CHRISTMAS IN BRACEBRIDGE

MINOR HOCKEY AMALGAMATION BETWEEN THE TOWNS HAS WORKED BEFORE - IN THE 1970'S, TO OUR MUTUAL BENEFIT

THE BIG NEWS THIS WEEK IS THAT A DEAL MAY BE INKED SOON, TO FINALIZE AN AMALGAMATION OF TWO FINE HOCKEY ASSOCIATIONS……BRACEBRIDGE AND GRAVENHURST. POSSIBLY BY APRIL THERE WILL BE A LARGER GEOGRAPHICAL AREA FROM WHICH TO DRAW PLAYERS, AND THE YOUTH FROM BOTH TOWN, WILL BENEFIT FROM A STRONGER REGIONAL REPRESENTATION WITHIN ONTARIO MINOR HOCKEY. ONE OF THE NAMES I READ ABOUT, FROM THE BRACEBRIDGE SIDE OF NEGOTIATIONS, BARRY HAMMOND, IS A GENTLEMAN OF MUSKOKA SPORTS, AND CERTAINLY AN AMBASSADOR OF LOCAL HOCKEY…….AND A PRETTY FAIR PLAYER FROM HIS HEYDAY. ALL I KNOW, IS IF HE IS ADMITTING THE HEALTH OF THE SYSTEM DEPENDS ON THIS FUTURE AMALGAMATION, IT MUST BE THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

BACK IN MY HOCKEY VINTAGE OF THE 1960'S AND EARLY 70'S, WE HAD QUITE A NUMBER OF GRAVENHURST PLAYERS COMING OUT FOR OUR ALLSTAR TEAMS, WHICH I BELIEVE BEGAN IN MIDGET AND CARRIED ON FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY 70'S OF WHICH I AM MOST FAMILIAR. THE TOWNS HELPED EACH OTHER, AND WE HAD SOME MEMORABLE TEAMS BACK THEN. THESE WERE ALSO SCHOOL MATES, AS WE ALSO HAD A FAIR NUMBER OF GRAVENHURST STUDENTS AT BRACEBRIDGE AND MUSKOKA LAKES SECONDARY SCHOOL, TAKING PROGRAMS NOT OFFERED AT GRAVENHURST HIGH SCHOOL. THE BRACEBRIDGE JUNIOR "C" BEARS WEREN'T TOO MUCH DIFFERENT, WITH A SOLID REPRESENTATION OF TWO TOWNS MAKING ONE TEAM A LEAGUE AND ONTARIO CONTENDER, UNDER COACH DANNY POLAND. AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THE EXECUTIVES OF GRAVENHURST MINOR HOCKEY CONCUR, AT THIS POINT, AND I DO BELIEVE IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEAL WITH FUTURE GROWTH, OR NOT, IN THE REGION.

IT'S QUITE TRUE, AND ENTIRELY FAIR COMMENT THAT GRAVENHURST COUNCIL HAS INVESTED HEAVILY IN BROADENING THE SENIORS HOUSING MARKET, AND WE'VE GOT A PRETTY GOOD SIZE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY…….BUT NOT SO, IN THE TO-BE-EXPECTED EXPANSION OF FAMILIES, TO FILL OUT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, THAT WE NEED TO SUPPORT NOT ONLY MINOR HOCKEY, AND MINOR SPORTS GENERALLY, BUT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH ARE SEEING A TROUBLING TREND LATELY…….WITHOUT MUCH TO SUGGEST IT'S GOING TO CHANGE OVER THE NEXT DECADE. SO, AS AN ARMCHAIR CRITIC, WHO SPENT A LOT OF TIME SPORTS REPORTING FOR THE HERALD-GAZETTE, IN MY OWN HEYDAY, THIS IS A PRO-ACTIVE MOVE, TO MAKE A MORE DYNAMIC AND RESILIENT HOCKEY SYSTEM…..WITH MORE SECURE ENROLLMENT.

WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED HERE…..AND I GUESS I'M A GOOD ONE TO THROW UP AS A TARGET, SHOULD ANYONE WISH TO TAKE A POT-SHOT…….IS THE REALITY, THAT MORE THAN EVER, OUR COMMUNITIES ARE COMING CLOSER TOGETHER. OBVIOUSLY THE LAND IN BETWEEN US ISN'T SHRINKING, BUT THE POPULATION IS MOST DEFINITELY SHARING MORE NOW THAN I REMEMBER IN THE RECENT PAST. WHILE NO ONE IN GRAVENHURST WILL APPROVE OF THE TITLE "BEDROOM COMMUNITY," THE TRUTH IS, WE HAVE A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE PERMANENT POPULATION THAT EITHER WORKS IN BRACEBRIDGE, OR HAS BUSINESS INTERESTS THERE……..BUT THEY RESIDE TO THE SOUTH. I THINK IT WORKS THE OTHER WAY AROUND, AS WELL, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING OUR FEDERAL PENITENTIARY, AND RETIREMENT HOMES, WHERE BRACEBRIDGE CITIZENS COME TO WORK. IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE TALK ABOUT, OR WANT TO ENGAGE DUE TO HISTORIC SENSITIVITIES, BUT AS AN HISTORIAN SERVING BOTH COMMUNITIES FOR MANY YEARS…..WHAT THE HELL. "WE NEED EACH OTHER." THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T HAVE RIVALRY, AND MAINTAIN SEPARATE ENTITIES BUT AS A POWER IN THE REGION OF SOUTH MUSKOKA, I LIKE THE IDEA OF TWO TOWNS HUSTLING TOWARD ONE OBJECTIVE……AND THAT'S WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON IN TOURISM FOR DECADES, AND QUITE SUCCESSFULLY…..WITHOUT ANY NEED FOR ONE TOWN OR THE OTHER TO SURRENDER……OR EITHER ONE TO BE AFFORDED THE TITLE OF "CHAMPION" OF THE REGIONAL HUSTLE FOR SUPREMACY. THAT IS AN HISTORIC THING THAT HAD MORE TO DO WITH SPORTS RIVALRY THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

THIS IS ONLY A THUMB-NAIL OVERVIEW, BECAUSE AS I'VE WRITTEN IN MY GRAVENHURST BLOG PREVIOUSLY, THERE HAS BEEN, AND CONTINUES TO BE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RIVALRY…..ABOUT GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT. AND THERE IS THAT OLD FEAR LURKING, THAT THE GRAVENHURST HIGH SCHOOL, BY NECESSITY OF BOARD POLICY, WILL BE LOOKING AT THE PROBLEMS OF DECLINING FUTURE ENROLLMENT……WHICH, AS IT WAS PROPOSED A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, COLULD INVOLVES AMALGAMATION…. BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS……WHICH MEANS GRAVENHURST STUDENTS BEING BUSSED NORTH TO THE NEW BMLSS. THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE COMMITTEE TO STOP THIS, AND PROTECT THE FUTURE OF GHS, INCLUDING THIS WRITER, ARE STILL VERY MUCH AWARE THE ISSUE COULD REAR ITS HEAD ANY TIME. I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE QUITE AS FRIENDLY BETWEEN THE TWO TOWNS, FOR SOME OBVIOUS REASONS…….IF THIS WAS TO MAKE THE FRONT NEWS AGAIN. I'D PROBABLY RE-JOIN THE COMMITTEE, BECAUSE I KNOW HOW DEVASTATING A MOVE IT WOULD BE. A FAR, FAR REMOVED SITUATION, FROM THE SENSIBLE AMALGAMATION OF TWO HOCKEY LEAGUES.

My original hometown in Muskoka, was Bracebridge, from the winter of 1966 to the fall of 1988. We moved to Gravenhurst, but our business was on the main street of Bracebridge, where it remained until the mid-1990's, when I left it to work as public relations director of the Muskoka wing of the Crozier Foundation for Youth,….. begun by local hockey hero, Roger Crozier. It was Roger who appointed me as the first curator of the Bracebridge Sports Hall of Fame, which I enjoyed immensely up to my retirement several years ago. Some Bracebridge folks didn't like the fact I was their hall of fame guardian, living in Gravenhurst. I'd point out to them that, the man who helped initiate and finance the beautiful Hall of Fame showcases, at their arena, was a former homeowner, who lived in Pennsylvania. What was funny, for those years, was that the Town of Gravenhurst wouldn't even talk to me, about doing a similar exhibit in their arena……even though they knew who I was, where I lived, and how to contact me……..and some times I sat in the stands to watch junior hockey games with son Robert, and it was never even mentioned in small talk, that maybe I could help set something like that up in the town where my family resided. Well, truth be known…..and it was funny how it happened, but I actually did create one small exhibit in the old showcases, at the arena entrance. Old friend Ken Silcox, who played on one of the Bracebridge Oldtimer Teams, did ask me if I could help him set up an old-time exhibit, in recognition of an upcoming anniversary tournament, shared between Bracebridge and Gravenhurst. Ken and I went in one afternoon, did the work, left, folks enjoyed it, talked about it, and then it was removed quickly and quietly, I guess so Gravenhurst wouldn't get pissed about a Bracebridge curator (who happened to live four blocks away), meddling with their hockey relics. I put about 12 years in, at the Bracebridge Hall of Fame, and slid back into obscurity, you might say, here in Gravenhurst. Still have an interest in it……sort of…..but I'm not expecting to be asked any time soon, to don the curator's smock and gloves, to set up shop in our newly expanded recreation centre.

I heartily support an amalgamation, at this time in our regional athletics, especially hockey, for the welfare of all the hockeyists in both towns……both having truly interesting sports heritage and time honored traditions that will shine through, individually and collectively, into the future. Just watch. You'll see!