John Wilmshurst | Special to the 51暗网
In any other year, around this time, we鈥檇 be hanging in the stands at the Jasper Arena, catching the last of the playoffs or taking in a weekend tournament or two. The stands would be filled with parents, both familiar and from across Alberta, and we鈥檇 be lining up at Glenda鈥檚 for coffee for the umpteenth time since September. In any other year.
This year is different. I haven鈥檛 been in the arena all year, and I鈥檝e missed it. So, imagine my excitement when Jasper Minor Sports president Alex Derksen invited me to join his coaches and U13 team for a practice last week. He needed a hand on the ice and my skates, if not my skills, were sharp.
Practice began for all teams in late February as the magical nexus of completed arena renovations and pandemic phasing aligned, allowing limited numbers of kids and coaches on the ice once again. Eager to do something, anything, every team has been using their ice - practices only and with strict rules on numbers and spacing. But there are sticks, skates, helmets, pucks and rosy cheeks. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it鈥檚 a duck.
The U13 (PeeWee) team that I had the chance to help is an enthusiastic group. Led by forwards Drew Kovacs, Dustin Derksen and veteran netminder Brady Campbell, you can see that these kids have not been kept off the ice entirely this year. With a great early season of frozen lake ice all around Jasper, these boys were clearly honing their skills between the patches of snow and inch-wide cracks well before the arena was ready. Even with the warmer weather, you can find Casey Peel and Louie Campeau in front of their houses playing street hockey and taking shots. They made a simple cycle drill - pass to the point, D to D and hit the forward streaking toward the net for a shot look easy like they鈥檝e been doing it all year. A little two-on-two. Austin Schmidt and Carson Miller are game, rattling pucks off their coaches鈥� shins without regret, and driving to the net, forcing Carter Schmidt to flash the leather to keep his brother Austin from scoring top cheddar. Hockey is back as if it had never left.
Ever the optimist, Coach Derksen is not ruling out a return to some sort of play before the end of the spring. It is all up to Alberta Health Services, Alberta鈥檚 minor sports鈥� establishment and local coaches. The arena is ready and looks great. The kids are more than ready. I鈥檓 pretty sure if they needed a few skaters to fill a roster, there would be some eager takers. After an hour out there with Louie, Brady and Drew, I鈥檓 ready to go too. Put me in, coach.
