VIDEO: Adults taking to the ice for competitive hockey league action

Organized hockey is relatively new around here compared to most recreational sports, but people are taking to the ice.

Adult hockey leagues have experienced a slight increase in teams over the last year, according to Cedar Rapids Ice Arena Hockey Director Kevin Brooks. The four leagues have 20 teams with 10 to 15 players per roster.

“I believe they're up right now,” Brooks said, noting that 17 teams were involved last year.

Hockey leagues are in four ability classes ranging from beginner to advanced.

More skilled players compete in the A and A-B combined league, intermediate players play in B and beginners in C. Clinics are available to learn the basics.

“Our biggest thing is making sure that everybody's happy and it's good competition,” said Brooks, a former Cedar Rapids Roughrider who plays in the A league. “We added the A-B league to make sure B players were having good competition.”

The leagues attract players for various reasons, serving as a way for fans to get a hockey fix, fuel competitive fires and simply exercise.

“I think it's a little bit of everything,” Brooks said. “We have the die-hard hockey fans that are at every RoughRiders game, but the biggest thing is with our league is you can play year-round.

“There's no sitting around. It's constant moving. You're having fun.”

Games are held on the Olympic and NHL ice sheets.

Men and women aged 16 to about 60 compete Sunday through Thursday with occasional Friday dates. The Pink Ladies, an almost exclusively female team, plays in the C league, but some females also play in the B class.

Brooks said the biggest marketing tool might be the novice players of C league.

“The people who play in that are our biggest recruiters,” he said. “They just get new people involved and they're always welcoming people to come in and play.”

- By KJ Pilcher, The Gazette

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