Rink just barely skating by
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Will and Shane Sweet were rink rats before there was a rink. Throughout the ’90s, the brothers joined dozens of roller hockey enthusiasts who swarmed paved surfaces across Burbank, leading a group of parents to demand that the city provide a safe and legal facility for children to play the burgeoning sport.
Parents in 1995 got their wish when the City Council approved $220,000 for a state-of-the-art facility at Ralph Foy Park, complete with bleachers, outdoor lighting and a smooth playing surface.
“As many as 30 youth teams all day long on Saturday and Sunday played here,” said Brad Schmidt, a volunteer hockey coach. “Families made days of it. People barbecued. The park bustled.”
But no longer does the sport, or the facility, incite the same enthusiasm, said Marisa Garcia, deputy director of recreation services for the city’s Park, Recreation and Community Services Department. The rink has not hosted league play in two years due to a lack of interest, and last year averaged just one youth and six adult visitors per day, according to city records.
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