PIHA Cancels Hendersonville Minor & Semi-Pro Festival Due to Tropical Storm Isaias

The Professional Inline Hockey Association has announced the cancellation of this weekend’s Minor and Semi-Pro Festival scheduled for Hendersonville, Tennessee, as weather concerns associated with Tropical Storm Isaias continue to impact the East Coast.

While weather is always a consideration for any sporting event, the Hendersonville festival presents a unique challenge because games are played on an outdoor rink. With the elements directly affecting playing conditions, and a significant number of PIHA teams and players traveling from areas along the East Coast, the league determined that making an early decision was in the best interest of everyone involved.

Forecasts surrounding Tropical Storm Isaias called for the system to move northward along the East Coast, bringing the potential for heavy rainfall, strong winds and hazardous travel conditions to portions of the region. The storm was forecast to approach the Carolinas at or near hurricane strength before continuing north through the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Rather than waiting until teams had already begun traveling — or risking a weekend in which changing weather conditions could make the outdoor rink unplayable — PIHA officials elected to cancel the festival early enough to allow teams, players and families to adjust their plans.

The league understands the disappointment that comes with losing a scheduled weekend, particularly this early in the season, but the possibility of weather affecting the Hendersonville event is something PIHA considers when constructing the schedule each year.

In fact, the Hendersonville festival is intentionally scheduled as one of the first events of the season for exactly this reason. Because the facility is outdoors and therefore more vulnerable to weather, placing the event early on the calendar gives the league the maximum amount of flexibility should games need to be rescheduled.

That flexibility will now be put to use.

PIHA officials are currently working through the schedules of the affected Minor and Semi-Pro teams and formulating a revised plan for the games originally scheduled to be played in Hendersonville. The league will announce those schedule adjustments once they have been finalized.

PIHA appreciates the patience and understanding of its teams, players and families as the league works to make the necessary changes. The goal remains to ensure that all affected games are played while minimizing disruption to the remainder of the season.

Additional information regarding the revised Minor and Semi-Pro schedules will be released as soon as the adjustments are complete.