guys running Anaheim and the Blades if they'd even be in the sport right now had it not been for those two groups that "don't give back".

Also you say that WIHA gives back to the rinks. They give back to themselves you idiot. So if Narch bought their own rink in So Cal and then held their own tournaments and Finals there, would that mean that all of a sudden they were giving back to the rinks? That's what wiha does in a nutshell, they kicked out Pacific Cup, stole their customers and now not only pocket the registration fees to play in the tournaments, but the keep the rink rental money too! So they make even more money ! If they were really doing the right thing they should be charging half of what is generally charged. It's all an illusion and like Mr Mackie said, you are drinking the punch.

5. You are right about USA Hockey Inline, they do nothing for inline hockey I agree. But aau is just as bad. The only difference is that they must give great kickbacks to the cali guys who bring teams to their tournaments, where at narch and other events they were treated just like everyone else.

looking forward to another ncrha season! Go lions!

[JLambertUMSL]

I am affiliated with both entities and I see faults in both of them. I just don't get the Kool-Aid drinkers that are so set in their ways. It's the mentality of you're with us or you're against us. I just think that is the wrong way to look at it. We should be looking at ways to work together as opposed to working against it.

Totally agree on kool-aid drinkers...amen!

[alex]

Hmm, NARCh seemed to do just fine when the Blades and Bulldogs left in '05.

And how is running absolute sh*t tournaments like AAU does representing or helping the sport in any way? If I were an ice hockey kid making his first foray into roller hockey and my first tournament was any AAU tournament, I'd leave with an even deeper held belief that roller hockey is a JOKE.

[InlineMBA]

If I were an ice hockey kid making his first foray into roller hockey and my first tournament was any AAU tournament, I'd leave with an even deeper held belief that roller hockey is a JOKE.

You make a pretty good point there.

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8

[ianmackie]

Wait...Lambert and I cannot agree on here!

I take it all back, just bought some Kool-Aid, and I am currently gulping it down.

[topshelf]

I agree, USA Hockey does absolutely nothing for roller hockey. And I don't even like Kool Aid.

[MBurke]

Similar thread, for those who want a reference point:

http://www.inlinehockeycentral.com/f...0159#post50159

My post here specifically outlines how USAHIL helps NCRHA annually:
http://www.inlinehockeycentral.com/f...59&postcount=4