Submitted by Jack Duffy, Head Coach to the Greenwich Varsity Boys Ice Hockey Team; Keith Orrico, President GCYHA; and Nancy Leamy, director of The Greenwich Skating School
We are the leaders of three of the important skating programs at the Dorothy Hamill skating rink. We’d like to speak to the community and particularly to the Representative Town Meeting members about the enthusiastic young people who participate in our programs.
Greenwich High School athletics sponsors four teams: Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity and Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Varsity. We have approximately 65 players across the two programs, aged 14-18. The skating season at Dorothy Hamill begins in September and runs through mid March. During this half-year season, Greenwich High School and our boosters have about 140 sessions at Hamill. Each varsity team plays a schedule of about 23 games and each junior varsity team plays a schedule of 10-12 games, half of which are played at Hamill. We have a staff of 6 coaches between the two programs.
Our enthusiastic players and coaches work hand in hand with the Dorothy Hamill staff to divide and use these ice slots efficiently and there is demand for more ice if it were
available.
Greenwich High School hockey has a long tradition dating back better than 50 years. Our teams have won multiple conference championships and won the CIAC Boys’ Championship in 1992. We have had players move on to play college hockey at the varsity level at schools such as Trinity College, Middlebury College, Hobart and Lake Superior State. Many more, both male and female, have played ACHA club hockey at Boston College, Northeastern, Colgate, Louisville, SMU, University of Denver and the University of Pennsylvania amongst others. Countless more have built friendships and memories during formative years of their lives as members of the Greenwich High School hockey programs.
Today the rink is aged and out of date with no showers, inadequate bathrooms and too few locker rooms. Our ice surface is 15 feet shorter than regulation dimensions for all age groups. The Greenwich hockey community is eager to see the rebuilding of a new, efficient ice rink. The plans approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission will create a rink of the quality that the town of Greenwich deserves. The plans will ensure the continuity of our programs, while a rebuild on the current site would cancel all games and practices for at least two seasons. Given the competition from other schools and club teams, this stoppage will set our programs back for many more years.
With demand for ice time at current levels, it is not likely that alternative ice slots can be obtained at other rinks in Fairfield or Westchester County. Our players parents and fans are among the most enthusiastic supporters of the excellent plans for the new rink. Greenwich Cardinal Youth Hockey Association (GCYHA) has youth teams of boys and girls ages 5 -18 years old. With approximately 330 sessions in the Hamill’s half-year season, GCYHA is probably the largest user at Hamill. During the current season our program has 12 coaches and 103 players. All but three of the players are Greenwich residents. We too have a history reaching back decades under our former name the Greenwich Blues. GCYHA has typically been the main feeder to Greenwich High Hockey.
For the 2024/25 GHS Boys hockey season, of the 42 players on the combined Varsity/Junior Varsity roster 34 of the boys played some or all their hockey with GCYHA. All the participants in our program are also enthusiastic about the new rink plan. GCYHA would cease to exist if Hamill was closed for a season or two during construction. We risk losing an entire cohort of youngsters who would find alternative programs and likely not return once the rink reopened. Alternative programs may not have enough availability to accommodate our players. This is an outcome which we should all seek to avoid.
The Greenwich skating school operates lessons for youth from 4 to 16 years of age. The skating school is extremely popular. It operates 2 semesters, one fall and one spring, during the Hamill’s six month season. The skating school has enrolled 385 students this semester. The skating school has about 120 sessions in this season, and the students also are frequent participants at public sessions. There is really nothing like seeing the 8 year old girls fly around the rink with their friends and a smile on their faces. Greenwich’s skating school has developed some truly talented skaters, including the US pair champions, a figure skater who participated in the Olympics for Great Britain, and Sue Merz, Olympic gold medal winning ice hockey player. Five of our Skating School alumni are now competing in the Junior World championships for the Skyliners Synchronized Skating team. If the Hamill were to close for two years during construction, the very popular skating school would unfortunately be canceled. The alternative rinks in Darien, Stamford, Norwalk or elsewhere would not set aside skating school ice time exclusively for Greenwich residents.
Skating is a fine and long tradition here in Greenwich. Skating is the most popular sport in town since it includes everyone from the four year old girls to the 75 year old men. As directors of these popular programs we urge the members of the Representative Town Meeting to confirm the favorable decision of the Planning and Zoning Commission on Municipal Improvement status. Please vote for healthy recreation and high quality infrastructure.
Jack Duffy, Head Coach to the Greenwich Varsity Boys Ice Hockey Team grew up in North Branford, CT. He played high school hockey at North Branford High School and Choate, then college hockey at Yale, named captain in 1993 and was a 1st team All- American that same year. After college, Jack has continued teaching his love of hockey to kids.
Keith Orrico, President GCYHA and current assistant coach for the 14U and 16U teams. Keith is a Cos Cob, CT native and has been immersed in hockey since childhood. His passion for the sport began at nine years old when he started playing goalie. Deeply valuing the positive impact hockey can have on youth, Keith transitioned to coaching. He began with the Greenwich House League for 5 plus years and then returned to coach at the Chelsea Piers Mite Development Program for four years. Since 2015 Keith has dedicated himself to the Greenwich Cardinals (formerly Greenwich Blues) as both an Assistant and Head Coach across the 8U to 16U levels and member of the board. Keith has served as the President of GCYHA since 2018.
Nancy Leamy is the director of The Greenwich Skating School. She holds the rating of two- time National and International Coach by the U.S.F.S.A. Nancy is a graduate from Boston College and is a member of the Newton College of the Sacred Heart Hall of Fame in Newton, Massachusetts. Nancy is involved in teaching, directing and guiding participants of the Learn-to-Skate program at all levels.
Editor’s Note: The P&Z commission approved MI status for the rink. The commission advanced the proposal from preliminary, to final, but the final site plan has yet to be approved.