It’s that time of year again when many rural Newfoundlanders & Labradorians take to their local stadiums, whether for Minor Hockey, Figure Skating, Broomball, Curling, Recreational Hockey Leagues, General Skating and other special events.
The Straits Arena serves 26 communities of the Straits region on the Great Northern Peninsula. I visited it earlier this week, as the General Manager told me they were gearing up for a busy season with close to 175 registrants for Minor Hockey. It should be a stadium that is filled by many parents, grandparents and local fans as they watch the flurry of activity on the ice.
Earlier this year, I participated in the Follow the Leader Challenge (www.followtheleadernl.ca) to promote a month of healthy living. The final week was a community physical activity that involved children. I’m a very novice skater, in fact, I really don’t know how to stop but I decided to rent the ice for an hour for anyone who wanted to join the fun. It was nice to see nearly 50 people including many youth, so taking to the ice for the very first time in years.
I remember the excitement as a child when winter came when all the kids and adults of Green Island Cove would take to Louie‘s Pond across the road from the local Lion’s Club and a local hockey game would take place. I’d love to see a revival of tradition, let’s take to the ice this winter at the local pond or your local arena.
There are incredible opportunities in and around our rural communities to live active lifestyles. The St. Barbe arena is one of the many places to do just that!
Live Rural NL –
Christopher Mitchelmore, MHA The Straits-White Bay North
Good of you to rent the arena and invite everyone to come. Keeping active is sometimes difficult and you made it a bit
easier.