10-03-2011, 08:53 PM
cbelt3 wrote:
'slide solution' ? Weird idea. Yes, hockey is a very expensive sport unless you live where you get natural ice at least 1/3 of the year, preferably 1/2 the year. For your application, it's worth looking into. No Zamboni, refrigeration charges, etc...
The hard part is that because of the rink's location and shaky foundation (both figuratively and literally) most people in town have never even tried skating at this point. I've been told that it used to be a much bigger part of the community in the 60s and 70s. It would probably take at least a few years to get people to try it again and only a small percentage of those people would adopt it as a hobby like I have. I'm not sure if a business can be made to function around a market that doesn't currently exist and may not ever develop. There is a flourishing hockey community 90 min north of us and another 60 min south, so I have hope, but I don't have the $$$ to make it happen.