When Tobin Flamm, 27, and his mom, Lori, bought the Central Coast Sports Arena some six months ago, they did so with one goal in mind.
“We just want to help give kids an outlet and encourage them to stay off the streets and shoot for their goals and dreams,” Tobin told the Sun. “If you’re not giving, you’re not living. That’s how I kind of look at my life: You can have as much knowledge as you want but if you are not sharing it with others, what’s the point?”
One of those things Tobin would like to share immediately is his love of hockey in the form of clinics and eventually a fully fledged youth league.
Despite a handful of professional teams statewide, establishing hockey is a tall order on the Central Coast, where snow is rare and freezes deep enough to solidify the top few feet of a lake are unheard of.
“There aren’t a lot of places to skate,” he said.
Santa Maria does have skate parks but organized street hockey is a rarity because most local kids don’t know how to play, aren’t interested, or can’t afford the equipment needed to compete. Tobin told the Sun that he hopes to change that.
A hockey player all of his life, Tobin is well connected throughout San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties with the tight-knit athletic community. And being a part of that network has opened avenues for funding and partnerships with local businesses looking to support youth sports leagues.
For instance, San Luis Obispo-based Inline Warehouse recently agreed to sponsor the sports arena’s upcoming youth hockey clinic by providing extra equipment for participants short on cash or those lacking proper gear.
The clinic will be held on Nov. 3 and 4, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., both days. It costs $25 to participate.
“A good amount of kids so far signed up, about 25,” Tobin said. “Twenty of them have never played; seems like it’s going to be a really good turnout.”
He added that a well-attended clinic could be an opportunity to establish a youth league in Santa Maria for the first time in a decade.
“When I used to play in youth programs here, we had about 250 kids,” he explained. “We actually held tournaments where teams from Santa Barbara to San Luis to Paso [Robles] played at our rink monthly.”
To get back to that high point for youth hockey, Tobin may need to help bring the cost down for some families.
“It can get pricey,” he said of the early investments needed to outfit a hockey player. With gloves, sticks, pads, helmets, and league fees, the expenses can pile up quickly.
That’s why Tobin and Central Coast Sports Arena are trying to keep the costs low. Ideally, he said, anyone should have a chance to play if they want to.
“It’s how I’m gonna really pull people in this area and hopefully build a league,” he added. “If people are finding more interest, and I’m hoping they are going to find interest in it, I have to find a good reasonable price point for them or otherwise they’re going to be pushed away.”
Highlights:
• On Oct. 23, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce issued its grades for local legislators on how the politicians supported area business issues. The Chamber commended Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) for supporting 11 of 15 bills favored by the California Chamber of Commerce. Sen. Hannah-Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) did not fare nearly as well. “Jackson once again declined to support local business issues,” the Chamber stated, “voting with [local] business on 1 of 14 priority bills tackled in the state Senate this year. We continue to try to work with her staff to identify areas of common ground, but this year those priorities simply didn’t match up.”
• On Nov. 11, Santa Maria law firm Michael B. Clayton and Associates will host its 18th annual Veterans Day barbecue and flag ceremony. The event is at Veterans Memorial Hall (313 W. Tunnell St.) and starts at 10:30 a.m., beginning with a parade.
Staff Writer Spencer Cole wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, mail, or email at spotlight@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2018.