The idea took form last August, as four people were watching a crew
trowel concrete for the enlarged floor of the Warner, Alta., arena.
Standing outside the half-million-dollar renovation project, they
talked about how the arena should be put to better use, recalled Sandra
Nelson, one of the group.
The next day, she asked the Horizon School District to hold a community
meeting to plan a bigger future.
“It’s a known fact to play to your strengths. We had this beautiful
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hockey arena.”
The village of 380 people in southern Alberta had tossed around the
idea of a hockey school for many years, and the renovation of the
45-year-old arena brought it to life.
Karen Coverdale, whose husband Todd served as general contractor for
the arena project and led the work force of volunteers, said the rink
serves more than their village.
“We are the only rink between here and Great Falls, Montana.”
Coverdale said hockey teams from Milk River, Coutts, New Dayton and
Wrentham, as well as American border towns, use the ice in Warner. But
there is room for more.
The idea of a hockey school meshed with a couple of situations. First,
the falling enrolment at Warner’s kindergarten to Grade 12 school
threatens high school courses. The student population of 120 needs a
boost.
A residential hockey school in the town would add 20 students, enough
to keep the whole school open, plus bring in tuition to pay for a coach.
The town has lost its grain elevators, the local agricultural office
and the Catholic and Mormon churches. It is time to score a goal, dent
the net.
The committee considering the proposal found that a number of boys’
hockey schools exist, but there is no girl’s hockey school in Alberta.
Two other factors favoured the girls’ school idea, said Carla Herbst
Pittman, one of the advocates. Women’s hockey is popular following
Canada’s gold medal performance at the winter Olympics, and recently,
the United States passed a law requiring that colleges spend the same
amount of money for female sports teams as for male.
The girls school could offer a chance at a scholarship to an American
college for a promising athlete.
The committee got the approval of Hockey Alberta to proceed with the
residential school. A director of that organization, Annie Orton of
Blairmore, said the Warner proposal looks good.
“Girls for many years had ringette,” said Orton. “Twenty years ago they
couldn’t even play in minor hockey leagues. Then, a few girls got on
boys teams.”
Now the province has 6,000 girls playing, which is 10 percent of the
total numbers in minor hockey. Girls’ registrations are on the rise.
They jumped 30 percent last year.
Laura-Marie Doenz, an organizing committee member, said the school
district “has backed us 100 percent” in terms of providing teacher time
– a director of hockey will be hired shortly – and several staff are on
the promotion committee.
Doenz said the committee held a two-day hockey camp for girls last
month that attracted a lot of interest. One girl came from Yellowknife
to attend.
The committee is also proud of the way the community has backed the
idea.
Last January, the 152 people at a meeting to hear the school proposal
backed it unanimously, said committee chair and school principal Mark
Lowe. Several signed up to do volunteer work, including women in their
80s.
“The day after the meeting we had $50,000 in donations,” said Doenz.
Different groups are fundraising. Herbst Pittman and her daughter are
part of a group that makes play dough and sells it as “hockey dough.”
Another group held a garage sale and dinner and dance in June that
raised $5,000 toward the project. This year’s Grade 12 grads donated
money. Also planned are a celebrity hockey game and a casino.
The $300,000-$500,000 goal is a long distance away. The biggest cost
will be building the residence. But Doenz said people are willing to
billet the girls if a building can’t go up in time for the planned
start in September 2003.
An advertising blitz will be held this winter to attract girls to the
school. Tuition is planned at $12,000 a year each.
Why is Warner so willing to work on this idea? Lowe said it’s because
the town has lost some residents but not its pride.
Doenz said it’s because the school is valued by the whole community.
Coverdale adds that a lot of people in the district are pitching in
because they have roots here.
Check out the progress of the hockey school at the website www.
horizon.ab.ca/Warner.
