Struggling in Hockey Town
Minor hockey suffers from lack of coaches, board members
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, October 16, 2013
RANKIN INLET
With the Rankin Inlet arena officially opening this week, at least one hockey organizer is worried about the drop in the number of people willing to put in the time to support the sport.
Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association (RIMHA) vice-president David Clark said, as of press time, the association was still looking for someone to step forward and take on the role of president.
Minor hockey has been without a president since former head Ken Beardsall moved to Arviat this past season.
Clark said, to date, only he and Craig Collier (secretary-treasurer) are on the board.
He said the novice-aged players are also without a coach and time is running out.
"We have a few older board members who have not notified us, either way, if they're stepping down or staying on," said Clark. "We hope to have a meeting this week with any, and all, individuals who may be interested in helping out.
Clark said a number of people have approached him to express interest in joining the board, but they didn't totally commit.
"We have to meet in order to get everyone in the correct roles that, hopefully, they'll accept so we can move forward. As of right now, the only two commitments are from myself and Craig (Collier)," he said.
The lack of willing volunteers is disconcerting in a community widely regarded as being Nunavut's "Hockey Town."
Clark said even some of the coaches in place could use some extra help.
He said, ideally, each age group should have a minimum of a head coach and an assistant coach.
"We have a couple of younger guys who are willing to put the time in to run our peewee program," he said. "But it would be nice to have someone with some experience help them out, so we're looking for an older individual to take on that role.
"You have to put in a lot of time and effort to be involved with a minor hockey program, and players and parents expect a lot from the coaches.
"I'd like to think our coaches expect a lot from themselves, too, and, in Rankin right now, it seems like a lot of people don't have the get up and go or the time to do it."
Clark said he understands it's a long hockey season, but the community still needs to have a solid minor hockey association.
He said people moving on or retiring from the game have taken a toll on the hockey ranks in Rankin.
"We did lose a number of people who coached hockey here for many years," he said. "My father (Donald Clark) is no longer around, and other people who put a lot of work into Rankin minor hockey are moving on to other things, I guess you could say."
Clark said, ideally, the association would like to fill the board with members at large, and one parent or volunteer to represent each age group.
"On a positive note, our player registration is going well, and, I want to stress to the parents, they need to have their child registered before they can skate onto the ice," he said.
