We did a tongue-in-cheek (but also serious) post a few months ago about New Hanover Township’s thought of replacing the local hockey rink with pickleball courts instead.

The good news is that there’s been progress in this story. Pickle may have been defeated, but there’s a lot of work to do.

The pair of moms spearheading the effort to save the hockey rink met with township officials, and sent out a press release (my emphasis in bold) –

Fortunately for the hockey families, this outpouring of support made quite the impact. As a result, the Recreation Committee voted to recommend to the Board of Supervisors that the hockey rink not be converted into pickleball courts.

“Rest assured, the hockey rink will remain intact, but there is much needed discussion on how to improve it for short-term and long-term usage,” New Hanover Township Manager Jamie Gwynn kindly expressed in a letter addressed to (Kate) Van Druff.

“The Board was inspired by the efforts of your group before and during the meeting to advocate for the rink. To see a collection of young future leaders of our community gather the courage to not only attend a meeting but also share their experience is worth remembering and celebrating.”

Moving in the right direction. Note that this is a committee recommendation, and the full board needs to make an official determination. The process between the moms and the township has been amicable from the start, and there needs to a board consensus on funding and what happens with the park.

The most recent development took place this past Wednesday, when the 11-year-old girls who use the rink shared with the township a Power Point presentation containing some ideas on how to fix the rink. This was a sort of preliminary meeting, and the appearance in front of the full Board of Supervisors is scheduled for March.

Natalie Van Druff and Lilly Walter

The onus is more or less on the rink users now to offer ideas to the township on how this thing can be resurrected. It’s in pretty bad shape and needs a facelift. We’re talking fundraising, donors, getting some corporate sponsors to help out, stuff like that. If you’ve got any ideas, send them to me and I’ll pass them along ([email protected]). We’re gonna do a journalism and activism combo job here, since this is my hometown, and I feel partially responsible. I’d lay on the train tracks before allowing pickleball to displace hockey in the great township of New Hanover.

Here’s a video that shows the current condition of the rink. Notice the two huge cracks and janky fence. We’re gonna find a way to turn this into a banger of a hockey dek. New Hanover stand up!