evale Bulletin Bourk

Volume 7, Issue 1 January, 2012 Bourkevale Community Centre 100 Ferry Road 888-1599 www.mybourkevale.com

The Icemen Cometh!

At the Top of their Game

BCC Board 2011-12
President: Gary Kristiansen Vice President: Tom Brodbeck Past President: Dan Reles Treasurer: Elaine Nystrom Secretary: Kim Roffey Buildings and Grounds: Jeff Valgardson Judd St. Godard Hall Usage: Joan Templeton Hockey Convener: Jeff Valgardson Soccer Convener: Sarah Swanson Childrens Programs & Special Events: Vacant Mom & Me: Erin Shorten Fundraising: Vacant Publicity: Mark Wolch Volunteer Coordinator: Stephanie Burd Please call Gary @ 227-1980 if you can help us out! While most of us are still in bed enjoying a few extra winks, Jeff Valgardson is hard at work keeping BCCs legendary skating rinks in tip-top shape. Valgardson, BCCs Buildings and Grounds Director, along with fellow icemeister Ron Templeton, are the driving force behind BCCs great ice. Once again this year, BCCs rinks were among the first in the district to open. Word spread quickly, and soon hockey players and pleasure skaters from throughout St. James were enjoying our great ice again. At one point about 70 skaters could be seen on the rinks, swooping around sharing fun, friendship and exercise. Making it great Making great ice begins well before the mercury drops below zero. Valgardson and Templeton begin the process in early fall when they paint the rinks 3000
Jeff Valgardson, BCC Grounds Director

boards and replace any boards that are worn out. Having solid boards is key, explains Valgardson. They have to hold the water inside so it can freeze to a nice smooth surface. Because of shifting, most years we have to shore up the boards so the water stays in. Shoring up the boards is a labour-intensive job, involving shoveling gravel or snow by hand and packing it against them. Once the rinks are sealed and the temperature drops see Game, page 4

Kitchen Party is January 28

Circle your calendar now for these upcoming events at the club. Each Sunday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. its Kids vs. Parents Hockey. This is an informal pickup game where skills and equipment are not required all you need is a desire for fun! This winter also marks the return of our popular Pleasure Skate, Fridays 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sundays 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the South rink. Sticks and pucks are not allowed during this time, so feel free to bring the little ones. Beat the midwinter blues and help out your club at the same time. Its BCCs one and only Kitchen Party on Saturday January 28 a Winnipeg-style social and fundraiser to renovate the clubs classic, yet slightly aging kitchen. Come out for an evening of fun and dancing with your neighbours! Last but not least, our annual Pancake Breakfast is Saturday February 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Warm up to some golden brown pancakes and sausages with this annual neighbourhood tradition.

Printed on 100% recycled paper

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Bourkevale Bulletin

Presidents Report
Theres no doubt the story of the year in 2011 for Bourkevale Community Centre was the performance of our volunteer ice crew. Not only did we have two sheets of ice open well before most other community centres in the St. James area in December, we kept our ice open most days during unseasonably warm weather in late December and early January. It was no easy feat. With day-time temperatures above zero and overnight lows barely falling below the freezing mark, it was challenging to say the least to maintain any type of solid base. But our volunteer ice-makers Jeff Valgardson and Ron Templeton kept our ice open most days during that period. Their work is a testament to the volunteer efforts that keep Bourkevale Community Centre operational. Without the dedicated volunteers who run Bourkevale, we would not have a local community centre. That may appear obvious to those who work as volunteers within the club, but were not always certain that reality resonates with the general public. Our club is operated entirely by volunteers. The city does not operate our club in any way. They dont even have a key to the place! It is our volunteers who spend countless hours doing our bookkeeping and ensuring our finances are in order; they do our gardening; they perform endless hours of maintenance at the club; they maintain our message board and publish newsletters; they run programs like kids vs. parents sports; they maintain our website; they run our Moms and Me program; they volunteer at special events; they manage our canteen; they organize sports teams as conveners for soccer and hockey and spend evenings sitting on boards; they book renters for hall use; they organize and recruit volunteers; they take minutes at monthly meetings; they volunteer as coaches. They volunteer for a multitude of activities, tasks and responsibilities because they care about our community centre. They recognize the value of Bourkevale and what a jewel the centre is for our community. As president, I am humbled by the devotion our volunteers show towards our club and Im extremely proud of the accomplishments we have achieved this past year. After several years of lobbying the city of Winnipeg, we finally got a brand-new, outdoor play structure. We fought against a potential funding cut from the city and together with other local community centres, we secured a funding increase for 2012. And for the first time ever, the city has agreed to annual cost-of-living increases. We introduced pleasure skating on our south rink, which has been a smashing success, and weve become a soccer mecca as a member of the St. Charles Soccer Association. As a community centre we have thrived and our volunteers have performed above and beyond the call of duty. But the reality is, we need more people to step up to the plate. We have people who have put in years of service as volunteers and we need an influx of new blood. If we dont get that, we will not survive as a club. Which means there could be no ice rinks, no soccer teams and no green space. That is the cold reality. Our club is in excellent financial shape right now and we operate at the highest level expected of any community centre in Winnipeg. But in order to keep that going, we need new people to get involved. We have an annual general meeting coming up in the spring. Check our website for more details on that and please attend. We need our community to get involved in keeping this club going. I am happy to hear from anyone who has ideas about the club or who would like to get involved. I can be reached at 227-1980. Happy New Year and have a great 2012. Gary Kristiansen

