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16 / MARCH.APRIL.2016 RINKMAGAZINE.COM SWEET HOME ALABAMA. These words conjure a few images. Most notably is the song by Lynryd Skynryd. Alabama is also associated with down-home Southern cooking, old-fashion country music and sweltering summer heat. Forrest Gump even took place in Alabama. The Heart of Dixie also has a rich ath- letic tradition. Alabama helped launch the baseball careers of Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, the dual-sport career of Bo Jackson and is one of the most proficient develop- ers of football players in the country. Alabama's substantial football pipeline supplies a good portion of the players for the University of Alabama's football team, which has been the most successful NCAA football program in the nation over the past decade. The Crimson Tide's dominance of NCAA football has solidified the program's repu- tation as the most popular sports team in Alabama. This often pushes other sports to the background, in particular ice sports with- out an indigenous footprint in the region. Despite this, the 50,000 square-foot Pelham Civic Complex has been a staple in suburban Birmingham for nearly two decades as one of only three year-round ice skating facilities in the entire state. It's also home to one of Alabama's only pro-shops, begging to attract hockey players and fig- ure skaters in the area inside. That doesn't mean the facility doesn't have obstacles in the way of continued success. "The main obstacle for us down here is football," said Erik Hudson, a 29-year- old former minor league goalie from Spokane, Washington, who relocated to Alabama to become the Pelham Civic Complex's Hockey Director in October 2015. "Don't get me wrong, football's a great sport," Hudson added. "I love football. Pelham Civic Complex is making hockey a part of the South // by DAN MARRAZZA Featured Rink Pelham Civic Complex | | Pelham, Ala. PHOTOS: PELHAM CIVIC COMPLEX Sweet (Hockey) Home Alabama