06/08/2020
That’s a lot of faces......and that’s just the tip of the ice berg
Warriors, Squaws, Renegades, Braves, Tomahawks, Mohawks, Arrows, Mischiefs, Dragons, Islanders, Wildcats (x 2), Coyotes, Predators, Jesters, Lightning, Nomads, Kings, Sharks
The name of the teams and the colour of the jersey may differ but the home is the same. Every single one calls Whitley Bay ice rink home
The government is currently choosing not to open Ice Rinks, grouping them in with leisure facilities such as Bowling alleys and Casinos. This is not a ‘pass time’. This is a sport, an Olympic sport, a sport where our Men’s team finally broke into pool A of the world championship and stayed there.
The Warriors won the league this season and interest in the sport at local level was high. A catalyst for many more to fall in love and become involved in our sport. Instead, COVID meant the rink shut the doors in March and we’re still not allowed back in.
For a sport that is already under supported financially and suffers from a lack of facilities this could be fatal. The longer the rinks are closed the more players, young or old, will gravitate away from the game. The longer the doors are shut the more rinks will become financially challenged and never re open
We’re allowed to go to the pub, given vouchers to encourage us to go to restaurants, even sit on a plane for hours on end to go on holiday........but we still can’t play hockey
The rinks have gone above and beyond to put measures in place to allow hockey players and our fellow skaters to return to the ice and, after many false starts, we’re still being told no
So please, share this post far and wide, sign the petitions, contact your MP, make as much noise as possible and support us in letting the government know what is at risk here
That’s a lot of faces......and this is just Whitley bay. Imagine this scene repeated at EVERY rink the UK. Help us save our sport!
