Editor:
Sunset Arena – a quaint ice rink, owned by the City of Vancouver. This is where you will find members of the Sunshine Coast Skating Club practising axels, double toe loops, double Salchows and more this June. Following a month in Squamish, the skate club is forced to travel off-Coast for ice. Scattered across dozens of ice rinks throughout the Lower Mainland, you will find members of the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association playing for spring hockey teams that cost them upwards of $10,000 each year.
As registrar for both organizations, I can take a fairly educated guess at the number of athletes within our ice community who are leaving the Coast for these sports each spring. The number is staggering. These are dedicated families of our community, spending their hard-earned money to support their athletes. These families are putting money that should be staying in our community towards other organizations, hotels, restaurants, shops and more, elsewhere.
So it begs the question – why are we not supporting our athletes right here at home? Why are we placing the heavy burden of choice between academics and sport on our youth when the facilities are in place at home? Ice is a business, and a very lucrative one at that. Both our youth ice organizations have proven what is possible; imagine the possibilities with more support. Instead of commending the hard work of the volunteers who have brought world-class events to our ice arenas and contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars into our community, we are scolded and chastised.
Our local government needs to start investing in youth and families on the Sunshine Coast. Build the all-weather fields and keep the ice in the ice rinks. Create a community that we are proud to call home and raise our families in.
Kate Turner, Sechelt
