Walker grew up on skates. His dad, Jack Walker, founded the old Dayton Gems hockey team, and the younger Walker played for the Gems' youth hockey group. He founded a similar youth hockey group called the Dayton Gems at his facility in 1996. At first it served as an indoor soccer practice facility for the Dayton Dynamos. Signups for league play, either as a team or an individual, will run through the end of April, with a new session every 90 days, Walker said.
Teams are open to boys and girls as well as for adults.
The facility has been sanctioned by USA Hockey Inc. and USA Hockey Inline, which act as the governing bodies for the sports and develops rules and guidelines for them. The center will have two in-line skating instructors and offer lessons at reasonable prices. To protect the skating surface, only indoor wheels will be allowed, Walker said. Outdoor wheels, made for harder surfaces, could cut into the floor. Skates also cannot have brakes that might mar the surface.