Rec sports league explodes
Chris and Eric Yue have tapped a niche market for beginners who want to play hockey and soccer with Island Recreation 101.
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For all those people who’ve experienced the humbling realization they’re not that good at sports, these guys have a league for you.
Chris and Eric Yue have actually developed two leagues – Island Hockey 101 and Island Soccer 101 – under their umbrella company Island Recreation 101.
Graduates of Mt. Douglas secondary school, neither brother got a chance to play ice hockey growing up. As adults, they were frustrated with the lack of beginner and intermediate leagues.
“Hockey, volleyball, soccer, all these leagues can be hard to break into and you don’t meet people who are interested in it until you find the league,” Eric said.
Even then, it’s a matter of being athletically adept.
“There’s always going to be strong athletes who are good enough to play in any league,” said Eric, the former camp director of the recently closed Camp Columbia on Thetis Island.
“Our focus is creating a fun and safe environment where you don’t have to worry about not getting passed the puck (or ball),” said Chris, whose main calling is as a pastor at the Saanichton Bible Fellowship.
“We’re always emphasizing to captains to make sure everyone gets fair ice time and a chance to play the puck.”
In fact, the biggest, most expensive trophy is reserved for the beginner division and the smallest trophy goes to the winner of the elite division. “The top div guys don’t like that,” laughed Chris.
Prior to the 2004-05 winter season, the two University of Victoria grads – Chris received his degree in kinesiology, Eric in leisure service administration – decided they were ready to tackle hockey, the sport they’d always loved.
“It was like, ‘Are we going to do this?’” said Chris. “I said, ‘Okay I’m going to start calling,’ and Eric said, ‘Okay I’m going to start booking ice time,’” and things fell into place after that.
Five years later Hockey 101 is one of the most recognizable recreational leagues in the Capital Region, having grown from a single division to a co-ed, five-division league with 50 teams, averaging 15 players per team.
“We turn away a lot of players and (elite) teams,” said Eric, noting the league is limited by the amount of available ice time at local arenas.
Last year’s introduction of an indoor soccer league was a smash hit, leading to a second season this year.
Just as the Yues reserve two full teams for new players in the hockey league’s beginner division, there are 50 spots reserved for players who don’t have a team in this year’s soccer league. And if a team is too good, it’ll get bumped up to the competitive soccer division, as it is with ice hockey.
Over and above their league organization, the siblings also ran a series of weekend volleyball tournaments, the proceeds of which went to the Mustard Seed Food Bank.
Not wanting to encroach on existing volleyball leagues in town, Eric said, they’re not exploring a volleyball league for now.
However, there is a unique twist to their volleyball tournaments.
“We restrict players to under six feet in height and people love it,” said Eric. “Volleyball’s full of tall people. There’s got to be a place for us shorties.”
Registration for Soccer 101 happens soon. The indoor soccer league plays at the field house at Pearkes Arena starting in January. Visit www.islandrecreation101.com for more information.
sports@vicnews.com
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