A case study that follows Scott Crowder, founder of the Pond Hockey Classic, and details the challenges he confronts in organizing pond hockey tournaments in light of shifting climate patterns and seasons.
- The tournament is dependent on the weather: it must be cold in the months and weeks before the tournament to ensure the ice conditions are good enough to support play. - There is no guideline on what constitutes 'safe ice' - The 2011 event was canceled due to poor ice conditions despite efforts by the organizers to find an alternative venue option (the alternative site also didn't have safe ice). The event lost money due to the cancelation, as did local businesses that lost the business opportunity generally presented by the increased tourism in the area. - The 2012 event also faced environmental challenges: the ice at the intended outdoor venue was not safe, so the event was moved to a smaller lake where ice conditions were better. - The US Northeast has experienced an average annual temperature increase of 2 degrees F (and a winter temperature increase of 4 degrees) since 1970. Winter precipitation is now mostly rain, not snow. - Challenges are expected to persist in future.
CITE: Fairley, S., Ruhanen, L., & Lovegrove, H. (2015). On frozen ponds: The impact of climate change on hosting pond hockey tournaments. Sport Management Review, 18(4), 618-626.
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