Lee Bagnell is tired of hearing parents telling their children: "Back in my day we played outside" so he's decided to walk the walk. His mission? To get every kid off the couch and on the ice or in the gym. He's even made it official by forming the "Get The Kids Off The Couch Association."
The father of three started out by forming a badminton drop-in for youth. Now he's decided to take on a much bigger project - building an outdoor rink behind Acadia Hall on Sackville Drive.
Dave Peverill a member of the Acadia Hall Association said he was thrilled when Bagnell approached him about the idea.
"I think it is a great addition to the grounds here," he said. "We're already hearing from people in the community and the library asking when it will be opened. They want to use it for their programs."
Bagnell first tried to get something going on First Lake but said it's just not reliable.
"Parents are afraid of letting their kids go on the ice because it may not be completely frozen at all times," he said. "So I decided to try and go ahead with this."
The first attempt at building the 60 by 100 foot rink was three years ago.
"We were late getting going and so it was only able to be used for three weeks," said Peverill. "But for those weeks it was packed."
Unfortunately, the weather last year made it impossible to keep the ice frozen so they skipped it all together but so far this year is looking good. The frames are up, the tarps are down and the flooding has begun.
"We've had lots of support from the community," said Bagnell. "Nova Scotia Power even put up a pole for us so we can skate at night."
Although the freeze is on Bagnell is more than aware that the weather in Nova Scotia can change in the blink of an eye and so he's also developing indoor active opportunities.
"We've started an indoor table tennis drop-in at the Sackville Heights Community Centre on Monday nights," he said. "It's a pilot program for now. We have five tables and coaches on hand, now we need the kids out there to keep it going."
For more information on table tennis call the Sackville Heights Community Centre at 869-4764.
blhall@eastlink.ca
