There are too many skaters all elbowing for the same ice time at West Vancouvers single ice arena.
The ongoing frustration spilled into district council chambers Monday night as hockey moms and dads, teenage boys and boomer beer leaguers came to give council a reality check two minutes at a time.
The majority of the speakers were minor league hockey players and their parents, who said theyre tired of the situation. Literally.
Im coming home at midnight, and getting up at 6 a.m., said Sharon Dugid, a mother of three hockey-playing boys. Its not sustainable.
Alex Sharp, who plays in the West Vancouver Minor Hockey League, spoke of getting to bed well after midnight on practice nights.
Waking up after late games is almost impossible, said Sharp, to knowing chuckles from parents.
Advocates for adult hockey clubs and girls hockey also spoke about guarding their chunks of ice time.
Steve Kellock, manager of community recreation for the district, showed a multi-coloured schedule packed to the bursting point with each little square showing a hotly contested slot of ice time.
Kellock said rink users had been surveyed about ice allocation, and the schedule had been drawn up based on their input.
However, many of the speakers said this issue has been ongoing for years, leading them to bring it to council.
Doug Hammond, a father and volunteer with the minor hockey league, described the scheduling process as a black box experience. His suggestion that a second sheet of ice be added was met with enthusiastic applause.
Anne Mooi, director of parks and community services, wrapped up the discussion with the suggestion that all the arena users meet with arena administration to reach a consensus about scheduling. She also spoke about bringing the sports groups together to talk about adding a second sheet of ice.
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