Volume 7, Issue 1

Page 3

BCC Program Update

Three popular programs continue this winter at BCC. Moms and Me Playgroup is held every Tuesday from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. This casual get-together is a chance for neighbourhood parents and toddlers to break the routine and get out for some fun and refreshments. For program information please send an e-mail to Erin at bourkevale@gmail.com. Need more time to complete your scrapbooks? Come to a Creative Memories all day 12 hour workshop. Youll have your own space to complete your projects, learn about new products and ideas, and have access to the Creative Memories store for tools and supplies. First time attendees can take advantage of a special $10 rate. Upcoming sessions are February 11, March 10 and April 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Call Elaine at 831-6201 or e-mail ehepburn1@gmail.com for more information. Is it dance? Is it exercise? Or is it just plain fun? Once again the popular Zumba program continues at BCC Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. For more information send an e-mail to Christina (Christina@bellaghita.com) or point your browser to www.bellaghita.com. Join the party!

Thanks to Past Volunteers!

BCCs board would like to express its sincere thanks to Elizabeth (Beth) Hiltz and Brenda Waterman for their service to our board and community. Beth was our Treasurer for 2010-11. Besides managing our finances and presiding over our books, Beth helped us make great strides forward by modernizing our financial systems. Beths thoughtful approach always stimulated interesting discussion on important matters facing the board. Brenda assisted with special events and childrens programs. Her help in planning and running some memorable events at BCC has been greatly appreciated.

BOURKEVALE COMMUNITY CENTRE Hall Rental

Our hall is available for all your event needs: Birthday parties Wedding showers Family gatherings Skating parties Business meetings Great rates and full kitchen Please call Joan @ 888-8548 for details

Help out your Club!

BCC Hockey
Bourkevale Community Centre is hosting two hockey teams this year: boys 10A2 and 14A3. Practices are Monday through Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the North rink. Come cheer on our budding hockey stars!

Did you know

Bourkevale Community Centre is run entirely by volunteers!

Please keep our beautiful club running

Available duties include: Soccer Registration Newsletter Event planning Update notice board C a l l 2 2 7 - 19 8 0 o r e - ma il b o ur k eva l e @ g ma il . c o m

Its BCCs Party! Kitchen Party!!! Party! annual Party! Saturday, January 28 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Tickets only $10 Available at the BCC Canteen or by calling 227-1980 Support BCCs biggest fundraiser of the year!

At t h e To p o f t h e i r G a m e ( c o n t d f r o m P a g e 1 )
sufficiently, the flooding can begin. This year Valgardson and his teamconsisting of Ron Templeton, Ed Toews and Scott Nystromsprayed more than 220,000 liters of water by hand. And you thought watering your garden was a grind! Making great ice is one thing; keeping it great is quite another. For starters, just imagine what its like clearing snow off a 34,000 square feet driveway! Thanks to everyone who bought social tickets and donated to our tractor fund, weve finally paid off our tractor, says Valgardson. The tractor and Zamboni attachment have made this job a lot better. Still, Valgardson, Templeton and other volunteers donate countless hours clearing the ice, filling cracks and flooding. Flooding is still done the old fashioned way with a fire hose. It may take longer to flood by hand, adds Valgardson, but people seem to appreciate the result. Valgardson may be being modest. He and Templeton are among the most dedicated and skilled ice-makers around. Theyre clearly at the top of their game.
See video of how ice is made at Bourkevale: http://www.mybourkevale.com/2011/11/how-we-make-ice-at-bourkevale.html