Hello all!

My name is Chris and I am an amateur hockey player and aspiring coach here in Wytheville. Since 2023, Wythe County and the town of Wytheville have invested heavily in the Blue Ridge Bobcats semi-pro hockey organization of the FPHL. As an avid fan of the sport, this has been very exciting for me; watching my favorite sport grow in a region recently unfamiliar with it has been a very good thing for the region of Southwest Virginia. 

Although this growth has been tangible during winter (when the ice is in place at Hitachi Energy Arena), unfortunately, the people of Wythe County do not have anywhere to play and practice their skills during the off-season. Further, there are many youth who cannot afford the equipment nor ice time required to play ice hockey competitively; roller hockey provides a much cheaper alternative. This is especially important for the youth who want to play this sport and have dreams of going to the NHL that they would love to follow. 

I believe a roller/street hockey rink would be a wonderful investment into the community and would bolster the investment already made into hockey through the Bobcats. Furthermore, it would be a great location to host events such as tournaments, skills clinics, pickup games, or even a recreational roller/street hockey league. 

In short, I believe a roller hockey rink would be a wonderful investment into the sport of hockey, the youth of Wythe County, and would provide an additional athletic outlet for anybody interested in giving hockey a try. 

Thank you for reading and I hope you considering signing and sharing!

EDIT:

Wow, thank you all so much for the support thus far. It has been amazing to see so many people excited about the prospect of having a roller hockey rink here. The hockey community is special for many reasons, but the way it rallies around itself, in both good times and bad, has always stuck out to me. So once again, thank you. 

I wanted to share something that I believe further serves as an example of what is possible when hockey is made accessible to everyone. 

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft began last night, Friday, June 26th; the realization of a lifelong dream for many young hockey players. One such player, Jaxon Cover, was drafted by the Ottawa Senators, becoming the first player ever to be drafted out of the Cayman Islands. What is so significant about this is that, as a child, Cover’s first experience playing hockey was actually roller hockey due to the lack of ice in the Cayman Islands. He spent the majority of his life playing roller before finally getting the opportunity to play on ice later. 

This is an excellent example of what is possible when we make hockey accessible to anyone who wants to try it. Even if Wytheville were to never see a player drafted to the NHL, the valuable lessons, friendships, memories, and life skills gained from playing hockey are one of a kind. Accessibility is key to the survival of this great sport. 

Hockey is actually losing popularity among youth in Canada due to the rising prices of ice time, equipment, travel, and more. We have a duty to make sure that the sport grows and to remove whatever barriers stand in the way of that growth, whether that’s cost, equipment, etc. 

Once again, thank you all so much for the support so far and I look forward to seeing where this goes in the future!