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Economic Impact of Youth Hockey Tournaments: A Case Study of the La Crosse and Onalaska Ice Rinks Introduction Youth hockey is a major recreational and family event in Wisconsin and throughout the upper Midwest. Formal programs exist for youth simply interested in learning skating skills and the fundamentals of hockey to those interesting in competing in national and international tournaments. Demand for "ice -time' at the available indoor ice rinks have youth hockey players skating in the early hours of the morning before school and into the evening. In response to the growing popularity of youth hockey, a number of formal associations, such as the Onalaska/Holmen Tornado Youth Hockey Association and the River City Youth Hockey Association, have been formed to coordinate a range of learning opportunities and formal team tournaments. Youth hockey tournaments have become a major part of the Wisconsin winter recreational landscape over the past decade. The most frequent response on the survey regarding what they enjoyed about the visit was "family time." With the growth and formality of youth hockey associations, the number, frequency and size of weekend youth hockey tournaments has rapidly grown. For communities with well -organized youth hockey associations and superior ice facilities, such tournaments can make significant contributions to the community's tourist economy. In October of 1999 a representative of River City Youth Hockey requested assistance from the La Crosse County University of Wisconsin -Extension office in determining the impact of youth hockey on the local economy. The county office then involved the UW- Madison/Extension to assist in the study design and data interpretation. The intent of this study is to examine and document the impact that youth hockey tournaments have on a local economy. The study focuses on youth hockey tournaments that occurred in La Crosse and Onalaska for the winter session of 1999-2000. Survey data were collected from tournament participants during the months of January and February 2000. Volunteers from the local youth hockey associations had adults complete the survey and walked each interviewee through a simple one-page, two sided questionnaire. A total of 373 surveys were completed, 219 from Onalaska and 154 from La Crosse. This report is composed of five parts beyond the introduction. In the next section we provide a profile of youth hockey tournament participants. We then provide a brief review of the methods used to conduct the economic impact assessment. In the third section we summaries the results of the impact assessment. In the fourth section, we profile other activities such as scheduled games and we close the report with a brief review of key findings and provide some closing observations. Youth hockey tournaments are almost exclusively a weekend or vacation time activity. The greatest portion of the ice time at rinks is available during the week for games, practices, clinics, and public skating. A portion of this time is for teams to play non -tournament games. These non - tournament games involve a home team and an away team usually from out-of- town. For the La Crosse Rink in the 1999 — 2000 season there were a total 76 non -tournament home games ranging from Mites to the High School