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What rinks can tell us about Earth
Avis public Fonds de développement culturel de la MRC d’Argenteuil 2013 La MRC d’Argenteuil regroupe neuf municipalités locales et compte 32 510 résidents per- manents. Dans le cadre de sa Politique culturelle, la MRC sollicite des projets en vue de l’attribution d’une aide financière provenant du Fonds de développement culturel. Buts Soutenir financièrement la réalisation d’initiatives et activités (individuelles ou collectives) culturelles; Offrir à des acteurs culturels du milieu, incluant la relève, une occasion supplémentaire d’acquérir de l’expérience ou de la reconnaissance; Encourager les initiatives culturelles ayant des retombées dans la communauté (sensibilisation, formation, expérimentation, découvertes…). Organismes et individus admissibles Les organismes culturels, à but non lucratif (constitués ou en voie de constitution) dont le siège social est situé sur le territoire de la MRC d’Argenteuil; Les artistes et les artisans résidant sur le territoire de la MRC d’Argenteuil. Modalités Les détails du fonds (protocole) et le formulaire de demande d’aide financière de la MRC sont disponibles : à la MRC d’Argenteuil, 430, rue Grace, Lachute, lors des heures d’ouverture; sur le site Internet de la MRC : www.argenteuil.qc.ca; par courriel : clapointe@argenteuil.qc.ca. DATE LIMITE DE DÉPÔT DE PROJETS LE VENDREDI 22 FÉVRIER 2013, POUR DÉCISION LORS DE LA SÉANCE DU CONSEIL DE LA MRC DE MARS 2013.
Will the outdoor rink soon go the way of the rotary dial phone and the typewriter? Alas, many youngsters out there have no idea what is meant by the quaint “external ice surface.”And why would they? Artificial is the way to go when you want reliable skating surfaces. The weather this winter, and over the last several winters, has been so unpre- dictable that only the most zealous would attempt to retain this tradition. However, if you are among the very few who try to maintain a backyard rink, you may be able to make a contribution to sci- ence. As climate change appears to be threat- ening the traditional outdoor rink, three researchers at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo have set up a web page (www. RinkWatch.org) to document what’s hap- pening to our outdoor skating season. “Backyard skating meets environmental science” at the site launched by the scien- tists. The hope is that Canadians from coast to coast will help track changes in skating conditions, not just this year, but for many years to come. You will recall that the 2011-2012 winter was the third warmest on record; temper- atures were 3.6 degrees Celsius above nor- mal. The warmest winter on record since nationwide records began in 1948 was in 2009-2010, with a national average tem- perature 4.1 degrees Celsius above nor- mal. To become part of the cross-Canada study, Canadians with a backyard or neighbourhood rink can visit to create a profile and add the location and name of their rink, which will show up on a Google map. Registered users, whose identities remain private, are asked to return to the site once a week to check off which days they were able to skate. The website will track the results and compare conditions with other rinks across Canada. When it comes to environmental gauges, the rink is an effective measure, a sort of canary in the mine shaft. Rinks are a lot like people – at times lines and cracks appear on the surface; they can be soft and mushy, yet they can also be at once hard, brittle and slippery. Oc- casionally, when they are very cold, they emit noises. When given the proper atten- tion, they can sparkle, and offer hours and hours of fun. Like old friends, a rink is a gateway to a trip down memory lane, a chance to revisit good times from the past. “Ahhh!” That was the sound of count- less numbers of people imagining crisp winter days and nights spent on “natural ice,” a frozen pond or river winding its way through a landscape so perfect that it may have been concocted by Currier and Ives. “Ouch!” That was the sound of people remembering the pain one felt after strik- ing a bump on a rock-hard eddy, and ca- reening headfirst into a snow bank, while everyone laughed uproariously. “Slacker!”That was the cry that went out
when some interloper would venture out on the clean sheet after others had spent hours shovelling snow from the rink. “Lawsuit!” That was the threat occa- sionally uttered during a game of shinny, when a promising youth would suffer a potentially career-threatening injury after getting into a rut and slamming into the boards. OK, so some of the good old days were not all that good. With the exception of the high-end sur- face the National Hockey League grooms for the Winter Classic, outdoor rinks can rarely offer the consistent surface we ex- pect from modern indoor facilities, which are not subject towind chill and the whims of Mother Nature. Some arenas can indeed have a certain charm. Venerable hockey palaces, such as the Forum or Maple Leaf Gardens, are part of hockey lore. Community rinks of the past were, by to- day’s standards, fairly primitive. Local hockey, wrestling and bingo fans will no doubt remember Hawkesbury’s Memorial Centre, which was closed about four decades ago for safety reasons. It was a cold, damp and cavernous barn, and it was fabulous. At one point, before safety glass became the norm, strands of wire mesh separated hockey fans from the ac- tion. During some heated playoff contests, there was fear that the flimsy separation might give way and the rabid Hawks fans would become that the “seventh player” in a hands-on literal sense. When bingo was big, a person could al- most walk on the layers of blue cigarette smoke that hung in the concrete structure. The Memorial Centre was made for wrestling matches, and that had nothing to do with town council meetings. Hours after the last bout of the night had end- ed, ears would echo with the sounds of a fleshy body being slammed into the mat. At one time, before bleacher heating systems were improved, arenas were so cold that spectators would go outside be- tween periods to thaw their extremities. Most of today’s rinks, while they may lack some of the “character” of ice boxes from the past, do provide toasty, smoke- free comfort for fans. Huge burdens Such facilities also represent huge drains on the coffers of governments. For dec- ades, municipalities have viewed an arena as an essential element of “infrastructure,” in the same category as roads, water and sewage services. However, in recent years, some municipal corporations have at- tempted to make the installations more cost-effective by embarking on private- public partnerships. An example of the triple P concept is the Tim Hortons Dome in Alexandria, a multi- purpose attraction that is by all accounts a happening place. And there is more than soccer going on there. The evolution of rinks and recreational facilities in general may indeed provide evidence on how our world is changing.
Pour info : Madame Catherine Lapointe 450 562-2474 poste 2311.
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