Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1051049
"We only had one sheet of ice when we started. Now we have three sheets of ice and an inline rink. It continues to grow so that's a good sign." It's grown at such a rapid rate, Arturo said, because it gives kids an alternative to making the jump to a traveling program. "You start off as a beginner and from there it doesn't always make sense to have kids go to a travel program," Arturo said. "Usually something like an in-house league is less expensive and less of a time commitment. It allows someone to try it out, and if they like it, then they can make the jump to a travel program." W hile the in-house league at R MU Island Sports Center has become a good option for kids in the area, it also serves as the lifeblood of the facility itself. It's truly a symbiotic relationship as one would struggle to survive without the other. "Anybody can sell ice between September and March," Arturo explained. "It's about finding a way to fill the rink between April and August. That's the make or break time. You have to prepare in the winter to survive in the summer. That's what the in-house league helps us do. Maybe only half of those kids are playing in the summer. That still helps us fill our rink." Maybe the biggest reason people keep coming back, though, comes down to one simple fact. "It's fun," Arturo said proudly. "That isn't always the case with youth sports nowadays. I see it getting worse and worse. We take our adult model and impose it on the children. Nowadays we have a national ranking for 9- or 10-year old teams. It's ridiculous. Why? It's for the adults. Those kids don't always care." Because of that, RMU Island Sports Center doesn't display the score on the scoreboard. It's one of the many measures Arturo has taken to make sure it ends up being more about the game and less about the results. "We used to play in the backyard back in the 1960s and we would be playing for the fun of the game," Arturo said. "We would argue and yell and fight. In the end somebody won and somebody lost and then 10 minutes later we moved on to the next activity. We wanted to establish that same type of thought process at our rink and I think we've done a good job with that." J REAL PROGRAMS In-House Hockey PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY 42 / NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2018 USICERINKS.COM BREAKDOWN IN-HOUSE NUMBERS AT RMU "ANYBODY CAN SELL ICE BETWEEN SEPTEMBER AND MARCH. IT'S ABOUT FINDING A WAY TO FILL THE RINK BETWEEN APRIL AND AUGUST…YOU HAVE TO PREPARE IN THE WINTER TO SURVIVE IN THE SUMMER. THAT'S WHAT THE IN-HOUSE LEAGUE HELPS US DO." —BOB ARTURO , In-house hockey leagues keep kids in the sport longer, which fills more ice time at your rink. MITES (8U) SQUIRTS (10U) PEEWEE (12U) BANTAM (14U) 284 135 75 60