The Pond Hockey Portal!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Cold snap preserves Minneapolis pond hockey tournament
MINNEAPOLIS - The U.S Pond Hockey Championships will proceed despite recent warm weather in the Twin Cities, organizers announced Friday.
With temperatures finally dropping well below freezing, the tournament will proceed Jan. 19-21 in Minneapolis - though on Lake Nokomis rather than Lake Calhoun. Organizers feared the tournament would have to be canceled because of poor lake ice conditions in recent weeks.
The tournament, in its second year, will feature 200 teams playing on 25 rinks. It's billed as America's largest outdoor hockey tournament.
ON THE NET
U.S. Pond Hockey Championships: http://www.uspondhockey.com
With temperatures finally dropping well below freezing, the tournament will proceed Jan. 19-21 in Minneapolis - though on Lake Nokomis rather than Lake Calhoun. Organizers feared the tournament would have to be canceled because of poor lake ice conditions in recent weeks.
The tournament, in its second year, will feature 200 teams playing on 25 rinks. It's billed as America's largest outdoor hockey tournament.
ON THE NET
U.S. Pond Hockey Championships: http://www.uspondhockey.com
Friday, January 05, 2007
Pond Hockey Craves Winter
Fred Haberman is trying to stay optimistic. But he knows that his vision -- the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships -- is under siege from Mother Nature.
Haberman and others have put thousands of hours into planning the event, which had its initial run last year and is projected to be even bigger this year. But the one variable they cannot plan for is ice. Slated to run Jan. 19-21, the championships already have been moved from Lake Calhoun, where there is open water right now, to Lake Nokomis, which freezes more easily. Even so, Haberman said the chances of the event happening are no better than a coin flip.
"It's obviously been frustrating," Haberman said. "We're hoping the cold snap that it looks like we're going to have starting Saturday or Sunday will continue."
And if it doesn't?
"It would be like telling a 6-year-old that Santa isn't coming," he said. "You put so much effort into something like this. It's really a 365-day job."
Haberman, of course, has a day job running a P.R. firm. But the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships is his vision. He and others pulled it off last year, putting 116 teams on Lake Calhoun in a two-day event. People thought he was crazy going in, Haberman said, but after seeing it succeed sponsors are on board.
Organizers boosted the event to three days this year, and more than 200 teams in several divisions are scheduled to compete. There will also be more live music and giveaways than last year, Haberman said (for more information, see www.uspondhockey.com).
But all of that is dependent on the weather. Haberman hopes to make a definitive announcement declaring "game on" or "game off" next Friday. With teams scheduled to fly in for the tournament, the latest he will wait is the following Monday.
For now, Haberman will continue to do what he has done for much of the winter: check ice thickness at a lake and wonder if his vision will melt away. Even if it does, however, he is adamant that it will only be temporary.
"I know the weather is a huge factor. It can be quite stressful to create a weather-driven event," Haberman said. "But I'm already looking at some contingencies for next year, and I'm pretty excited about them."
Haberman and others have put thousands of hours into planning the event, which had its initial run last year and is projected to be even bigger this year. But the one variable they cannot plan for is ice. Slated to run Jan. 19-21, the championships already have been moved from Lake Calhoun, where there is open water right now, to Lake Nokomis, which freezes more easily. Even so, Haberman said the chances of the event happening are no better than a coin flip.
"It's obviously been frustrating," Haberman said. "We're hoping the cold snap that it looks like we're going to have starting Saturday or Sunday will continue."
And if it doesn't?
"It would be like telling a 6-year-old that Santa isn't coming," he said. "You put so much effort into something like this. It's really a 365-day job."
Haberman, of course, has a day job running a P.R. firm. But the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships is his vision. He and others pulled it off last year, putting 116 teams on Lake Calhoun in a two-day event. People thought he was crazy going in, Haberman said, but after seeing it succeed sponsors are on board.
Organizers boosted the event to three days this year, and more than 200 teams in several divisions are scheduled to compete. There will also be more live music and giveaways than last year, Haberman said (for more information, see www.uspondhockey.com).
But all of that is dependent on the weather. Haberman hopes to make a definitive announcement declaring "game on" or "game off" next Friday. With teams scheduled to fly in for the tournament, the latest he will wait is the following Monday.
For now, Haberman will continue to do what he has done for much of the winter: check ice thickness at a lake and wonder if his vision will melt away. Even if it does, however, he is adamant that it will only be temporary.
"I know the weather is a huge factor. It can be quite stressful to create a weather-driven event," Haberman said. "But I'm already looking at some contingencies for next year, and I'm pretty excited about them."
