Skating season opens in northeastern Ontario
Most rinks are looked after by community volunteers
Skating season has finally arrived in northeastern Ontario, a full month later than it was last winter.
Blades will be slicing through ice on frozen ponds and neighbourhood rinks across the region this week.
In Greater Sudbury, there are 55 playground rinks that get minimal tax dollars and are set up thanks to the sweat of community volunteers.
In Onaping, the rink is named after one of its first ice makers, Russell Beaudry.
That mantle—and the flooding hose and cold fingers that come with it—was passed to Jason Oakes a few years ago.
He and his team of volunteers had Onaping kids skating on Jan. 5 and the rink stayed open despite rain and warm temperatures in the past few weeks.
"A lot of hard work and a little bit of luck," explains Oakes, a father of two.
Oakes is enjoying his "second job" for now, but says there are snowy days when he's snow-blowing the nearly NHL-sized rink, when he starts thinking about who he'll pass the torch to next.
"They're about 10 or 12 right now, they're here most nights, soon I'll let them take a turn with the hose and let them get a feel for it and I'll be all set," he said.
A team of volunteers helps keep up the rink in the Eyre playground, not far from the intersection of Bancroft and the Kingsway in Sudbury.
Renee Belec-Ricard lives across the street and she and her husband help organize the flooding and shovelling.
She says it's a lot of hard work, but definitely worth it.
"It gets people connected again. It gives a sense of community, people come and play. You meet new people all the time, we're meeting our neighbours," she said.
The Eyre rink is a bit unusual in that it's built on top of a basketball court, with skaters manoeuvring around the hoops, but Belec-Ricard says they haven't attempted any ice basketball yet.
The rink also has no boards, which Belec-Ricard likes because it discourages rough hockey games, but does lead to a hunt for pucks in the surrounding bush every spring.
One of the most unusual skating experiences in northern Ontario this winter will be found in Timmins.
A 340-metre figure eight skating path has been constructed by private volunteers in the city's Hollinger Park.
Ken Pye is heading up the project, including the temporary forest that skaters will pass through.
"We've collected over 500 Christmas trees from people's living rooms. It's like we brought the forest to the rink," he said.
Pye says he hasn't skated since he was eight years old, but is planning to lace them up again this winter to admire his handiwork.