by Anthony Rifilato
"What matters in this life is more than winning." That's the motto the Baldwin Police Activity League teaches its players about sportsmanship.
But what happens when the kids can't play at all?
This is the dilemma the PAL says it has been facing since the roller-hockey rink in Baldwin Park has been in disrepair. For the past two years, PAL officials said, the condition of the rink, the surface of which cracks during the winter months and becomes a safety hazard, has necessitated numerous roller-hockey game cancellations -- including two season-ending playoffs -- as well as the cancellation of the league's instructional program. It has also led to a rapidly declining membership.
And though the Town of Hempstead has made repairs in the past, by patching up the surface, PAL officials explained that the foundation of the rink needs a major upgrade, not just a temporary repair.
Saying that the problems have existed for too long, the PAL has started circulating a petition calling on the town and others to fix the rink, and its leaders say the condition of the rink has become worse. "Anytime you have cold weather with ice ... [the surface] expands," said PAL Vice President Bob Cuccio. "If you go to other towns, like Oceanside, they have a nice, smooth surface there."
During the latest roller-hockey season, which runs from late October to late December or early January, the team was forced to play at rinks in other towns, mainly Oceanside, whenever new cracks appeared, usually in the middle of the rink.
"We can never be certain if we're going to play for that long," said Red Wings player Eric Reisman, 14.
But sometimes the Oceanside rink isn't available to the Baldwin team, which causes further headaches and game cancellations. "We're all fed up," said player Mike Scalero. "It's annoying."
With players having to dole out over $100 to pay for everything from membership to equipment, the condition of the rink is becoming a real turnoff. "Next to basketball, the roller hockey program is very popular," said Cuccio, explaining that this past season there were more than 165 players on 12 teams. But that's down from a high of 250, and Cuccio said that parents and players have expressed their frustration. "They're going to lose interest in the program," he said.
All of this can be avoided, players, coaches and officials said, if the Town Of Hempstead would fix the problem. "You end up where the kids get frustrated and the season drags on and on," said coach Lou Reisman, adding that his team had to finish this last season in Oceanside. But in order to get permits and time on that rink, since Oceanside has its own roller-hockey team, the Red Wings' season dragged into March.
"Nobody would give us the time," said Reisman.
The PAL sent a petition to local politicians and the town last year. While the town responded and repaired the rink in time for the fall season, the repairs didn't last. Not long afterward, more cracks began to appear.
All of this has become an unwelcome routine for the players. "All of us know that, eventually, the rink is going to crack again and we won't be able to play," said 14-year-old David Just.
The rink has been closed since January, which has resulted in the cancellation of the PAL instructional program, which runs for 10 weeks in the spring. This is the second year that the program has had to be canceled. "Nobody is using [the rink] now," said Cuccio.
For his part, Town Councilman Anthony Santino said that the town has been addressing the issue and looking into new ways to fix the rink, saying that it has recently found a solution. "We've been trying to address this problem for a few years," he said.
Santino said that because the ground beneath the rink thaws and shifts during late winter and early spring, the rink is subject to cracking, which is why the repairs haven't lasted.
The coarse, blue cement surface is riddled with darker shades of blue paint, which covers previous cement-and-tar repairs, and a blue streak running down the center of the rink highlights what was a major fracture.
While many would like to see the entire rink renovated, with new lighting and other amenities, Santino said that rebuilding it is simply too expensive and would end up costing the town hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the town is going to install a new surface, he said: a "floating surface," which is smooth and consists of interlocking pieces. Santino said the surface is similar to one at a roller-hockey rink in Smithtown, which is more durable, can withstand the changing weather, and in which sections can easily be replaced if there is a problem.
"It's like a jigsaw puzzle," Santino said of the new surface. The project is currently up for bidding, with a projected cost of about $45,000 to $50,000. "If everything goes well," said Santino, "We should be ready to go by the fall season."
Players and PAL officials hope so. Cuccio and others are hoping that this latest petition, which is being sent to hundreds of PAL parents, will force town officials and others to stay on top of the situation. "We'd like to see some kind of progress," said Cuccio.
