Gleichen rewarded with outdoor hockey success
Justin Seward
Times Reporter
Canada’s game started on outdoor frozen ponds, saw the venue shift indoors for decades, and now with countless hours of volunteering, the scene has shifted back to its origins.
The Gleichen Outdoor Pond Hockey League hosted their fifth annual ‘Hockey Day in G.A.’ this past winter, in which the committee makes the day themed like the famous CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada.
The Gleichen Outdoor Pond Hockey League was rewarded for all their success with funding to complete the rink with boards and other framing tools to make it look an authentic outdoor arena.
It became evident that the rink was becoming an issue to set up and take down every year and the Pond Hockey Association wanted some stability and really just wanted a permanent set up.
“So basically the last couple of years we have just been laying the rinks out in the field here, and of course, the prairies are not exactly as level as you would think,” said Cara Sheppard, who is a committee member.
The structure of the rink was a combined effort to create because it was a matter of what the costs were going to be and who was available to help.
“We decided that we would put an asphalt pad in and last fall, Volker Stevin came in and dug it down to hard pack and the county came and brought us a whole bunch of gravel,” said Sheppard. “We had Brooks Asphalt come and totally pack it all down for us.”
As a result of these companies lending a helping the rink was beautiful, level and flat.
More funding was applied for by the association and they were the successful applicants.
“We applied for the Community Enhancement fund through the County of Wheatland and we were granted $15,000 and then we (applied to) the Hockey Night in Canada help fund and received $8,000 from them,” said Sheppard.
The intentions of putting in an outdoor rink was not only Gleichen, but the surrounding area to enjoy using it throughout all seasons of the year.
“Every year we do our ‘Hockey Day in G.A.’ and we invite kids from straight across the province to come play at our one-day event,” said Sheppard. She also said that there are generally a lot of pond hockey kids come and play.