{"id":11729,"date":"2025-09-23T12:02:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T17:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/?page_id=11729"},"modified":"2025-09-25T09:42:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:42:58","slug":"syha-and-the-the-bubble","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/?page_id=11729","title":{"rendered":"SYHA and The Bubble"},"content":{"rendered":"

The dedicated\u00a0SYHAstuff<\/strong> site has been archived at this time. I have transferred some of the Siouxland
\nYouth Hockey material to the MetrosStuff<\/strong> site, as much of this material is relevant to the history and
\nsuccess of the Sioux City High School teams over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Bubble<\/strong>
\nIn the Summer of 1981 Siouxland Youth Hockey Association (SYHA) embarked on a plan to provide their own hockey facility
\nseparate from the <\/span>City owned Auditorium. Ice time costs were at a premium, as the poor economic conditions of the late 70’s
\nwere taking hold <\/span>into the next decade<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>An inflatable ice rink was located in Jackson, Tennessee, and eventually purchased by <\/span>SYHA. It was transported
\nvia truck to South Sioux City and erected there, through mostly volunteer efforts, primarily during evenings and weekends.
\nSYHA family members of all ages contributed their time and construction know-how, while many Sioux City businesses
\ndonated labor, materials, and services. It truly became a community project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to SYHA\u2019s swift action in securing financing and a permanent site, the purchase was finalized just 48 hours ahead of
\nMason City, who had also been seeking a new ice rink facility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several loyal hockey families and local business help fund this massive $220,000 dollar project.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It lasted only one season…<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding a building<\/span>
\n<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:\u00a0<\/strong>It all started here with this\u00a0For Sale<\/strong> advertisement.\u00a0\u00a0Right:\u00a0<\/strong>An aerial Shot of the Jackson, TN facility for sale.<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span>Aerial shots of the building in Jackson, TN. Taken by SYHA historian and supporter Curt Stoever<\/strong>. Several Board
\nmembers fly over the facility in a <\/span>plane provided by Sioux City Businessman, Musketeer owner, SYHA Board Member
\nand huge hockey supporter Ted Carlson.
\n<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nTop Left & Right:\u00a0<\/b>Street level shots of the building’s entrance in Jackson, Tennessee.\u00a0\u00a0Bottom Left & Right:<\/b>\u00a0Inside views of the rink<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\nLeft:\u00a0<\/b>Ted Carlson inspects the Zamboni\u00a0\u00a0Right:\u00a0<\/b>Some of the 800 pairs of rental skates included in the deal<\/span><\/p>\n

Location, Location, Location<\/span>
\n<\/b>The new rink was located in South Sioux City, at 510 E. 5th Street. Currently, this is where the Marina Inn Convention
\nCenter is located. The site was chosen because of its proximity and access to Sioux City. In addition, the site had existing
\nutilities and was subject to a three year lease-free option through the City of South Sioux.
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/b>Looking at Sioux City, Standing on what would eventually become known as “The Bubble”
\n<\/b>Left:<\/b> The Dark Building in the foreground is the Marina Inn, know know as the Marriott Riverfront. The Auditorium is across
\nthe river \u00a0Right:\u00a0<\/b>Cityscape just east of the Sioux City Auditorium.<\/span><\/p>\n

Site Preparation<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/b>Jack Pinney Wrecking & Grading<\/strong> provided\/donated most of the site preparation for this project. Jack and his family were
\nhuge supporters of Siouxland Youth Hockey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nTed Carlson<\/strong>, Dave Adam<\/strong>, Unknown Member, Ben Hanson<\/strong> and Bob Post<\/strong> start the initial lay-out of the new facility<\/span><\/p>\n

Ground Breaking<\/span>
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span>
\nSouth Sioux City Mayor George Cole<\/strong>, Ted Carlson<\/strong>, Jack Pinney<\/strong>, Denny Nelson<\/strong> (SSC Chamber Member) and
\nLance <\/strong>Headquist<\/strong> (SSC City Administrator) all take a turn at\u00a0turning dirt<\/i> in the new project.
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>
\n<\/span>Ted <\/strong>and Mary Jo Carlson<\/strong> are the current owners of the Sioux City Musketeers play an instrumental part of the quick
\ncompletion of this huge undertaking. Jack Pinney<\/strong> is also an important part of this project lending his vast contractor
\nskills and construction knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Did You Know<\/strong>…Lance Hedquist<\/strong> would have a son who played for the 1994 Metros State Championship team. Twenty-three
\nyears later his grandson would help the Metros win the 2024 USA Hockey National Championship<\/span><\/p>\n

