Hello everyone,

I am a 22 year resident of Anne Arundel County currently living in Odenton, MD. Something that I’ve noticed while living here is that there is a growing interest in the sport of hockey in and around the Anne Arundel County region. Growing up I played youth hockey at Piney Orchard Ice Arena for about 7 years and I worked in their hockey shop selling equipment for about 3 years up until covid started up. Ever since the Washington Capitals won the Stanley cup and The Maryland Black Bears NAHL team started playing out of Piney Orchard Ice Arena, I’ve visibly seen an increase in people coming in and out of the rink and people conversing more and more about starting to play the sport of hockey.

Hockey is not a cheap sport. A full set of hockey gear can cost upwards of $1000 and it costs even more for goalie gear. Ice time is also hard to come by especially in a warm place like Maryland where the ponds usually don’t freeze up enough to skate on in the winter time. Street hockey serves as an alternative and more affordable option for kids/adults in warm places like Maryland to endulge in the sport of hockey because all you need is a hockey stick and something to play around with like a ball or a puck. The only thing is, there aren’t any street hockey rinks anywhere near Anne Arundel County the only option is to play in an active street with cars driving by or go to a tennis court or a basketball court where there  are signs that say roller blading/hockey isn’t allowed.

I am proposing the idea to build an outdoor roller/street hockey rink somewhere in Anne Arundel County preferably somewhere within a few miles of Piney Orchard Ice Arena where hockey is always booming and it being the host arena of the Maryland Black Bears NAHL team. There are plenty of Baseball fields, Basketball courts, football fields, and skate parks everywhere you look in Anne Arundel County which is great, however outdoor hockey is a very different story. Building an outdoor 
street hockey rink would promote a safe environment for both kids and adults to play hockey free from the dangers of playing on the roads. It provides a more affordable option to play hockey for those that can’t afford it and it would serve as place to host public/community events like roller hockey games/tournaments and other large outdoor gatherings. If it came down to it, it could also be converted it into an outdoor ice rink in the winter seasons just like Quiet Waters Park and Glen Burnie’s outdoor ice rink. And most importantly it would promote keeping kids out of trouble.