| In the summer of 2003, the local
Cascade area roller
hockey team (Cask8) lost its only practice area. The team had been
practicing in the Berndes Center in Monticello for four years without
incident, paying $25 per night
and putting off practice when other events were being held so as not to
interfere. The members of Cask8 yielded peaceably to the City Council
when they were told they couldn’t come in to play for a while because
of the Jones County Fair. The fair came and
went, yet Cask8 was still not allowed in. After a couple months of
patient waiting, Cask8 asked to be allowed to return to the Berndes
Center. On November 17, the issue came up at the City Council meeting. Quoted from the meeting’s minutes: “(Joshua) Smith stated that the hockey players have approached him, requesting that they be allowed to play hockey at the Berndes Center again. The Mayor disallowed hockey at the Berndes Center in August due to the damages it caused. The Park & Rec Board agreed to allow them to use the facility again for a 30-day trial period if they pay a $1,000 deposit annually, use a soft puck and tape the brakes on their skates. They will be required to get a key for building access and the Berndes Center staff will be monitoring for damages. (Dena) Himes stated that the representative from Sport Court said that it is the hardest activity on the floor. (Mayor) Johnson stated that 90% of those playing hockey are not from town. (Nels) Petersen questioned what they were paying to use the facility and Smith stated residents were paying $2 and those from out of town were paying $5. Johnson felt they should be paying $300 per week minimum and someone should be overseeing them. (William) Meyer stated that they are generating revenue for the City. Himes felt that they are causing too much damage compared to the revenue they are generating. All but Meyer agreed that hockey should not be allowed at the Berndes Center.” December 1, 2003, the motion was passed. Most of the hockey players are from Cascade, with two from Dubuque, one from Monticello, and two from Earlville. Cascade and Earlville are both neighboring towns to Monticello in the farming community we all live in. It may take a while to drive to or from Monticello, but that should be expected in a rural area such as our own. The hockey players looked during the summer for alternative places to play, asking for permission to use parking lots, etc., and came up empty handed. Cask8 worked hard with the city and all of their demands, doing their best to remain courteous and respectful. The team put off playing so the Berndes Center could be used for other events, paid a nightly fee, and they paid extra to cover damages charged to them. Some panels of the garage door were dented and had holes- Cask8 replaced them, even though some were higher than the tallest player and pucks don’t fly that high during games. A glass window on a door was cracked, and although none of the players thought the team was at fault, they paid extra to replace it. Some floor panels started to come up, which is dangerous for hockey, so the players always pushed them back down, and the wheels on skates wouldn’t be enough to pull them up like that. No proof was given that the team was at fault for any of the damages, but neither was there concrete proof they weren’t the cause. More than once, someone would mention that a video camera should be installed in the main room for proof, so that any persons causing damage to the area would be identified. The players were not opposed to having someone come in and observe the game and evaluate the alleged destruction. In a study conducted by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, data was collected from 1995, 1997, and 1998 (possible other years as well) about the injury rates among sports. According to that data and the recorded participation levels, basketball averaged an injury rate among participants that was approximately .10-.30% higher than that for roller hockey. The injury rate drops further when hockey players take care to wear pads (as the Cask8 players do). Hockey at the Berndes Center was a good way to generate extra revenue for the city that the community did not have to pay for. It was economically advantageous to the community. Cask8 would sincerely appreciate an effort by the City Council to reevaluate their position on disallowing hockey at the Berndes Center. As the only local hockey team around, one might think Cask8 would get more support, especially since they play in a league at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena with a team from Marshalltown and two teams from Cedar Rapids. Most of Cask8’s support has come from Dyersville, where some young adults accompanied the team down to Cedar Rapids to cheer them on a few times. The fact remains, however: Cask8 has little chance of improving their skills if they have nowhere to practice. |