My letter to the editor of the AAS, it'll never get published but I had to share my feelings. I am truly heartbroken.
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Today is the saddest day in a long time for my family, today I turned in my
Ice Bats Season tickets. A little back-story for those of you who don't
follow the CHL level Austin hockey scene, which is most people in Austin.
After ten years in another location the Austin Ice Bats management made a
desperate move to get away from the Travis County Expo Center (TCEC) and move
to Chaparral Ice on I-35, an ice skating practice arena. Promising great new
digs, "nothing like the old Chap," and an awesomely renovated space. Instead
I believe they sat on their rear all summer and then hastily hired a 7th
grade shop class to finish out the space. As the saying goes... "you can put
lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."
Austin now has what has to be the saddest "arenas" in the league. I couldn't
even be mad, just depressed. The club's argument is that it was either this
or nothing. I almost have to believe that nothing would have been better.
After biding their time for years hoping for a Cedar Park miracle this was
all they could pull off when the long shot didn't come through. Moving closer
to downtown, the club has taken what could have been a golden opportunity and
laid a huge goose egg.
After following them for the last 10 years and being a Season Ticket Holder
(STH) for 6 of those, making road trips and donating food and housing items
to players we knew by first name, this is a pathetic way to end my love of
the team. I will shed a tear every weekend not seeing "MY" Austin Icebats
play, but seeing them play in that location would be equally as sad. I
offered to gather fans together as a STH advisory panel and help in any way
we could, but was rebuffed as not being needed. After going to the STH game
Friday night, it was apparent that they needed help of some kind but refused
to either seek or hire said help. Having this location forced off on STH's
and fans as just as good as the TCEC, or any other arena in the league, is a
sham. STH's all around me were shocked and appalled at what we saw. It can
only be explained as a travesty of planning and thought, as there obviously
was none going on in the front office. Management should be ashamed and
apologetic. Sorry Macker, sorry boys, there is no Joy in Chapville tonight.