Did You Know<\/strong>…Jack Pinney’s<\/strong> youngest son was a Metros player for four seasons (1977-81) and he still has relatives
\nactive in the SYHA\/Metros programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Construction Begins<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/b>Left:\u00a0<\/b>One of the seven truckloads of material is unloaded by SYHA volunteers\u00a0Right:<\/b>\u00a0Piles of flooring and one of the 4 fans used
\nto keep the Bubble fully inflated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nMembers from Northwestern Bell begin drilling some of the 200 separate 7 foot earth anchors that will hold the bubble to the ground.
\n<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nBrick layer Tom Coulson<\/strong> (red hat) installs block for the locker-room and concessions area with the help of volunteers from the
\n185 Air National Guard. That’s Craig Stoever<\/strong> (Metros Class of 83) tending.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:<\/b> Ben Hanson &\u00a0 Kirk Hanson mix the mud for the block-layers as tender Damon Lohry (Metros Class of 1977) looks on.
\nRight:<\/b> Masonry begins for the player lockerrooms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:\u00a0<\/b>Musketeer General Manager John McNeil<\/strong>, Craig Stoever (Metros Class of 1983)\u00a0<\/strong> and Rick Suggett<\/strong>
\nRight:<\/b>\u00a0Guys work on the Bubble Entrance<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:<\/b>\u00a0Curt Stoever & Dave Adam\u00a0Right:<\/b> Brett Kieler<\/strong> (Metros Class of 1983) work on the Bubble Entrance building<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe Bubble entrance nears completion. These pics show the “revolving doors” that allowed the air to stay in the building as
\npeople entered and exited. That channel around the doors is where the bubble will attach to the entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:\u00a0<\/b>Dave Adam leaving another Construction Meeting.\u00a0 Right: <\/b>SYHA players pick-up loose trash and empty cement bags.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nGuys work on the second of two main entrances. This is where the Zamboni door is located and is the second place that the bubble
\nrequires a physical attachment of the bubble to a building. This will allow for garage door installation and a back exit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inflation!!!!<\/span>
\n<\/b>Before the Bubble could be inflated, it required a lot of repair to damages it received during transportation from its Tennessee
\nlocation. This tedious process was handled by several hockey moms who spent a lot of hours repairing seam splits and holes all
\nwhile inhaling some heavy duty adhesive fumes. They were eventually to become known as “The Patchetts<\/b>”
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nPatchetts Sara Post<\/strong>, Jo Carlson<\/strong> and Kay Reynolds<\/strong> work their magic making the bubble air-tight once again.
\n<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:<\/b>\u00a0The Patchetts Carolyn Stoever<\/strong> and Kay Reynolds<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Right:<\/b>\u00a0Dave Adam<\/strong> and Ted Carlson<\/strong> get ready to supervise the
\nraising of the Bubble for the first time<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:<\/b>\u00a0Dan Reynolds <\/strong>(Yellow shirt-Metros Class of 1981) Ted O’Brien<\/strong> (Red Hat-Metros Class of 1984) Mike
\nAdam<\/strong> (overalls-Metros Class of 1985) and Mark Adam<\/strong> (6 Pack-Metros Class of 1982) make their way around
\nthe entire bubble attaching it to the earth anchors.\u00a0Right:<\/b>\u00a0Craig Stoever<\/strong> (Metros Class of 1983) gets ready to attach
\nthe bubble to the entrance as it inflates.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nEveryone helps lift the bubble entrance to make its physical connection to the sealed bubble entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span>Walking the Bubble. As the bubble filled with air, you had to walk the entire bubble removing wrinkles and checking for
\nany areas of missed damage that may allow air to escape.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span>Left:<\/strong> Walkers had to locate and repair any last minute tears as the huge bubple began to inflate. It took almost a half a
\nday to fill the entire bubble. \u00a0Right:\u00a0<\/b>Brad Hanson<\/strong> and Carlyon Stoever<\/strong> take a little break as the slow process of inflation takes place.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:\u00a0<\/b>The bubble inflates and while the attention to the main entrance attachment is the focus, the Zamboni door pictured here
\nwill be the next area of focus as the bubble inflates.\u00a0Right<\/b>: Later that day, Fully inflated<\/span><\/p>\n

