Black eye

Chris Mounk

Dear editor:
For many children and parents living here in Fort Frances, minor hockey has started another season.
On average, it costs roughly $360 per child to play a season. And if you have two or more playing, the rate does drop for each additional registration.
With more than 500 players registered for FFMHA alone, the ice surfaces are being used on a regular basis. With two sheets of ice being used as much as they have, I noticed a major difference between the Ice For Kids Arena and the ’52 Canadians Arena.
Other than the fact that one is older than the other, the ’52 Canadians Arena does not have a working scoreboard. I have heard people saying the machine is being fixed, it’s lost, or even nobody knows of its whereabouts.
So what do we have to do as a result of this? The volunteer who is working the time box has to watch a stop watch or a wrist watch to ensure the length of the periods are met properly. Then at the end of each period, that volunteer blows a whistle to signal either the end of the period or the game.
Is this problem going to be addressed anytime soon? I should hope so as there are tournaments scheduled in the not-too-distant future and I think it would look bad not only on the town and the operators of the arena, but it also could give our hockey programs here in Fort Frances a black eye, as well.
Thank you for the space in your newspaper.
(Signed),
Chris Mounk
Fort Frances, Ont.