Marten Falls skate drive a success

Marten Falls’ recently-completed arena was busy this winter thanks to a skate drive by Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service Const. Marc Beauparlant.
“I knew this arena construction was coming so I wanted to make sure everyone could participate and be active,” said the NAPS Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer in Marten Falls. “There were a few Elders as well that skated or who were provided with skates.”
Beauparlant came up with the skate drive idea last year while he was helping clean up Marten Falls’ outdoor skating rink. The arena shell had been constructed about 10 years ago but the interior was never completed.
“As the equipment was coming in, kids were coming to the police detachment to try their skates and equipment ahead of time,” Beauparlant said. “It was a great way to interact with kids and adults as well.”
Once the arena opened in early February, all the interested people in the community were fitted with hockey equipment.
“When everyone was fitted, on the first Sunday they had hockey games,” Beauparlant said. “The men started playing hockey right away in the evenings.”
Skating is now part of the curriculum for students in the Henry Coaster Memorial School and a mixed hockey tournament was held in early March for men and women.
Beauparlant started the skate drive last October in the nearby community of Hearst with the collection of about 60 pairs of skates and some hockey equipment.
As word of his skate drive spread, other people and groups brought in additional hockey equipment donations, such as OPP Const. Paul Harrison, former NHL player Peter Ing, KidzCanHelp.ca, Northern Shield Resources Inc., Justice Joyce Pelletier and Sgt. Marty Singleton and Sgt. Gilles Lachance of the OPP Provincial Liaison Team.
Beauparlant was surprised with the generosity of those who donated hockey equipment, not just in quantity, but also in quality.
“Amazing almost brand-new $300 pairs of skates,” Beauparlant said. “I had almost a couple of dozen of those.”
Forty-two children and 33 adults were outfitted with hockey equipment through the skate drive. The donations included about 90 helmets, 39 hockey sticks, 306 skates, 26 hockey bags, three pairs of goalie skates, 23 goalie equipment pieces, 325 hockey jerseys, 632 hockey player equipment pieces and 17 roller blades and protective gear.
“The list of those who donated or took part in one form or another is just amazing,” Beauparlant said.
Nakina Air Service transported some of the hockey equipment from Nakina to Marten Falls, while NAPS transported the rest of the hockey equipment from Thunder Bay to Marten Falls.
NAPS also transported the surplus hockey equipment from Marten Falls to Eabametoong March 29.
“As the initiative surpassed my expectations, I decided to send the surplus to our neighbouring community of Fort Hope,” Beauparlant said.