View From Across The River<\/span>
\n<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0
\nAs the buble filled there was no way anyone could have missed this new addition to the South Sioux City skyline.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nThese pictures of the fully inflated Bubble put into perspective just how big this thing was. At 240 feet long, 110 feet wide,
\nit towered some 45 feet in the air. If the Bubble was filled with water, it would hold close to 3 million gallons of water.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nTaken from the top of the old Northwestern Bell building at 9th & Douglas St., over a mile away !!!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nBrett Kieler<\/strong> (Metros -Class of 1983) installing the roof flashing and shingles as he helps with the entrance roof .<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\n<\/span>Left:<\/strong> Workers install the one of the gates outside the Zamboni entrance. Right:<\/strong> Craig Stoever<\/strong> (Metros-Class of ’83), his mom
\nCarolyn Stoever<\/strong> and Head Coach and former Musketeer Walt Johnson<\/strong> stand outside the Bubble.<\/span><\/p>\n

Did You Know…<\/strong>Walt would go on to coach the Metros for three seasons (1979-1982) and then again for four more
\nseasons (1996-2000). During that time, Walt would led the Metros to three appearances in the State Championship
\ngame, winning two of them in 1998 and 1999.<\/span><\/p>\n

Did You Know…<\/strong>Walt also played three seasons for the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL). He was a two-time Team Captain
\nand scored 241 regular season points, fourth highest among all Musketeers players, in just147 games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Rink<\/span>
\n<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nMembers roll out, straighten and place the 44 miles of Teflon coolant tubing 1″ apart for some 17,000 square feet!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

The Boards
\n<\/b>
\n<\/span>Left: <\/b>Mike O’Brien<\/strong>, Dan Reynolds<\/strong> (Metros-Class of 1981), Kirk Swanson<\/strong> (Metros-Class of 1985), Ted O’Brien<\/strong> (Metros-
\nClass of 1984)\u00a0 and Wendell Reynolds<\/strong> (white shirt) start the tedious task of connecting and straightening coolant lines.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0Other Pics:<\/b> Members install the dasher boards.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ice<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nPast Musketeer Player and Musketeer coach Bob Ferguson<\/strong> helps with the final touches before ice making can begin. During the 75-76
\nseason Bob was a Player-Coach (Just like Reggie Dunlop\/Charlestown Chiefs) for the Tucson Icemen. He would go on to lead the
\nMusketeers to two Clark Cup Championships and is currently the ranks as the third winningest coach in USHL history.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:<\/b>\u00a0SYHA Board member Dick Keith<\/strong> and Mike O’Brien<\/strong> help with the final rink base preparation as excited hockey parents wait
\nfor the ice making to begin.\u00a0\u00a0Right:<\/b>\u00a0Two unknown workers man the hose to make ice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:\u00a0<\/b>Musketeer General Manager John McNeil<\/strong> and Owner Ted Carlson<\/strong> take on some of the ice making duties. SYHA player
\n Kevin Wiskus<\/strong> (Metros-CLass of 1985) looks on. Right:<\/b> Ted takes over making ice near the main entrance of the rink.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening Night SYHA<\/span>
\n<\/b>SYHA took the chance to use the ice for practices and learn to skate sessions prior to the official opening of the rink later that day.
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Ribbon Cutting<\/span>
\n<\/b>September 1st, 1981
\n<\/b>Later the evening an official Grand Opening was held. Members of the SC and SSC chamber of Commerce and the media were
\nin attendance\u00a0to honor all those who made the Bubble possible. Refreshments and open skating for all was available.
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\nLeft:<\/b>\u00a0South Sioux City Mayor Vern Larson (left) and Sioux City Mayor George Cole (right) make the opening official. Ron
\nPapp (center) and Fred Davenport (hat) look on.\u00a0Right:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Let The Skating Begin<\/b><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SYHA Is Back In Business<\/b><\/span>
\nLater that evening, SYHA finished the night with a open ice session for the older SYHA and high school players. Today would
\nalso be the first day of scheduled of SYHA games and practices. Musketeer Head Coach Bob Ferguson<\/strong> (Musketeers 1977-78\/Musketeers
\nCoach 1991-90) and Metros Head Coach Walt <\/strong>Johnson<\/strong> (Musketeers 1976-79\/Metros Coach 79-82\/96-2000)\u00a0 offered up a great chance
\nfor some inter-age group shinny.
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

