Since the ages of four and seven, Dustin Ouellette and Ty Yuschyshyn have enjoyed playing hockey. As adults, the guys still lace up their skates and hit the ice in the winter months to enjoy the sport, and in the off-season, lace up their runners to enjoy a game of road hockey.
“St. Paul is a hockey town,” says Ouellette, who has entered the community of St. Paul into a contest sponsored by Kraft and TSN. Both Ouellette and Yuschyshyn are standing strong behind their nomination and hoping to get support for the contest, which could see the community receiving $25,000 to be put toward the construction of an outdoor rink.
A panel of judges will select 20 of the total nominations entered into the contest, then the nation will be asked to vote and select the top 10 communities to be part of the 2012 Kraft Celebration Tour.
“Each of the 10 winning communities will receive a grand prize consisting of a $25,000 award from Kraft for the facility/project that the prize-winning community endorses,” says the contest website.
The guys chose to enter the community into the contest because they believe having free, public access to an outdoor rink is something that is missing in the community. “As kids, we would always skate outside on the rink that our friends’ parents would make in the backyard,” Ouellette recalls.
He believes the fundamentals of hockey are learned on outdoor rinks. It is also a place to meet new friends and “really fall in love with the game.” The facility would also be used in the summer months, as a safe place for people to play road hockey.
Support for the nomination is growing, and the boys have tallied over 1,200 Facebook shares and over 100 tweets in favour of the project. Supporters have also left comments on the nomination page, many referring to the outdoor arena that was well used in the 1970s and ‘80s, located near Racette School and known as the OTJ.
“Having an outdoor rink would bring a close hockey community closer,” Myles Whitford wrote on the nomination page. “Every hockey player should get to experience the way the greatest game on earth was meant to played. Let's go St. Paul.”
The guys have until July 1 to rally as much support as possible through social media and email. In the afternoon of July 1, TSN Sportscentre will unveil the top 20 nominations. If St. Paul is chosen, the community will face-off against another community in a 24-hour vote. Whoever receives the most votes will win the $25,000 and a live broadcast will be held from the top 10 communities in August.
Ouellette says the best way for people to get involved in the contest is to visit the nomination page at http://www.kraftcelebrationtour.ca/nominations/detail/1076/ and share the story using Facebook, Twitter or email. Supporters can also log onto the Kraft Celebration Tour Facebook page and voice support for the St. Paul project there.
