Shortage of ice rinks in the DMV -- is there anything that we can do?

[Anonymous]

You can feel it everywhere you go in MoCo and the DMV. There isn't enough to go around. Swimming pools, skating rinks, soccer fields, basketball courts, just way overcrowded. Try to get a seat at the local coffee shop, I mean besides the drive through, or that one Starbucks with the peeling vinyl couches. The schools are so so, way overcrowded. Our elementary school looks like a trailer park with all the portable classrooms.

Then there are the elites, who just OMG don't care because look at me. I paid for private lessons, and can-do fantastic things, therefore deserve special teams. Those magnet programs, you know the ones you have to win the lottery to get into. They are jokes.

[Anonymous]

My kids play soccer and basketball. There is a huge shortage of fields/courts for both. I've tried working with elected officials, but land is expensive, schools (where the indoor gyms/basketball courts are) are overcrowded and no one seems to care - they would rather give away our tax dollars to developers to build more housing than build more schools (Woodward HS even opened without their Aux gym for 3 years). And soccer fields it's even worse. The grass fields that do exist are in horrible shape. The county can't keep up with the maintenance required to keep them in decent shape, probably due to overuse. And, despite Arlington, Howard amd other nearby Counties putting in turf fields to help with this, Montgomery County has decided no more turf. So we are left with crappy fields.

Those of us who live here have to drive far for games and practices (for both soccer and basketball - just like you do for ice). Kids activities are not a priority for those in charge

[Anonymous]

It's interesting the last several posts. It seems like there is overall agreement about the shortage of sports facilities in the DMV, at least compared to other cities of this size.

Is it perhaps because we do not have a lot of local large corporations that can help to fund the arenas/rinks/fields? This seems like a plausible reason, as I see in cities in the midwest how the local corporations often help with funding facilities, as a way to support their local community.

Or has there been a lack of leadership/vision in the DMV to build facilities?

It would be nice if the counties could join forces to do an assessment of what needs are most urgent, by comparing the DMV to other cities. Then try to find the funding. For funding, we could ask the older generations to help -- if we mention that sports facilities help the younger generations to keep fit/healthy and off of their devices, I think that many of them would see that it would be a very good use of money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In an area where land is at such a premium, any new spots facilities should be multipurpose. That will provide opportunity to the broadest range of users. If there was land for a new specialty center, it should be a pool. Swimming is a life skill. Ice rinks are a waste of valuable land. Any benefit from a new ice rink pales in comparison to the benefits of a new daycare, new sports fields, new parks, or a new pool. You may feel differently, and I can empathize with that.

One suggestion here -- at least in Montgomery County, Cabin John Park and Wheaton Park both have available extra land. There would be space for a pool, basketball courts, and even an extra rink added on to the existing buildings. (Both parks use a lot of space for baseball fields, which seem to be only used during baseball season. That is a sport that takes a lot of land, for only one season.)

[Anonymous]

It’s just going to get worse with Ion closing and Loudoun Knights and WLC looking for new homes

And this year there were several rinks with serious issues that put available sheets of ice out of commission for various periods of time. That didn’t help matters at all

[Anonymous]

Someone needs to start a public campaign to shame Leonosis into funding some new rinks to help support youth hockey in this area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's interesting the last several posts. It seems like there is overall agreement about the shortage of sports facilities in the DMV, at least compared to other cities of this size.

Is it perhaps because we do not have a lot of local large corporations that can help to fund the arenas/rinks/fields? This seems like a plausible reason, as I see in cities in the midwest how the local corporations often help with funding facilities, as a way to support their local community.

Or has there been a lack of leadership/vision in the DMV to build facilities?

It would be nice if the counties could join forces to do an assessment of what needs are most urgent, by comparing the DMV to other cities. Then try to find the funding. For funding, we could ask the older generations to help -- if we mention that sports facilities help the younger generations to keep fit/healthy and off of their devices, I think that many of them would see that it would be a very good use of money.

A big problem in the DMV as compared to the Midwest are that the population are heterogenous and many of the "Sports" clubs have vestigial "Segregation" issues. For example: swimming or ice hockey it's sort of two issues really. The public resources decided to go private so that they could control who had access to the facilities. They build plenty of private members only pools for example. The other issue is that many of the DMV are "neotropical" in the sense that they don't really want pools for anything but the three hottest days of the summer or an ice rink like ever. As compared to a homogenous population in Missouri where everyone is going to get use out of the pool or Minnesota where everyone is going to go ice skating.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t read the whole thread, but this was done in my Midwest town by a not-for-profit with support from volunteers, corporate sponsors, and private donations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t read the whole thread, but this was done in my Midwest town by a not-for-profit with support from volunteers, corporate sponsors, and private donations.

Yes and the problem is the people that end up running the private non-for-profit "elite" sports programs at the public facilities are the same people that are members at these members only private pools and they run their programs like a private club, so even people that otherwise want pools or rinks, don't want our public tax dollars going to these "elite" sports clubs. EG the MSI's and the RMSCs don't view their programs as a public service, even though they are contracting from public facilities at low or no cost. EG a tragedy of the commons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s just going to get worse with Ion closing and Loudoun Knights and WLC looking for new homes

And this year there were several rinks with serious issues that put available sheets of ice out of commission for various periods of time. That didn’t help matters at all

Ugh -- why is Ion closing? Could Loudon County buy it and run it as part of its rec program?

[Anonymous]

"After having promised families they are committed to preserving the ice rinks at Ion, owner Mitra Setayesh issued a press release to members of the Ion community and the media on Friday, announcing plans to go forward into turning the facility into a performing arts center and convention and event center."

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/latest-news/cracks-ice-part-2-ion-international-training-center-youth-hockey-little-caps-knights

[Anonymous]

Move back to Minnesota. It’s unreasonable to move to this latitude and expect there to be tons of ice rinks. And no, we should not pressure them to expand ice rinks. That’s not realistic for this climate. That money would be better spent on swimming pools.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the other poster that to come to MD and expect that there are many ice rinks is unrealistic. That is not the culture here. That is like me moving to Minnesota and expecting swimming pools everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just going to get worse with Ion closing and Loudoun Knights and WLC looking for new homes

And this year there were several rinks with serious issues that put available sheets of ice out of commission for various periods of time. That didn’t help matters at all

Ugh -- why is Ion closing? Could Loudon County buy it and run it as part of its rec program?

Horribly mismanaged by fraudsters who now have filed plans to turn it into a conference & events center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just going to get worse with Ion closing and Loudoun Knights and WLC looking for new homes

And this year there were several rinks with serious issues that put available sheets of ice out of commission for various periods of time. That didn’t help matters at all

Ugh -- why is Ion closing? Could Loudon County buy it and run it as part of its rec program?

Horribly mismanaged by fraudsters who now have filed plans to turn it into a conference & events center

Who would give them a loan to do that? Doubt the business plan is all that and past record of failure won't help. Declare bankruptcy like all rink owners do. They don't own the land so this whole thing is a mess.