The ODR
Firstly, know that I am not really a skater. Or at least, a poor one at that. I’m still learning how to stop, and I keep constant vigilance for potential soft snowbanks to cushion an unexpected shift in gravity. I moved to Calgary in 2010 from the West Coast and, for me, the outdoor rink seems like something straight out of a romantic holiday movie.
But I’ve slowly picked up the local lingo and have come to appreciate that the ‘ODR’ is a place of reverence in this city. What is more, the ODR here in Glendale, is the lifeblood of the neighbourhood during the winter months – a popular gathering place for people of all ages to shoot the puck or just enjoy a leisurely skate. (Cue the softly falling snow and soundtrack from Joni Mitchell’s lyrics, “It’s coming on Christmas… Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on…”).
And speaking of heartwarming, five years ago, Bauer Hockey filmed the commercial ‘The Game is a Gift’, about a boy moving into a new neighbourhood who finds friendship through playing hockey on an outdoor rink. I encourage you to watch it and if the location seems familiar, it should. It is the Glendale rink. In less than two minutes, the story shares the value of kids playing outdoors, the nostalgia of wintertime activities, and the importance of community. Find the video on YouTube using search #TheGameIsAGift or at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-mzF7wh71E.
Starting in November, or whenever temperatures are consistently below zero, the Glendale flooding season ramps up. Most often, under the cover of darkness, our team of dedicated and plucky volunteers, donned with heated gloves and balaclavas, reel out the long, heavy hoses to flood the hockey and pleasure rinks, plus exterior loop. The entire process takes about two hours with a crew of three to five people, each assigned to a different night of the week. They return home late with cold runny noses and a fine mist frozen to their eyelashes. The flood crew are the real-life Jack Frosts (and Jill’s too, by the way) leaving a frozen gift in their wake. My husband of the Wednesday night crew says, “It gives me so much pleasure to watch the community use the rink. And the flooding part really is a social thing. It really brings us all together.”
Any seasoned ODR skater will tell you that there is nothing better than freshly flooded ice, known as a ‘clean sheet’ – pristine ice that no one has skated on…yet.
And when the stars align, you may be lucky enough to arrive early one weekend morning and enjoy a few ‘rips’ on a quiet rink under a blue bird sky in the bracing winter air, the ice like glass. It is simply magical.
The Glendale ODR is one of the best in the city. Made so by volunteers. We welcome more helping hands to join the crew, just give us a shout.
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