Valleyview rink draws skaters from all over

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This article was published 27/12/2023 (1005 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The echo of hockey pucks ricocheting off rink boards can be heard blocks away.

The Valleyview Community Centre, located in the west end of Brandon, is a popular spot for hockey players of all skills and ages when they show up for sticks and pucks. But a few new features, put in by a small handful of volunteers, have added more winter fun for the skaters. The main rink features painted hockey lines and the Valleyview name sits bright just below the ice level. More recently, volunteers have added a smaller ice pad and a mini skating oval that surrounds the splash pad at Valleyview. The rink and area are lit up at night until 9 p.m.

“It’s a perfect little space for people to go and learn how to skate. Because sometimes it could just be some big kids with a game going on. And at least you have a place for little ones to go and skate around,” said Brad DeVlieger, who has been a volunteer with the community centre for the last nine years.

And it’s not just folks from around the Valleyview area who come to skate at the rink.

“To be honest, I think a lot people come from all over the city,” DeVlieger said. “It’s just a great little rink for everyone to enjoy.”

DeVlieger said the rink and the added ice pad and oval are the work of a smaller number of volunteers than fingers on your hand. Most of them are dads like him, who came later at night to work on the rink, after all their kids’ activities had wrapped up for the evening. He said Valleyview board president Steve Mott put in the lines and volunteer Kevin Kidd did the lion’s share of the work.

“Kevin is the workhorse of the operation … To get the ice where it is today, he’s put in over 70 hours of work,” DeVlieger said. Kevin’s parents, Bob and Lana Kidd, also volunteer at the rink. The Valleyview board consists of just five board members and they rely heavily on volunteers.

For DeVlieger, volunteering is a rewarding experience and he hopes it one day rubs off on his four children.

“I think I got into being a volunteer in the community by watching my parents volunteer when I was younger in a small town. They helped with the rink and many other things in St. Alphonse, Man. I hope my kids see what I do and will want to help their communities when they are older,” DeVlieger said. “When they have the chance they love to come out and help us with the rink.”

DeVlieger said he also hire teens aged 14 and 15 for snow removal and flood prep at the rink.

“Usually it’s their first jobs. They do some hard work and gain some good work experience.”

More volunteers would mean the roomy and heated warmup shack could be open more regular hours.

“I would say what we need most all the time is volunteers to manage the shack to unlock the door and then lock it up again at night. Then we would be able to ensure the shack is a safe space for kids and families to enjoy,” DeVlieger said.

He added parents who come out with their kids to skate could bring a shovel too, and help clear the ice.

To find out more about the rink, or to become a volunteer, look for Valleyview Community Centre on Facebook.

» khenderson@brandonsun.com