Home of the Viroqua Thunder and local area sports teams, the Viroqua Area Community Arena offers seasonal ice programs including Learn to Skate, Try Hockey, Open Skate, and youth hockey. Incorporated in 1968 as the Viroqua Hockey Association Inc. the Association provided many community youth the opportunity to play ice hockey on organized teams that traveled to surrounding communities. Games and p
ractices were for the most part played on natural outdoor ice with the exception of occasional trips to Madison or Rochester MN. In 1976 the Association offered support and petitioned Viroqua Area Schools for the formation of the Viroqua High School Boys Hockey Team. The High School team as well as the Associations teams played its home games at the Park Bowl in Viroqua. With the outdoor ice and the unpredictable weather conditions the home ice seasons were often limited to 1 - 2 months. Growing with the Association was the dream of someday having an indoor ice arena in Viroqua. In 1991 the dream turned into reality with the construction of the Viroqua Community Arena. The Arena was build from many donations large and small from the Viroqua and surrounding communities, diligent fundraising and hundreds of hours by many volunteers. The Association received no government grants or aid. The addition of Association supported girls ringette came with the building of the Arena. The Association expanded its name to Viroqua Area Hockey Association in1995 to extend invitations of participation to the surrounding community’s youth. The transition from ringette to girl’s hockey in came 1996 and the Viroqua High School Girls Hockey team was formed in 1998. The Viroqua Community Arena has been a work in progress since 1991 with the addition of the locker rooms in 1992, the lobby and concession stand in 1993, the Nick Delap Memorial Mezzanine in 2001, the new dasher boards and refrigerant compressor in 2003, the new concrete bleachers and remolding project in 2004, the wall to wall rubber flooring in 2006, and the vestibule project in 2008. It is only now that we feel the Arena is close to completion and here for everyone to enjoy. Today as Association and community members we are truly fortunate to have the Viroqua Community Arena. It is all of our responsibility to ensure its success for future generations. The mission of Viroqua Area Hockey Association is to offer a program that will provide opportunities and support for boys and girls to learn ice hockey and life long skills including the value of teamwork, sportsmanship, responsibility, hard work, respect for others, self control and motivation necessary for youth to mature.
