by RENEE PATRICK Cascade Business News Feature Writer
As a rollerskating aficionado in my youth, touring the rink at Cascade Indoor Sports brought back memories of limbo, disco lights and countless hours of perfecting my backwards skating technique. Skating is only one of the many activities offered at the facility and Cascade Indoor Sports wants you to stop by for a visit and join in the fun.
Even though summer often means outdoor activities for many in the area, this is the time Cascade Indoor Sports attracts many with their youth Sports Camps. Kids can expend their energy with all day and half day sessions and play everything from kickball to tag. Friday night roller-skating is also quite popular and often has hundreds in attendance.
Owner Butch Roberts has put a lot of work into the facility since taking over the business two years ago. Improvements range from new paint, lights, expanded rental area and snack bar to a complete set of programs for all ages run by five full time employees and 12 part-time.
Roberts is thrilled to be a part of the recreational community in Central Oregon. He is a proponent of developing healthy communities through offering a safe and fun venue for kids from two to 82. “We want to keep kids engaged in organized sports, if they don’t play in high school chances are low they will ever play again, and there are so many adult leagues out there, we want to give everyone a chance to play both competitively and recreationally.”
He wants all kids to have access to the facility and often helps the underprivileged kids that come but can’t necessarily afford the equipment it takes
to play.
The facility offers over 50,000 square feet of space; the indoor sports court is used for roller-skating, inline hockey, dodgeball, roller derby and volleyball; the full sized indoor soccer arena is used for soccer, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, flag football and is home to the Steelheaders, Bend’s professional men’s soccer team. New turf was installed on the soccer arena in June; the 15,000 square feet of synthetic grass was designed specifically for indoor recreation and the foam backing creates a softer playing surface.
Athletes of all ages can join one of the recreational leagues or attend an open session. Adult leagues are offered in soccer, inline hockey, dodgeball and flag football. A program entitled Soccer Tots for children 18 months and older focuses on developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
The roller rink has become a popular weekend activity with theme nights, adult only skate evenings (yes you can drink beer) and a DJ booth.
Roberts plans to continue adding sports equipment to his inventory to offset the costs associated with roller hockey and other sports for some kids who might otherwise not have a chance to participate through the revenue of Dasher Ads – large ads businesses can place on the walls of the two sporting arenas.
Whether you decide to kick a soccer ball around on the new turf or have your child’s next birthday party at Cascade Indoor Sports, I will probably see you in the rink as I dust off my roller-skates to see if I can still do the limbo.
20775 High Desert Lane on the Northeast side, off of Empire. 541-330-1183 cascadeindoorsports.com. Businesses interested in placing dasher ads can contact Roberts at butch@cascadeindoorsports.com.
