In 10 years, the skaters on the Point Grey high school hockey team haven't played more than two games at the nearby Kerrisdale "Cyclone Taylor" Arena where they practice, according to the team's coach.
Ice time, always in high demand at Vancouver's eight public rinks, isn't available after school to host games at the Kerrisdale rink.
"The times from 3 to 8 o'clock are golden times. We're definitely down the hierarchy of users," said Mori Hamilton, a Point Grey teacher and the Greyhounds' hockey coach.
"The main thing is that I don't want ice time that doesn't exist and for our league I don't want anything that isn't fair. I want to make sure our voices are heard because this group of users is one that if they don't have this hockey, this opportunity, then they don't play."
The 42 players on the Point Grey roster are girls, all who came to the sport as pre-teens and teenagers-late, in other words. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»also has a boys high school hockey league, but it's not managed by the school board.
"These are girls who are late beginners and they're the kind of kids who wouldn't be playing hockey at all, wouldn't be exposed to hockey at all if they weren't in this league," said Hamilton, who also organizes the city-wide girls high school league. "It's less intimidating, it's less costly than minor hockey and it's in a familiar school environment. For our school, the rink is right across the street if we can play there."
The Hounds's regular winter practice begins later this month. They're on the ice from 7: 30 to 8: 30 a.m. Monday and Wednesday mornings. Class begins at 8: 35 a.m.
"We're off the ice at 8: 20 and don't even use the full hour," said Hamilton, whose portable class has a cloakroom that serves as a hockey locker for the players' gear.
"It's not ideal," he said about the time, adding, "[It] isn't a bad time, we have to depend a lot on having good relationships with our teachers. [Players] come to school and throw their gear in the back of my classroom and then they run off to class stinky and with wet hair."
Of the five other teams in the public school league, Hamilton also books ice time for Hamber and Churchill secondary schools. Practices and games scheduled for 2: 45 p.m. were favourable last season but a longer class schedule this year means students risk missing afternoon lessons. He said the Killarney girls team, which uses the adjacent East Side rink of the same name, has the fortuitous after-school time of 4: 15 p.m. and the slot is often used for games.
The park board allocates ice time by prioritizing user groups. Public skating and other programs such as learn-to-skate classes get first priority. Minor hockey and youth programs get second priority; this group includes public high school hockey teams. Adult groups come third, followed by commercial, for-profit groups. The park board also prioritizes ice time for youth minor sport with at least 80 per cent Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»participants.
Elementary and secondary schools can book ice time during the school day but this allotment doesn't apply-and isn't practical-for school hockey players who are in class during those hours.
Bruce MacWilliam, the park board fitness and rink services coordinator, said returning groups are granted the same time slots from previous seasons, meaning new or growing groups must be squeezed in. Schools seeking new times are classified as a new request.
"Those [school requests] are based on demonstrated demand, which they have, and ice availability, which we don't have. I'm very supportive of girls hockey from the high school level as well as the minor sport level. We've worked really well realizing it's a developing sport to get them as much ice as we can. The challenge is that the demand for that ice is such that we aren't able to provide them with any ice at that time because it's full with regular, return user groups."
Hamilton acknowledged MacWilliam's support. He nonetheless mentioned his wish for ice time that doesn't interfere with class time to the school's Parent Advisory Committee.
The Point Grey PAC co-chairperson Maureen Bayless put the issue on the radar of campaigning park board candidates Nov. 10 when she wrote an open letter to all incumbent and campaigning commissioners.
"Girls' hockey has historically been disadvantaged, so I am anxious to find out what you can do to ensure that these young women have the opportunities they need to pursue this sport," she began, arguing school sport should have a different classification than the private, non-profit minor hockey leagues.
She posted the letter and the responses from eight candidates on the blog at pointgreyparents.com.
Independent candidate Freyja Pri Toor, Jamie Lee Hamilton, a candidate with the Independent Democratic Electors Association, and Vision candidate Niki Sharma identified the ice allocation as a gender discrimination issue.
"Men's teams seem to get preferential treatment and greater access and to me that is wrong," replied Jamie Lee Hamilton.
Vision candidates Trevor Loke and Sharma also responded on the blog, as did incumbent commissioner with the Green Party Stuart Mackinnon and Vision incumbent Constance Barnes. COPE city councilor Ellen Woods worth also weighed in as a former hockey player.
In an interview with the Courier, Bayless highlighted what she described as a unique situation. "The rink is adjacent to the school and it's really the only place they can play. First of all, it's a school team and second of all, they're completely dependant on a volunteer teacher. The morning time doesn't work because the kids are basically paying for their athletic involvement with their grades." [email protected]
