Saturday, August 29, 2009

A new look for Waterloo

Press Release

A new look, a new mantra, and a new retail location will all be part of the Waterloo Black Hawks 2009-2010 season, with the opening puck drop now just weeks away.

The Black Hawks will take the ice thinking "Work Hard, Play Harder." Team front office and coaching staff agree that the motto fits the organization's players, fans, and the Cedar Valley at-large.

"This team is not going to be out-worked," said Waterloo Black Hawks Head Coach P.K. O'Handley. "The character of this group is going to be something that I expect even casual fans will notice in practice and on game nights. We're going to have some very talented forwards and big, physical defensemen. It's a blue-collar team with the kind of values people who work in the Cedar Valley can appreciate. Our fans don't take days off, and neither will we."

Images of the Black Hawks' new alternate logo were also released Friday. The close-up of the bird from the club's familiar emblem puts the Hawk in motion. The organization's colors-black, white, and red-are all utilized in the design. An outline of Iowa's eastern border is also incorporated into the rendering.

"It was important to us to symbolize where we're from right in the logo," said Vice President of Business Operations Shawna Rowe. "We were inspired by designs we saw used by some big league franchises, which included something specific about their community or region."

Merchandise featuring new and classic Black Hawk trademarks will be available soon from the team's new retail outlet, Party Town Outfitters. The location on the main concourse at Young Arena will be open within the next few weeks, followed by an online store connected to waterlooblackhawks.com. Construction of the rustic, north woods-themed shop was completed recently by Matt Boldt Construction. Visitors to Young Arena in the past few weeks may have noticed the store, laid out to look like a cabin, just above the Black Hawks box office.

"I'm really excited to be rounding up merchandise, which I think our fans will really enjoy," said Rowe, who is spearheading the Black Hawks retail effort.

Details about a grand opening for Party Town Outfitters will be announced soon.

The Black Hawks open the preseason at Young Arena Wednesday, September 16th against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The regular season begins on the road Saturday, October 3rd in Green Bay. The RoughRiders return to Young Arena to visit Waterloo for the regular season home opener on Saturday, October 10th.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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