Street Hockey is Coming to Apex
BY DREW BECKER
When the Carolina Hurricanes began searching for a site on which to build outdoor street hockey rinks, Angela Reincke immediately took notice. After all, Reincke, the Town of Apex Parks’ planning manager, has been a season ticket holder of the NHL team for two decades. “I couldn’t think of a better organization or group of people to partner with than the Carolina Hurricanes,” she says.
Tapping into the NHL’s Industry Growth Fund, the team proposed the street hockey concept in 2022 and began searching for an ideal location in the Triangle. “We wanted to push this, because the Hurricanes have been offering an in-school program for roughly 20 years where the team donates street hockey equipment to schools,” says Hurricanes Youth and Amateur Hockey Specialist Thomas Whitmeyer-Weathers. “And hopefully it got kids interested in the sport. The downside was, there was no great transition after that. If they wanted to play hockey, the answer was ‘OK, learn how to skate.’ So building street hockey rinks provides more accessibility and more inclusivity for the sport, [allowing] more people to just try it.”
The idea to build the project at North Carolina State University fell through, so the Canes began reaching out to parks and recreation departments, calling on Raleigh, Cary, Apex and Durham.
“Apex was pretty quick to respond,” says Whitmeyer-Wathers. “Everybody else was sort of like, ‘We’ll see where we want to go with this’ or ‘We don’t have an idea,’ but Apex told us they had a site they wanted to use for the project. We went out and looked at it, and loved it.”
The two outdoor rinks will be located at Apex Community Park at a total cost of $1.2 million, which was split between the town and the team. “We hope we’re creating a model that can be replicated across the Triangle,” says Apex Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Director Craig Setzer.
Setzer says the completion date is expected by early March of this year. When the weather gets warmer, Apex residents can look forward to getting outside and playing some hockey!
Paving the Way Toward a Bike-Friendly Town
BY ELIZABETH BRIGNAC
In May 2023 the Town of Cary introduced Bike Cary, an initiative to fill in the gaps in Cary’s bike system. Cary currently has around 100 miles of greenway that connect with other municipalities’ greenway systems. Now the town hopes to make it easier for people to both access the greenways safely and use bike paths for practical purposes.
“Our greenways are usually built along stream corridors,” says Todd Milam, Bike Cary’s project manager. “They’re great for when you want to get away from traffic and escape into nature. However, that location makes it hard to get to all of those destinations—to your schools and parks and restaurants.” According to local and national surveys, many people don’t feel safe riding bicycles on roads with traffic—and currently, it can be difficult to access either local destinations or greenways in Cary without bicycling on major roads.
Bike Cary wants to make bicycling both to and beyond greenways feel safe for cyclists. “[We’re] trying to create that safe, comfortable feeling that you get when you’re on a greenway—trying to translate that into the transportation corridors or the on-road network,” says Milam.
Generally speaking, on nonresidential roads, Bike Cary plans to establish barriers between bike lanes and traffic, with different types of separated bike paths for different types of roads. In residential neighborhoods, they plan to add signs and other safety measures. Throughout the network, says Milam, “a big component is intersection design—really making sure that the bikes, the pedestrians and the cars know where everyone is supposed to be.” In the end, they hope to make bicycling a major form of transportation in Cary rather than simply a recreational activity.
So far, Bike Cary has surveyed the town, communicated extensively with residents and gathered data. They are currently using the information they have collected to build their plan. This spring, they will present the plan to the public and solicit feedback. After making adjustments, they will bring the plan to the Cary Town Council and propose that it be adopted.
If you live or bike in Cary, keep an eye out for Bike Cary’s plan coming out sometime this spring. Offer your feedback! In the meantime, you can find detailed information about Bike Cary at carync.gov/recreation-enjoyment/bike-cary.
Original Strength Institute
BY DREW BECKER
At Original Strength Institute (OSI), owners Tim Anderson and Dani Almeyda help ordinary people build fitness based on how their bodies feel. “We shouldn’t be in pain after workouts. We should feel better,” says Anderson, a physical trainer, lecturer and author of physical fitness books.
Anderson’s methods are based on doing exercises that make the body feel good, an approach he began developing when he researched methods that would allow him to move his body in ways he enjoyed. He and Almeyda—also a personal trainer—have brought this “feeling better” method to their clients. It is designed to help people realize they are stronger than they think.
