Leask keeps heart of recreation beating with Valentine’s Day gig

Committee members hope the community’s generosity to the cause will match their romantic spirit, as efforts continue to keep the remaining half of the sports centre going.

“We don’t have enough children that are actively playing hockey or figure skating in our community,” secretary and lead volunteer Chris Donohue told paNOW. “Our goal is to just put the ice in every year – which costs us nothing – and to have it open for public skating or if any other community needs to rent it out.”

Donohue said the Leask Sports Centre opened in 1973 following many volunteer hours, personal donations of equipment and money. However, nearly 20 years ago when the community couldn’t afford a new ice plant, the curling rink was de-commissioned. She doesn’t want the skating rink to suffer the same fate, which does not have automated ice-making capacity.

Thanks to an agreement with the Village of Leask and R.M. of Leask taxpayers will continue to pay for the insurance and power, but the volunteers need to handle the management and maintenance.

That maintenance includes creating the ice surface and keeping it smooth. If necessary, ice maintenance is by hand.

Who needs a Zamboni? Volunteers make the ice safe and smooth by hand
(submitted photo/Chris Donohue)

“We flood it with a hose; there’s a water pit in the back that you draw water from and you have so many cold and hot floods to make the ice hard,” Donohue said. “We had our old Zamboni break down so my husband has been out there with the old barrel flooder, wheeling it around. It’s very interesting for people who’ve never seen it before.”

That, along with the sight of volunteers scraping the ice by hand, is an indication of the efforts the group is prepared to make to keep things going.

Recent fundraising hit a $7,000 goal to maintain the ice surface and boards, but Donohue figures they need up to $15,000 a year to keep on top of the ageing furnaces, water pipes and hot water heaters. She said having the Leask Hutterite Colony was a blessing regarding the abundance of skilled men, equipment and interest in helping out.

So far all the efforts appear to have paid off with some rental bookings and a novice hockey tournament coming in March.

“That’s massive for us,” Donohue said. “It’s a Mistawasis tournament so that will bring lots of people to watch and hopefully we’ll make lots of funds through our canteen that day.”

She added the kitchen facilities and washrooms at the facility are also an important drawcard for summer events like the slo-pitch tournament.

The Rink Revival Committee at Leask figures they need around $15,000 a year to keep the venue ship-shape.
(submitted photo/Chris Donohue)

For Donohue there’s a personal drive to keep local sports and recreation going in the community.

“I married into the community 33 years ago but I was home-grown down the highway at Marcelin – where the rink there has been de-commissioned – so this is the area where I played all my sports,” she said.

The message for the Feb.14 fundraiser is clear: bring your sweetheart for a great evening, and do your part to keep the village’s ageing, but precious recreational heart beating.

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(Main photo: Chris Donohue)

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow

by Glenn Hicks

Leask keeps heart of recreation beating with Valentine’s Day gig

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