In the News

THE REC DEPARTMENT; A small twist to hockey; Downsized rink helps keep game manageable
Boston Herald; Boston, Mass.; Jun 1, 2003; MICHAEL O'CONNOR;

Abstract:
"So we decided to come up with a concept that the kids wouldn't find intimidating, where
they could learn, of course, but mostly where skating and hockey could be fun, even for
little kids," said Jim Piatelli, one of the owners of The Pond, a small rink about two- thirds
regulation size.

Located in a former warehouse between Route 1 and Norwood Airport, The Pond offers hockey (specializing in 3-on-3 formats) soccer and lacrosse, on scaled-down playing surfaces. Kids,
particularly those under age 10, can put on pads and gloves and helmets, and have a real hockey experience, without feeling the frsutration of a puck as seemingly foreign, faraway object.

Among the programs offered are hockey and figure skating instruction, as well as free skating,
adult hockey leagues, soccer and lacrosse. For more information, call 781-762-9055 or go online
to www.the pondsofnorwood.com.

For adult skaters, a large ice rink conjures up images of the endless frozen rivers and lakes of
memory -- or a quick route to exhaustion.

For little kids, it's usually the latter. After five or six strides, they're tired. For young hockey players,
after five or six strides, the puck remains far away, and they're tired and frustrated. And maybe
want to go home.

"So we decided to come up with a concept that the kids wouldn't find intimidating, where they could learn, of course, but mostly where skating and hockey could be fun, even for little kids," said
Jim Piatelli, one of the owners of The Pond, a small rink about two- thirds regulation size.

Located in a former warehouse between Route 1 and Norwood Airport, The Pond offers hockey (specializing in 3-on-3 formats) soccer and lacrosse, on scaled-down playing surfaces. Kids,
particularly those under age 10, can put on pads and gloves and helmets, and have a real hockey experience, without feeling the frsutration of a puck as seemingly foreign, faraway object.

"With our program, the kids touch the puck so much more," said Piatelli, a former college hockey
player who has been in business only since last autumn. "They learn to skate with it and pass it
much quicker."

It also helps that because the rink is smaller, class sizes are too, even though there are more
instructors on the ice, all with pro, Olympic or collegiate experience.

Not all those who skate at The Pond are Mites or Squirts. There's also an adult hockey league,
and, no, the grownups don't seem to mind the smaller ice surface.

"You get a great workout. It's really about all you need," said Piatelli's twin, Jack, who also serves
as The Pond's lacrosse director.

Bill Poirier is also beyond his youth hockey years, but doesn't mind a downsized ice surface.
"I like it for the free skate periods, especially with fewer places for public skating," said Poirier,
15, as he shot pucks up and down the ice. "And it's like a real pond, only it's a rink."

Piatelli said part of the inspiration for the complex came from his own experience as a hockey
dad. "I took my son to a learn-to- skate (session) and there must have been 80 kids out there," he recalled. "The big ice, the crowds, that can be pretty intimidating for a little kid."

With a smaller venue, not only are the young skaters more comfortable, "but it's also easier to hear
and speak, so both the kids and instructors have better communication," Piatelli noted.

Denis Drummey is a believer, because, his son, Denis, Jr., has fun, pure and simple. And at age
6, that's what it should all be about, said the elder Drummey, a Norwood selectman.

"This is a great idea," he said. "The kids gets good coaching and they're not shuffled around in a
huge crowd."

Another parent, Maryellen Driscoll, said her children, Victoria, 9, and James, 6, find just what they
need on the smaller surface. "My daughter has both figure skates and hockey skates and she loves both," Driscoll said. "I really think it's great they way they've targeted this young age group.

"The kids get more one-on-one instruction and it's a very safe environment," she added.

Piatelli noted that keeping score is not what his programs are all about, but rather keeping
youngters interested and involved. "The worst thing you want to see is for a kid to have his first ice experience to be a bad one," he said. "They won't ever come back."

Somehow, at a semi-secluded former warehouse, they keep coming back for more.

The Ponds is located on Access Road off Route 1 North in Norwood, behind Decathlon Sports
and adjacent to Norwood Airport.

Among the programs offered are hockey and figure skating instruction, as well as free skating,
adult hockey leagues, soccer and lacrosse. For more information, call 781-762-9055 or go
online to www.the pondsofnorwood.com.

Caption: A LITTLE HELP: Jim Piatelli assists 6-year-old James Driscoll with his stickwork at
The Pond in Norwood. STAFF PHOTO BY GEORGE MARTELL

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