Rink builders, don't forget the media

I made a trip over to West Salem Saturday to watch the Baldwin-Woodville Blackhawks take on the host Panthers in the brand-new Panther Den.

The rink features an Olympic-size sheet along with several amenities that have yet to be completed. There will be a gymnastics training room, a space for the athletic trainers and a nice size lobby with concessions. Outside, softball and soccer fields will complete the complex.

All-in-all, a very nice facility for West Salem, a community of just over 5,000 people.

But the part that I was most interested in was the 'media area.'

Built above the scorer's table, the Panther Den media area has room for about 10 people. When I was there, the crew consisted of a couple of moms taking pictures, a TV station video guy, a newspaper photographer, team managers, and me. Sight lines are good, with no netting in the way.

Not perfect, but not bad. Kudos to West Salem.

That said, listed below are 18 other rinks that I have either gone to a lot over the years or have been to recently. Grades and comments included...

Media space ratings by rink

Rink Name	City	Grade	Comments	Codes
Hobbs	Eau Claire	A+	The ultimate!	WA, SL
Cornerstone Rink 1	Ashwaubenon	A-	Good space, but crowded	WA, SL, CR
KB Willett	Stevens Point	A-	Spacious, good sight lines	WA, SL, CR
SWC Rec Center	Wis Rapids	A-	Lots of room on mezzanine	WA, SL, CH
Omni Center	Onalaska	B	Elevated, good work area	L, WA
FDL Blue Line	Fond du Lac	B	Too far away, otherwise OK	TF, WA
Greenheck	Schofield	B	Use ladder to shoot over glass	L, GP, FP
Ice Hawks	Stevens Point	B	Good press area, can be crowded	SL, CR
Community Center	Waupun	B-	Need to climb tough ladder	L, SL
The Dome	Eagle River	B-	Shoot from stands	SL
Tri-County	Neenah	C-	See Greenheck comment	L, FP
Milt Lunda Arena	Black River Falls	C-	See Greenheck comment	L, FP
Cornerstone Rink 3	Ashwaubenon	C-	See Greenheck comment	FP
John Gornick	Hudson	C-	See Greenheck comment	L, FP
World Famous Expo	Waupaca	C-	See Greenheck comment	L, FP
Ozaukee Ice	Mequon	C-	Top of stands, too far away	TF
Marathon Park	Wausau	D	Have to shoot from penalty box	PB, FP
Mosinee Ice	Mosinee	D	Tiny elevated stand on one end	TF, CR
Sun Prairie Ice	Sun Prairie	D	Nothing but netting	N

codes

Code	Explantion
TF	Too far away from action
L	Need to stand on ladder or climb ladder
N	Netting in the way
WA	Good work area
SL	Good sight lines

Code	Explantion
PB	Have to shoot from penalty box
CH	Too many kids running around
GP	Great people, helpful
FP	Flying pucks
CR	Too crowded at times

Don't get mad if your rink has a poor rating; it probably isn't your fault.

When I go to games, I like to have an area that is somewhat uncluttered where I can take game notes and pics from. We are there to give you coverage and the better the place we have to work, the better the coverage will be.

So, here's the deal: you can improve your media area. Might take a little work and a little cash, but think about how happy the press people will be!

Here are some pointers:

Build it above the ice with no netting in the way
Make sure there is plenty of 'work space,' tables, etc for laptops, cameras, notebooks
Make sure there is enough room for all the 'working' members: press, managers, team photographers
Keep it off-limits to anyone who isn't 'working'
Have plenty of electrical plug-ins and Cat 5 or 6 cable jacks
Make sure the wi-fi works and can handle the traffic
Share your passwords so we can log on

My idea of a perfect press area is Eau Claire Hobbs. There is room for about 20 people, there is a large 'counter top' which can accommodate all the working press, there are comfortable chairs to sit on, and usually no one is running around that doesn't need to be in the area. The sight lines are great, and one of the best radio guys (Mike Sullivan) is there to offer insight and maybe even buy a Diet Coke for you.

That's about it. You want me to come to your game? Make sure you take good care of me so I can get plenty of great pics and not miss any action.

See you at the rink!!