As I sit here writing this report, it is 30 below outside and for the first day since early December, I am pretty confident that we will have no skaters on our outdoor rinks. It was only minus 25 yesterday, and that did not stop one intrepid fellow from having a skate (albeit brief) on our rinks. To say that our Olympia ice resurfacer has been a hit is a huge understatement! There have been hundreds of skaters on the rink almost every day, ranging from as young as 2 years old to over 80! The ice is great, the users are appreciative, and our ice crew volunteer list (including a complement of certified volunteer Olympia operators) is healthy and growing! I have received complimentary comments, texts and emails almost constantly, which is a testament to our great volunteer crews!
However, operating our rinks costs money. We use propane to fuel our Olympia, natural gas to heat our water and our garage, and electricity to run our lights. Our equipment needs constant maintenance and repairs. Our skateroom and washrooms are regularly cleaned. Volunteers put in many hours, pretty much every night and on weekends, to make our rinks as good as they can and to keep our skateroom open for use.
If you or your family have enjoyed our outdoor rinks in the past 3 months, please consider doing at least one or two the following:
1 – Buy a WRCA Membership! It is inexpensive and helps support this great community service. You can either do it online, www.mywillowridge.ca, or just pop in the office!
2 – Volunteer! When we call out for volunteers, whether it is to help at a casino, a social function, a one-off project, or maybe to join the board to help on strategic or planning matters, please remember that amazing day you had on the rink and consider giving back! Just email [email protected] to offer your help!
3 – Rent the Rink for an hour! If your hockey team wants some great ice to practice on or have to a fun event, our outdoor ice is available to book for a fraction of indoor costs. As we want to make sure that our members and residents continue to be able to enjoy the ice, the number of available spaces is limited! Just email [email protected] or [email protected] to book and support your community!
4 – Be ready to donate/advertise! We plan to replace our 40-year-old rink boards this spring and summer, and our chain link mesh is bent and broken in many places. This will cost us thousands of dollars. To help fund this project, we will have available donation or advertising space on a limited number of our board panels and Ollie, the ice resurfacer, also has some space available to advertise on. There will only be a limited number of available spaces, so to express your interest and to get your name (or your business) on the list, email [email protected] or [email protected]!
In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the winter skating season, and I hope to see many of you out on the ice!
Don Boykiw
President
