Colorado Rubber

Colorado’s and Utah’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline Hockey

Renamed Monument Ice Rinks continues to serve local youth

 

It was a busy summer at the Monument Ice Rinks.

That’s right, the Monument Ice Rinks.

That’s the new name of what was formerly the Colorado Sports Center in Monument, a town located between Denver and Colorado Springs. The name switch was made in August, and has been a hit on social media.

“We wanted to make the name of our facility more specific to our community. Colorado Sports Center could be anywhere in the state,” said Andrew Sherman, who has owned the facility since 2012. It opened in 2006.

“The new name has been received very well,” Sherman said. “Our Facebook ‘likes’ have gone through the roof. We’re now close to 1,100 and climbing. We had about 400 six months ago.”

Rampage1Two full-sized ice rinks used mainly by Colorado Rampage youth teams are the facility’s focal points. Each rink was repainted this summer.

Coming soon to the 10-acre complex, according to Sherman, are fields and teams for lacrosse, baseball and soccer that will operate under the Rampage banner.

“We’ll start with lacrosse in 2017,” he said.

There’s new signage for the newly named facility. A sign along Old Denver Road is up. A building sign that will be visible from Interstate 25 will be installed this fall.

The building sign will have a message board with LED lighting that will be a great marketing tool for Monument Ice Rinks.

Another marketing tool is the facility’s No. 1 ranking in the state in the Colorado Avalanche’s new Mile High Mites program. More than 120 youngsters ages 4-8 signed up to participate in the program at Monument Ice Rinks, more than double any other facility in the state.

For $160, the fall program includes six tickets to an Avalanche game at the Pepsi Center in Denver, six practices on the participant’s home rink and a complete set of equipment.

“It’s a great program,” Sherman said. “Because of it, more than 1,000 kids are going to be introduced to the great game of hockey.”

In a final bit of Monument Ice Rinks summer news, $15,000 worth of hockey equipment from the National Hockey League Players Association’s (NHLPA) Goals & Dreams Fund were delivered last month to the home of Al Pedersen, the facility’s general manager and youth director.

The equipment will be used for the facility’s extensive entry-level hockey programs for youths run by Pedersen, a former NHL player who competed in more than 400 games during an eight-year career (1986-1994).

Shoulder pads, shin guards, elbow pads, gloves, pants, skates, sticks, helmet/cages, garters/jocks, jills, neck protectors, socks, jerseys and bags were ordered from the NHLPA.

– Steve Stein

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