The ice went out of the Warner, Alta., arena two weeks ago, but the hockey dream has not evaporated.
In fact, it is growing.
Last fall, Warner opened its girls hockey school with 20 participants. This month, it was chosen to receive the 2004 school and community public relations award from the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
Warner school principal Mark Lowe said the idea for a hockey school had been around for a while in the southern Alberta town of 380.
After a half-million-dollar renovation to the town arena in 2001, some people decided to dream big. The popularity of women’s hockey following Canada’s gold medal performance at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, plus a law requiring American universities to match sports funding for male and female teams, convinced Warner to organize a girls school.
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In September 2003, the school was started with 20 girls. Eight of them were from Alberta, six from British Columbia, and two each from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Sweden. Lowe said the team placed third in its girls league play but beat the provincial champs three out of four times. The Warner team was not allowed to advance to provincial and national playoffs because of residency restrictions.
In early May, Warner plans to hold a hockey camp for 68 girls, 40 of whom will be selected to attend the hockey school in September. Lowe said the school will run with two teams and charge $14,000 a year for each girl’s clothing, schooling, training and room and board.
Lowe said the 16-18 year olds had 61/2 months of play on ice and practised six days out of seven. When asked if there was any jealousy with local boys teams, Lowe said there was an initial integration period but relations are now excellent.
“There is a regular open shinny night. You can see the girls out on the ice playing with the boys. That’s really helped to bridge the new reality here.”
The school has increased its teacher positions from 6.5 to 9.3, hired three coaches and added money to the community for those who billet the girls. The school has been able to change its timetable and offer physics, a course that had been gone for five years.
The core group of 100 involved with the hockey school has been keeping track of its volunteer hours, which now add up to 10,000. And they are trying to raise $1.5 million to add dressing rooms, a meeting room and weight and puck shooting rooms to the arena. For 2005, the school group plans to build a dormitory residence for the 40 girls.
Some of the money will come from the local minor hockey league, some from debt financing, some from government. But a significant amount will come from local people. Heading the donation list is $200,000 coming from 99-year-old Rome Meisser, who has lived in the town since 1910.
