Youth hockey is a major recreational and family event in Wisconsin and throughout the upper Midwest. Formal programs exist for youth simply interested in learning skating skills and the fundamentals of hockey to those interesting in competing in national and international tournaments. Demand for "ice-time" at the available indoor ice rinks have youth hockey players skating in the early hours of the morning before school and into the evening. In response to the growing popularity of youth hockey, a number of formal associations, such as the Onalaska/Holmen Tornado Youth Hockey Association and the River City Youth Hockey Association, have been formed to coordinate a range of learning opportunities and formal team tournaments.