An exciting addition to the hockey scene in Kamloops as the city is set to convert the the sheets at the Arthur Island Curling Club into a new mini-skating rink.
The new mini skating rink will be used for community recreational skating and hockey use on the North Shore at the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre. It is aimed at enhancing recreational facilities for residents.
A mini skating rink will allow U-7 and U-9 hockey teams to use a smaller ice surface for their games and practices. This provides younger players with the opportunity to develop their skills in a space that is scaled to suit their age-specific abilities and aligns with Hockey Canada’s best practices. The mini rink will also offer opportunities for more public and club skating while creating additional ice time for older age groups at the other full-sized rinks.
“The demand for more ice time in the community has been increasing, even with the announcement of the arena multiplex,” said Sherri Holmes, the City’s Sport, Recreation, and Wellness Manager. “The mini skating rink is an opportunity to expand our capacity for ice sports and to work towards fulfilling the demand while the multiplex is being developed.”
Councillor Kelly Hall, who is also the Build Kamloops Council Select Committee Chair, says this project has been in discussion for a some time. “Minor hockey and recreational hockey, as well as recreational skating in this community, you’re hard pressed to find any available ice within the community. So this opportunity came as a result of talking with individuals in minor hockey, much like the conversation that we had with a fellow that is local NHL resident here, Daryl Sydor, and when you go throughout the province, you see many of these mini rinks at other complexes… it’s a safety valve that takes the pressure off of other ice demands within the community.”
The mini skating rink conversion is anticipated to take up to 14 weeks. It will include installing dasher boards, adding rubber mats to the non-playing area, and upgrading the existing refrigeration system.
The mini-rink will also provide some revenue for the city. Funding for the project will come from the arena multiplex budget. The mini skating rink is projected to generate approximately $100,000 in additional revenue per season.
Hall says this is not just a good thing in terms of freeing up time and space at larger rinks for older groups, it is also a great development opportunity for young hockey payers in Kamloops to be able to have a space that is tailored to their needs. “It will enhance the skill set of young hockey players. From the age group of U-7 to U-9, but even some of the older kids, the U-15, U-16, U-17, using it to really enhance their skill sets by utilizing the small space. In the game of hockey, if you don’t have a lot of space and time, you’ve got to be able to think quickly, so your skills have got to be sharp. And so you’re going to see it utilized from the younger kids to the older kids as well.”
As part of Build Kamloops, the McArthur Island Curling Club and Kamloops Curling Club have come together to support a vision for the development of a new curling facility that will replace two aging and inefficient facilities. While plans for the new Build Kamloops curling facility are in development, the two clubs will share ice at the Kamloops Curling Centre, freeing up the McArthur Island curling sheets to allow for the mini skating rink conversion.
