The Kraft Hockeyville contest has me puzzled.
It started out as a way to shine the spotlight on the most passionate, hockey-driven communities, and has turned into a search for the most broken-down, decrepit arenas in the country.
I am not too sure what is the contest really about anymore, and I don't think I am alone.
Over the past few weeks a debate around the Hockeyville contest has taken place with the Nouvelle running two Letters to the Editor, each featuring a very differing opinion on the contest. The debate surrounds one question: should Bonnyville be considered a valid entrant for Kraft Hockeyville?
At first, I was completely against the idea of Bonnyville being entered into the contest. The RJ Lalonde arena is a top-notch facility and the community is in no way hard up for cash. The prize of $100,000 in arena upgrades should go to a worse-off community.
Then the opposite opinion was put forth, one that stood up for the passionate hockey community that Bonnyville is. This letter got me thinking about the contest and I suddenly realized its flaws.
The contest has become too much about the arena upgrades, and not enough about finding a hockey-crazed community, a town or city which puts the sport above all else.
Shouldn't any Canadian community that shows an extreme love for the game of hockey get a shot at the title of "Hockeyville"?
The onus doesn't just fall on Kraft, as public opinion has also had a huge part in why the contest shifted.
In fact, in the official Kraft Hockeyville rules the "description of how the prize money would impact the nominated community and the proposed project" is listed as only being 30 per cent of the judging criteria. A community's passion for hockey and dedication to the sport is also 30 per, with examples of that passion and community spirit taking up another 30 per cent. The final ten per cent is left for and creativity of the entry.
This breakdown is a complete joke. There is no way anyone can tell me that the impact the money will have on the community is only 30 per cent of what the judges consider. It may have started out that way, but now a ramshackle old barn is a prerequisite.
When the list of ten communities for Hockeyville 2015 comes out on March 14, I guarantee the majority of them will be communities with old, crumbling arenas.
Only after they have established the ten crappiest rinks in the country, do they use the passion and community spirit to separate them a chose a winner.
If Kraft wants to go around and give money to old, rickety barns that are falling apart, they should create an entire new contest; the search for Canada's crappiest, still functional arena.
Communities that raised their own funds, to build new, state-of-the-art arenas shouldn't lose out on the chance to be named "Hockeyville." The fact that a community came together to fund and replace their old arena should qualify as a perfect example of passion and dedication to the game. Instead, it is seen as a knock against a community, which is wrong.
It's time Kraft Hockeyville steps back and takes another look at their contest, because it is completely missing the mark.