OSI opened in 2009 and moved to its current 15,000-square-foot location in 2024. The gym offers small group, semiprivate and private personal training; physical therapy; and a pickleball court and more, for folks of all ages. It describes itself as a “gym for people who don’t like the gym.” According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 25% of people in Southern states are not physically active.
Anderson and Almeyda understand that adopting an exercise program can be challenging, and they want to help their clients learn what it’s like to feel good through exercise.
The owners also believe people are stronger together, and have built a robust community around fitness. When they opened the gym, they began finding clients by volunteering for community service projects. When OSI moved to its current location, members helped tear down walls and scrubbed paint off the floors. They built new walls, hung sheet rock, painted and moved equipment in. The project was truly a community endeavor.
Anderson, Almeyda and the OSI staff emphasize that when people feel good in their bodies, they lead better and happier lives. Toward that end, they encourage clients to move their bodies every day. “People need to start where they are. We encourage them to use what they have and do what they can,” says Anderson.
OSI is located at 212 S. Main Street in Fuquay-Varina. Find more information at originalstrengthinstitute.com.
Pickelball Takes Center Court in Holly Springs
BY JENNIFER AXNESS
Pickleball, America’s fastest-growing sport in 2024 according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, is bringing together residents of all ages in Holly Springs with its social atmosphere and fitness benefits. The sport blends elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, offering an exciting game that’s easy to learn yet challenging enough to keep players coming back. Low-impact and accessible to all fitness levels, pickleball is both a good way to stay active and a great community builder.
Because of its many benefits and because local enthusiasm for the sport has been high, the Town of Holly Springs Parks & Recreation Department has expanded its pickleball offerings in recent years. Residents can play at several different public courts, both indoor and outdoor. The town offers classes and clinics for everyone from 9-year-olds through senior citizens.
If you’d like to get in on the fun, here are some places where you can pick up a paddle and enjoy a game.
Hunt Recreation Center
The W.E. Hunt Recreation Center offers open-play pickleball on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The center offers three nets, providing ample space for play. The cost is $2 for residents and $3 for nonresidents, with 10-punch passes also available. This friendly setting is perfect for both beginners and experienced players.
Ting Park
Ting Park provides four outdoor pickleball courts with permanent lines and nets. These courts are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. In springtime, Ting Park also hosts pickleball programs on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Womble Park
At Parrish Womble Park, players can enjoy two youth-sized pickleball courts located near the turf multipurpose field along Stinson Avenue. Open play is available when courts are not reserved for programming, with a one-hour limit when others are waiting. These courts provide a convenient spot for casual players looking to enjoy a quick game.
Small Town, Big Vision
BY ELIZABETH LINCICOME
Any discussion of fitness and athletics in Morrisville must highlight Wake Competition Center (WCC). WCC is a 30-acre facility offering twin sheet ice rinks, championship volleyball, turf soccer fields and gymnastics. Adjacent to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the facility first opened in 2019. WCC developer Jeff Ammons says he was encouraged to develop the facility years ago after identifying a need for specialized facilities in and around the Triangle that would attract amateur and professional sport enthusiasts from not just across the state, but across the nation.
WCC accommodates everyone, from professional athletes to children. It is the official practice facility of the Carolina Hurricanes and the site of the N.C. State University Icepack hockey team’s practices and home games. Ammons, an N.C. State alumnus, says he is proud to see the Wolfpack getting the chance to play at his arena. The venue includes the Invisalign Arena—a 115,000-square-foot building that includes a pro shop, state-of-the-art locker rooms and a hockey school. It also offers a full restaurant—the WCC Cafe by Tribeca Tavern.
Young people and amateurs can use the ice skating rinks as well as professional skaters. “Ice skating is excellent exercise, as it works nearly every muscle group in the body. You are never too old to start taking lessons, and ice skating is wonderful for joint mobility,” says Traci Todd, regional marketing brand director for Polar Ice NC. ”Whether you are looking for aerobic or anaerobic activity, ice skating can help you accomplish your fitness goals—or just accomplish a fun goal you might have for trying a new sport.”
WCC also houses the Athletic Lab, an indoor gym offering Crossfit, private fitness training, Olympic-style weightlifting, and classes geared toward middle and high school kids. The gym offers various levels of membership.
Thanks to Wake Competition Center, Morrisville has access to an indoor athletic facility comparable to those in any major city in the U.S. The winter months are a great time to check it out!
