36 JANUARY 2019 By Mallory Gleich Generally, breaking glass is never a good thing. It makes a loud noise, it’s hard to clean up and it’s just a real pain when it happens. But at the Simply Smashing Rage Release Room, breaking glass is encouraged. In fact, breaking everything is encouraged. That’s the purpose of the Rage Room; it’s a unique way to let go of all of the things stressing you out. Here’s the concept: once you sign a waiver, you don a paper body suit, gloves and a protective mask. You are given 20 breakable items (extras are available for purchase) such as glass bottles, cookie jars, keyboards, televisions, toilets, light fixtures, picture frames and figurines. You name it, you break it. You also have the option of using “tools of destruction,” which include a baseball bat, a sledgehammer, a tire iron and a golf club. You head into a room with no windows and concrete walls, one of which is covered in permanent marker writing – people’s stressors are written almost to the ceiling. If you want to play music, there’s a speaker in the corner. You have 20 minutes to throw, break, hit, scream, cry and cause mayhem, all in the name of stress relief. “It’s almost a form of therapy,” says Stephen Wilk, owner and creator of Rage Release Room. “People come in and let it all out.” So, I put on my bodysuit and got to work. At first, it felt weird to just throw bottles at a wall, but once my adrenaline kicked in, I was all about creating the biggest mess I could. And at the end, I felt calm. Sweaty, but calm. The idea behind the business is a humorous one, to say the least. Wilk’s inspiration came from the classic 1980 film “Blues Brothers.” In the film, there is a scene where Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi drive their 1974 Dodge Monaco through a shopping mall and destroy everything in their path. “I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be cool if people could go somewhere and do the same thing?’ And that’s what I did,” Wilk said. The Simply Smashing Rage Release Room opened a year ago in Tempe on University Drive. Most of the customers are women in their late 20s and early 30s. Wilk says some people come in for “recreational destruction” but for a lot of people, it’s more like “therapeutic destruction,” where they can deal with the stress of work, home and family life. And if 20 minutes doesn’t seem like a long time, believe me, it is. Once I finished my session, I was worn out and breathless. Fortunately, there are couches in the main room where you can hang out and get yourself together before leaving. It was exhausting, but as weird as it may seem, breaking stuff is a great way to let go of all the things getting you down. For more: simplysmashingrageroom.com. Rage Release Room a smashing good time Grab a bat, put on your suit and get ready to let off some steam. By Rachael Bouley Ice hockey is a quintessential winter activity throughout much of the country. Lacing up a pair of skates, grabbing a stick and shooting a puck around can entertain players of all ages for hours on end. Although the Valley of the Sun doesn’t have the traditional climate for the sport, hockey is still very popular. In fact, hockey has blossomed here considerably during the past 20 years, due in large part to the arrival of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets in 1996, who were renamed the Phoenix Coyotes that year. The team became known as the Arizona Coyotes in 2014. And from 2013-2018, participation in registered hockey leagues in Arizona has jumped 109 percent, crowning the Grand Canyon State as No. 1 in hockey growth for states with NHL teams. When the heat of summer shows up, many Phoenicians take a break from the sunshine and high temperatures and head into a much cooler ice rink for a few hours. What was once a niche sport here has grown substantially, thanks to community rinks which provide people of all ages opportunities to hit the ice and give hockey a real go. Arcadia is lucky enough to have an ice rink in our own backyard. Arcadia Ice Arena, located at the Desert Palms Power Center, near 40th Street and Thomas has been welcoming skaters of all ages and abilities for more than 50 years. Public skating and figure skating sessions are available seven days a week. The public skate lasts up to two hours and times vary throughout the day. Figure skating is freestyle based and offered for skaters to come out and work on their skills in a more open area. Sessions last up to 70 minutes. Well-known to the hockey players in the area, Arcadia Ice Arena runs multiple hockey leagues for adults and children, from recreational to advanced. They also serve as one of the primary destinations for numerous club hockey teams in the Valley. “As hockey has become more popular over the years, it has helped the leagues grow in leaps and bounds,” said Hockey Director Justin Rogers. “We have players who are in it for the game, players looking for exercise, players in it for the friends and, of course, players in it for the beers after the game.” There are three youth hockey programs ranging from age 3 to 15. Arcadia Ice Arena has also partnered with the Arizona Coyotes for the one of the programs, Little Howlers, for ages 5-9. The adult leagues range from beginner classes to tournaments, with a 35+ and an “Old Timer” League also available. Open Hockey and Stick/Puck sessions last an hour and allow skaters to join in a pick-up game or practice on their own. Private lessons are also available. The arena can also proudly proclaim to be the former home of one of the best hockey players in the world, Auston Matthews, who plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs. As of 2018, the rink is also home to the Division II Grand Canyon University ‘Lopes Hockey team. For more: azice.com/arcadia. Lack of ice is no problem for hockey popularity in the Valley PHOTO COURTESY OF MORIAH HERNANDEZ The Isotopes are one of the adult hockey teams that play in a league at Arcadia Ice Arena. PHOTO: JOHN GLEICH

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