rinks to links feature
© Lifetouch Canada

Rinks to Links assists kids in getting in the game

Thanks to the Hockey Alberta Foundation, 30 disadvantaged kids will hit the ice for the first time this season

Wendy Graves
|
July 31, 2015
|

It may be the middle of summer, but for 30 kids in southern Alberta the start of hockey season can’t come soon enough.

As part of its Every Kid Every Community program, the Hockey Alberta Foundation gave kids from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary and Cochrane their own set of hockey gear and let them take it for a spin Monday afternoon at the Cochrane Arena.

It was the second year of its Rinks to Links event, in which deserving kids spend their morning on the golf course and their afternoon on the ice.

The program is about more than one day, says Karen Dommett, marketing and events coordinator for the Hockey Alberta Foundation. “We’re providing kids who may not have the opportunity to play the sport with a really positive experience,” she says. “We’re overcoming that barrier by getting them familiar with the ice so they and their parents feel more comfortable getting integrated into the sport.”

“We try to offer children unique opportunities and experiences that build their knowledge and skills,” says Yannick Hebert, manager of community clubs for Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary. “Hockey is definitely one of them. It’s one of those sports that a lot of people have interest in but it’s not something that’s really feasible for a lot of our families.”

Hockey Alberta Foundation partnered with the ATB Financial Classic, Comrie’s Sports Equipment Bank and United Cycle to give the kids, ages nine to 12, this one-of-a-kind experience.

The day started at the Links of GlenEagles in Cochrane, site of the week’s stop on the Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour Canada. The kids received putting, chipping and driving tips from some of the competing pros.

From there it was a short bus ride to the arena, where the kids were fitted head to toe, then paid a dressing room visit from Carla MacLeod and Jacob DeSerres.

“Any chance you get to be involved with a group like this you jump at it,” says MacLeod, who won gold with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The kids were eager to take photos of themselves wearing her medals. “Just to see their reactions and their faces light up, and then to go out on the ice to see the real magic – it was nice to be able to share their enjoyment.”

“It was great seeing how happy some of these kids were just skating around,” says DeSerres, who won a silver medal with the Calgary Buffaloes at the 2006 TELUS Cup and a Memorial Cup with the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2011. “They had smiles painted on their faces. Every time you talked to them they’d get even happier and start blushing, so it was a cool feeling.”

MacLeod and DeSerres joined the kids on the ice and participated alongside them in the skill sessions.

“I was jumping blue-lines. I was playing ‘A Bug’s Life’ [the name assigned to one game of tag] and all sorts of things,” says MacLeod, the contagious enthusiasm of the day still evident in her voice. “It was just about getting these kids on the ice and making sure there were smiles on their faces.”

Every Kid Every Community started in 2011, and over the past four years has delivered unique hockey programs to 2,000 kids in more than two dozen communities across the province. Its mission is simple: remove financial obstacles and improve accessibility to the game.

The foundation has worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary in the past to promote hockey to disadvantaged kids, including helping fund the organization’s floor hockey program.

Thanks to Rinks to Links, Boys and Girls Clubs have been able to let a large group of their kids try ice hockey – and golf – the past two years.

“[I heard the] exact same comment this year and last,” says Hebert. “Some of the kids think this is just the best day ever.”

Having grown up on rinks themselves and knowing the importance of having that place to play had in their lives, MacLeod and DeSerres were happy to help when the call came.

And lessons learned can prove to be equally important off the ice, says DeSerres.

“You develop so many life skills that go a long way in no matter what you end up doing,” he says. “I think hockey is positive for any kid.”

Both the tangible and intangible benefits from Monday and many more days at the rink to come is exactly what the Hockey Alberta Foundation was hoping for with its Rinks to Links program.

“The kids’ reactions when they find out they get to keep the equipment they’ve been using all day and continue working on the sport is awesome,” says Dommett. “To have 30 more kids in Alberta playing hockey in the future from just one day is pretty fantastic.”

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

Recent News
Most Popular
Videos
Photos
HCC: One For All in Yellowknife
One For All celebrated women’s hockey with more than 300 participants.
2024 NWT Rivalry Series: CAN 6 – USA 1 (Game 7)
Spooner and Maltais scored twice to lead Canada to win the series.
2023-24 NWT: CAN 3 – USA 0 (Game 6)
Maschmeyer made 27 saves for the shutout to tie the Rivalry Series.
2023-24 NWT: CAN 4 – USA 2 (Game 5)
Bell, Fast and Stacey scored late to help Canada stay alive.
Schedule