Rink

everal of the headlines over the past two months since NARCE share historical ties rem- iniscent of days long past. Some you would have hoped to never see again, while others remind you of happy, carefree times. Hop in your time machine and travel back to 1989 with me. You were pegging your jeans, had your collar up and high tops on your feet. Definitely cool, and definitely hip, though not by today's standards. It was also the same year that the Exxon Valdez ran aground off the coast of Alaska. Not cool, and not hip. Now let's drive your DeLorean back a bit farther to 1975 Philadelphia, Marty. The Broad Street Bullies have won their second Stanley Cup with their intimidat- ing style and goon-like tactics. These boys like to fight and to score goals. Don't bet on them pulling that off 25 years later, though. Though tamer than their predecessors, the second-edition Bullies just didn't pack the same punch. The McFlys caught the Biffs trying to lay claim to their prize and won their first cup since the 1960-61 season! Congratulations to Danny Ahearn and the ice crew at the United Center in Chicago! (If you fail to get the Back to the Future reference the first time, please take a moment to hang your head in shame.) This next one is easy, and you don't need a time machine to get it…Remember when men were men, and they didn't play football with their feet? Just a month ago it was called soccer, and everyone but us played it. In fact, the only time you would see soccer on ESPN was on the highlight reel, and it was never a corner kick headed in for a goal, just some dude with one name like Prince (before he did that symbol thingy), getting kicked in the chops. Every now and then, they would slo-mo it back and forth for the full effect. Cool, but not hip. Some things change for the better just as some change for the worse. Going into July, no matter how you look at it, you have one month, 31 days, or 744 hours to take a quick look back on the past year and determine if the decisions you made were ones that were cool and hip, or if they are destined to cause your business to run aground. There are some great articles in this month's edition of Rink to help you plan your next 12 months. There are many regional pro- grams offered to assist you in training your staff, as well. Capitalize on these opportunities! You don't want to look back next year and wonder what went wrong. ★ Reading it twice isn't going to help. Reading it twice isn't going to help. the final cut 54 R INK MAGAZ INE july/august 2010 by Johnny "The Knife" Monteleone STARrinks.com ■ Just livin' the rink life. RINK PHOTO ILLUSTRATION The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same S Some things change for the better just as some change for the worse. Take time and determine if the decisions you made were ones that were cool and hip; or if they are destined to cause your business to run aground.

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