From the Air in its New Home<\/span>
\n<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nTop:<\/b>\u00a0Taken from the Iowa side. That parking lot in the lower right of each photo where the current Perkin’s Restaurant is located.
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0
\nLeft:<\/b> Taken on the Nebraska side, looking in a northwest direction. Right:<\/b>\u00a0Nebraska side looking straight west. That
\nempty area in the bottom right is where the current Siouxland Y building is located.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Lighthouse…Calling All Ice Skaters
\n<\/b><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe Bubble was easiest to find at night!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

End of the Line<\/span>
\n<\/b>During the early morning hours of July 21st, 1982, heavy winds and storm conditions caused catastrophic damage to
\nthe Bubble. Winds clocked up to 55 mph caused the nearly eight tons of canvas to fall the ground, destroying the boards,
\nglass, lighting fixtures, mechanical attachments and ice making equipment.
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft & Right:<\/b> Brad Hanson (gray shirt-Metros Class of ’83)) and Craig Stoever (blue shirt-Metros Class of ’83) survey the
\ndamage. Right:<\/b> Brad and Craig standing left of the main entrance.<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:<\/b> Standing at center ice, looking towards the main entrance.\u00a0Right:<\/b> Standing at the main entrance you can see the
\nZamboni doors and to the left the Zamboni garage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:<\/b> Southwest corner of the rink. That’s the Zamboni door. The walk-through door pictured is the entrance to the heated
\nconcessions area, viewing area and rink offices.\u00a0Right:<\/b>\u00a0Brad and Craig walk past one of the fans used to inflate the bubble.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLeft:\u00a0<\/b>Whoever attached the bubble to this door frame here gets a\u00a0gold star<\/i>!!!\u00a0Right:<\/b>\u00a0Standing on the blue line looking west.
\nPictured is the Zamboni door and the Zamboni garage building to the left.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the summer of ’82 the Bubble would be replaced by a metal building facility called the Carlson Event Center. <\/b>It
\nfeatured increased seating capacity and heat!!! This would be home for SYHA until 1985 when youth hockey would return
\nto the Sioux City Auditorium.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the second year in a row…Ted and Mary Jo Carlson<\/strong> (Musketeers Owners 1981-2000) would perform above and beyond
\nduties<\/em>, making sure that SYHA would not miss a season. Just like the bubble, the new event center was completed in just
\nfour months, insuring a new ice sheet was in place and ready to go for the next season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SYHA and the Metros would call the Carlson Event Center<\/strong> home for three seasons before a return to the Sioux City
\nAuditorium for the 1985-86 season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the Musketeers still were playing at the Auditorium, The Carlson Event Center would be called upon a few times
\nto host the Musketeers in post-season play.<\/span><\/p>\n

Musketeers vs. St. Paul Vulcans<\/span>
\n<\/b>USHL Championship Series \/ Game 3 \/ March 30th, 1984
\nScheduling conflicts at the Auditorium forced the Musketeers to play their home games for the championship series at the Bubble.
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nFans pack the Carlson Event Center to watch the Musketeer play the St. Paul Vulcans.<\/span><\/p>\n

***End of Page***<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The dedicated\u00a0SYHAstuff site has been archived at this time. I have transferred some of the Siouxland Youth Hockey material to the MetrosStuff site, as much of this material is relevant to the history and success of the Sioux City High School teams over the years. The Bubble In the Summer of 1981 Siouxland Youth Hockey… Continue reading SYHA and The Bubble<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11729","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11729"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11756,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11729\/revisions\/11756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebatchellerpad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}