BARRHEAD-Hockey is the heart and soul of small rural communities.
And when the small hamlet of Rich Valley went without hockey for several months due to COVID-19 public health restrictions, Ashley Steinkey could see how the cancellation of skating sports negatively impacted the community, especially its youth.
"You see how the impact of being able to play hockey and what it means to them. Every week, you can see the change in them," she said. "Their attitude is better. Their demeanour is brighter. Hockey gives them something to look forward to."
Steinkey is the vice-president of the Rich Valley Agricultural Society and president of the community's Fun Hockey program.
It is also one of the main reasons why the Ag Society plans to keep its ice plant operating until at least May 1 and may consider extending their season even further, so long as they have enough bookings to justify the cost. It cost about $3,000 a month to keep ice in the facility.
Agriplex manager Lisa Maygard also noted they are open to extending their season if the interest is there. In a normal season, the Rich Valley Agriplex removes its ice at the end of March.
And from the reception of user groups, they could very well extend their season.
Currently, the arena has appointments booked for weekends for about 16 hours (eight hours each day) along with two week-day evenings. Those booking the arena include Rich Valley's Fun Hockey program, two Hockey Super League (HSL) teams, a ringette squad, a Barrhead trainer as well as various small family bookings.
"And we are still getting inquiries about potential teams interested in using our ice," Steinkey said.
This is in part due to the number of municipalities and organizations that decided to remove their ice.
Maygard said she understands why groups who removed their ice made the decision.
"Originally we were told we were only going to be closed for a few weeks, but it just kept getting extended," Maygard, said, referring to the province's announcement in late November that starting Dec. 8, that they would be instituting a series of new public health restrictions, including the closure of fitness and public recreation facilities.
Shortly after the province announced its opening framework, the government modified the portion on youth sports, which would have seen them prohibited until Stage 2 or 3, to resume under strict conditions. Conditions include that activities are limited to 10 people, including coaches, and physical distancing is maintained. Masks also must be worn, except for when engaged in physical activity and access to change rooms is limited. If the ice surface is divided in half, two groups of 10 are permitted.
"[Keeping the ice in] was not a straight forward decision, but we knew once we removed the ice, there was no going back," Maygard said, adding that putting the ice in is a costly and time extensive process.
Steinkey and Maygard said it’s been a difficult three years for the not-for-profit society.
In the fall of 2018, just before the start of the hockey season, the ice plant's aging chiller unit failed, forcing them to cancel the 2018-2019 season.
They had hoped to be able to replace the entire ice plant through a combination of their fundraising efforts and by winning the Kraft Hockeyville in the spring of 2019. Rich Valley was one of the four finalists. The winner of the contest received $250,000 to upgrade their arenas and the opportunity to host an NHL game, but Rich Valley came in third, earning them $25,000.
Although they were pleased to receive the contest funds, the loss meant that the society would have to dip into their fundraising funds more than they hoped and go with the less expensive options of repairing the chiller.
"For us going without having ice for a full year and then being shut down early [last spring] and now having to deal with these COVID-19 lockdowns, it has really put a financial strain on us," Maygard said. "Any fundraising we did [before COVID] was spent getting us up and running and doing the extra renovations we needed to do. To do all that and not being able to fundraise [due to public health restrictions] makes it difficult."
That being said, she noted that they do receive help from Lac Ste. Anne County in the form of a Recreation Facility and Program Assistance grant.
Maygard said the Ag Society is also concerned that their fundraising ability will continue to be hampered due to continuing public health restrictions.
Steinkey and Maygard said they are frustrated with how the province is implementing restrictions on recreation and sports facilities, saying they should be enacted on a regional basis.
"We can run this facility differently than one in an urban centre," Maygard said. "We have no walk-in traffic, the only people allowed in are the ones booked through us ... so we should be treated differently than urban areas or multiuse facilites."
If the public health restrictions continue to hamper the Ag Society's ability to bring in revenue from user fees and fundraising, Steinkey is worried about the building's viability.
"If we can't keep the building open, what then? It is the only facility for miles. Not only is it the community hub, but it is the muster point for the school and is part of the disaster plan for the area," she said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
