The Newmarket Lions Park Community Hockey Rink is competing for a chance to get a documentary spotlight.
The famed rink is up against two others in online voting for The Outdoor Hockey Club documentary series. The project would see the rink get an episode in the series produced by filmmaker Randy Frykas.
Lions park rink manager Chris Howie said it would be a great way to put the community in the limelight.
“It would be awesome to feature Newmarket and feature the rink, and just help raise awareness of this great community initiative,” Howie said.
The series will be published on Youtube starting in January and visit rinks across Canada, highlighting the outdoor sport. It is going under the banner of the Outdoor Hockey Club, an initiative by Frykas that saw him travel to different communities distributing free pucks with a custom logo. The vote is being run by CARHA Hockey, a non-profit recreational hockey organization.
Newmarket's rink was started by Howie nine years ago, offering a free outdoor ice surface at Lions Park for hockey players of all ages to enjoy. It is competing against two other outdoor rinks, one in Kings Point, Newfoundland and the other in Durham Bridge, New Brunswick.
“I’m proud to be a finalist,” Howie said. “If the Lions Park is voted by the community and then we get people behind this that vote, then fantastic. If another rink gets more votes, then it is what it is.”
Frykas is a freelance filmmaker who has done work on other documentaries for Sportsnet and other television networks.
“I have been working on documentaries for over 20 years. I have learned a lot and it has taken me across North America and Europe as well as down to South America,” Frykas said in an article from CARHA’s website. “My goal is to take what I have learned through those experiences and share some great outdoor hockey stories.”
Meanwhile, Howie is eyeing the start of outdoor rink season. Although the weather still needs to get colder over the next couple of weeks before he starts making the ice, he said he would be looking at getting the liners and the boards in by next week.
“I’m looking forward to another great season,” he said.
Voting for the contest runs until Nov. 10 at 11:50 p.m., with the winning rink announced Nov. 21. You can cast your vote online at the CARHA website. Voting requires you to agree to receive information from CARHA to your email address, but you can unsubscribe afterward at any time.
“This is an opportunity to shine a light on our community and show everybody why Newmarket and our community is a great place to live,” Howie said.
