Wythe County, Virginia – Wythe County's Apex Center will take on a new role this year as the home of the Blue Ridge Bobcats, and after its first season, county leaders said they can't wait to see what's next.
“This has been a really great first year from a county perspective,” said Wythe County Deputy County Administrator Matthew Hankins. “It had an economic impact on the county.”
Hankins said it wasn't easy getting everything in place for the season.
“This time last year, the hockey floor behind me was still a dirt floor,” Hankins said.
He said they know what's next on their to-do list now that the season is over.
“We're installing new seating, so the seating here will be gone,” Hankins said. “The seats will be much closer to the ice and even steeper, so everyone will be much closer to the game.”
They said there weren't as many fans as they expected at the beginning of the season, but by the end of the season it was noisy almost every game.
“They're very loud, and with the new seating that's coming next season, people will be closer to the ice,” Blue Ridge Bobcats head coach Wojtek Zemlicka said. Ta. “It's going to get louder.”
I spoke with the team's executive vice president and he said that the response was very quick and he was happy with the results.
“The fans got louder throughout the season and it was a great place to play,” Jimmy Millikin said. “Our players love playing here. We set goals, work towards them, and achieve them. We're happy that Season 2 is coming up.”
They said their goal for next year is to host more events at the Apex Center.
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