Orange County residents Andrew Lerner and his son, Ezra, said they watched their first professional hockey game from the stands this month because of their experience with the Hillsboro Hogs.
Lerner told Orange County commissioners that after two years on the youth recreation team, her son made friends and became a part of the community. Their family has now been part of more than 40 years of hockey history.
“I believe the Hogs will be beneficial for kids who want to play hockey in the future,” said 11-year-old Ezra. “It allows me to pursue whatever I want to do.”
But the Hogs, also known as North Carolina Triangle Youth Hockey, may not have a home rink next year due to an impasse with the private management company that operates the county-owned sportsplex in Hillsboro.
Lerner told commissioners on March 7 that a solution is needed. He said the Hogs have a legacy that “cannot be easily replaced.”
Deputy County Manager Travis Myren said last week that the county is still trying to obtain information and answer residents' questions. Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford said county commissioners may discuss the issue at a future meeting.
Commissioner Earl McKee said Tuesday he was “very concerned about what is going on” and asked questions of the board. Start considering other options.
A triangular rink that satisfies the demand for ice.
When North Carolina's Triangle Youth Hockey launched its first travel team (then called the Sharks) at the Daniel Boone Rink in Hillsboro, there were few hockey fans in North Carolina.
Forty-four years later, with ice time running out, the Sharks are now the Hillsborough Hogs, offering house or recreation, programs, clinics and games against teams from Raleigh to Winston-Salem. This travel program ended about 10 years ago.
Supporters said the organization has built a “culture” of helping kids of all skill and economic levels play hockey through discounts, financial aid and fundraising efforts. A “donation warehouse” that provides used gear. This year, more than 50 volunteers, including 30 USA Hockey-certified coaches, worked to register 178 players and planned and organized practice and game schedules.
Tom Deis, president of Triangle Youth Hockey, said they want commissioners to talk with Recreation Factory Partners, which operates the sportsplex.
Factory Recreation Partners Inc. wants to manage player registration, player and coach assignments, and the Hogs' practice plans and schedules, CEO John Stock said in a letter to the commissioner.
McKee called the plan “disgusting.”
“I think that's unpleasant because it's basically going to be done in-house. This is replacing an organization that has obviously had great success from all the stories I've heard. ” McKee said, as Bedford warned, “It’s going to get bad.”
After rejecting a proposal from Triangle Youth Hockey in February, management would cut practices one night a week, reduce the Hogs' team size and consolidate programs for young players, according to Deis and others. The Hogs are said to be trying to force him out after rejecting an offer to get more ice time.
Sportsplex officials agreed with some of the proposals, but said others would further hurt their ability to serve more local children.
Recreation Factory Partner Voices
Sportsplex general manager Andrew Stock, son of John Stock, said in an interview that the issue is a problem because Triangle Youth Hockey is working with Wake County's Polar House Hockey to provide more competition for kids. He said it goes back to about 10 years ago when he partnered with the league.
Stock said the Hogs initially played many home games at the Polar Ice Rink, but faced with increased demand there, they needed to play more games at the Sportsplex to maintain the partnership. It is said that That created scheduling problems for SportsPlex programs, a problem exacerbated by the post-pandemic surge in youth hockey, he said.
Last year, the Sportsplex canceled some public skate hours and adjusted youth hockey start times “to protect the youth recreational season,” Stock said. The Sportsplex must now have full control over the ice schedule, similar to how other Triangle-area rinks operate, he said.
“The lack of ice in North Carolina has been well documented on all kinds of channels. This speaks volumes about how interest in hockey, figure skating, and ice sports is growing. That's great, but it's a challenge,” Stock said. .
Recreation Factory Partners wants to keep the Hillsboro Hogs, and Triangle Youth Hockey could continue to serve as an advisory board, John Stock said. Because the county pays Recreation Factory Partners a fixed monthly fee to manage the sportsplex, there is no way to increase the company's profits, he said.
John Stock said the Hogs will get the same amount of ice time under the new structure, adding that he is “disappointed” by the misinformation surrounding efforts to “improve the house hockey experience.”
“We hope that families will see the improvements and value of the new program once it launches,” he said.
What Hillsboro Hogs Said
Deis and others criticized how Recreation Factory Partners handled the pending changes, which are the same as the plan proposed two years ago, but no one asked for input from the community. It said it did not provide details about the new program.
“If they feel they can offer a good program that is better and more cost-effective, that's fine,” Dace said. local hockey community. ”
Hogs coaches and parents say they believe the real motive is to implement a program that will bring more revenue to management, with the addition of a Sportsplex-operated Carolina Thunder travel team in 2023. I mentioned that. Management is also beginning plans for a sportsplex-operated recreational league this year to replace the Hogs.
While the new program won't ease the demand for ice time, Dace said the program could exclude kids who can least afford to play and if the Hogs lose their nonprofit status. , said those children could lose the Carolina Hurricanes scholarships that support them. He also cited a potential conflict of interest with Carolina Thunder coach Kevin Kamensky, who is also the Sportsplex's ice rink director and assistant general manager.
Stock denied any conflict. Kamensky led ice rink operations before taking over and continues to oversee the program, he said. He said the travel hockey league gives senior players opportunities that didn't exist in regional competition.
The county's contract with Recreation Factory Partners was amended last year to require the sportsplex to provide access to recreational and travel youth hockey leagues and non-profit leagues.
What does the county sportsplex contract say?
▪ The county pays Recreation Factory Partners a fixed monthly fee ($16,197 as of July 1, 2024) plus a small amount for reimbursable costs such as vehicles, gasoline, and mobile equipment to manage the SportsPlex. . The 2012 contract amendment established a 3% annual increase.
▪ The county made changes in 2023 to protect home-level youth hockey programs after complaints about access to ice rinks. The changes require programs that primarily benefit county residents “at a reasonable cost,” and also require sportsplexes to offer both recreational and travel youth sports leagues.
▪ The County may terminate the Recreation Factory Partner Agreement upon 120 days' written notice.
What does the future hold for the Hillsboro Hogs?
Deis doesn't think the Sportsplex plan will work. That's because the facility is understaffed, with only two full-time coaches and about 12 volunteers. There are plans to hire more staff, but Dace said the 200-player program needs at least 30 coaches.
Rising costs will force some players to drop out, he said.
He said it was unlikely the Hogs would find another rink before registration opens in June, especially since all rinks in the region face the same challenges. The new link between Chapel Hill and Raleigh will be unavailable for two years.
Staying at the Sportsplex now “would be a very unpleasant season,” Dace said, but “I'm doing it… for the kids.”
NC Reality Check is an N&O series that holds those in power accountable and shines a light on public issues affecting the Triangle and North Carolina.Have any suggestions for future stories? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com
