It’s safe to say that hockey is a big deal in Quesnel.
Quesnel and District Minor Hockey Association (QDMHA) registered about 350 youngsters for the sport this year, and at around $500 a child, it’s not a cost to sniff at.
QDMHA president Dave Greenwood says he and the executive committee are conscious of what hockey costs the parents. He says they’ve cut the costs for house divisions with that in mind.
“It can get very expensive, but I think we have done a pretty good job of keeping costs down. I know in other associations, some parents are paying $500 a month for hockey.”
QDMHA office administrator Shelley Mack agrees.
“We register once a year, from mid-September to mid-March. So if you work it out per ice time for the kids, in my opinion it’s the cheapest sport to play.”
Krystle Beaudry, who has four children enrolled in minor hockey, also agrees.
“The cost of hockey is reasonable considering how long the season is and that each child is on the ice two to three times a week,” she comments.
“Also QDMHA offers a discount of 50 per cent off when you sign up more than two kids. So I paid full price for two kids, and half price for two kids.”
For house hockey in Quesnel, there are three Atom teams, two PeeWee, three Bantam and four Midget teams.
With fewer teams in each division, the teams are being given the option to travel more to have the chance to play new teams, whether they’re in Williams Lake, Prince George, or further afield.
”For each house division, the QDMHA pays the entry fee for an out-of-town tournament for each team,” Greenwood says.
“And if they so choose, the house teams are able to go to an additional out-of-town tournament that they pay for themselves.
“In our smaller divisions, like PeeWee, we encourage them to travel to Williams Lake to play a few exhibition games, but it’s up to the coaches and parents.”
A tournament entry fee can cost $1,200 to $1,300, so if teams choose to attend additional out-of-town games, this falls to the parents. And then there is the cost of the actual travel.
Beaudry says the cost of an out-of-town tournament is anywhere from $800 to $1,000 for a weekend with hotel, gas, food and expenses.
“Three of my kids are in house hockey. I don’t find house travels too much.”
“Some parents don’t want to travel and some do. For house, we’ve always had one tournament out of town that we pay for, so that’s the same year on year,” says Greenwood.
“There are ways to reduce costs of travelling; people pool together.”
Atom Select and Bantam Rep manager Mike Ernst says the benefit of travelling to additional games outweighs the costs.
”They started doing the once a month game in Williams Lake or Prince George, and it’s great. A day trip to Williams Lake to play a couple games isn’t a big cost, especially if you car pool,” he says.
And what about equipment?
”The equipment is supplied by the player. To equip a five-year-old, you are probably looking at $400, maybe less if you buy used,” says Greenwood.
Used is not too hard to come by.
”Social media has really helped with getting second-hand gear,” says Ernst.
Quesnel Minor Hockey has a Facebook page where you can post old gear for sale, or seek out specific used items.
And there are programs available to help lower income families get their children on the ice.
“There are programs like KidSport and Jumpstart; people can apply for financial assistance, which will cover about half the costs,” says Greenwood.
And if there’s ever an issue finding the money, Greenwood says all you have to do is reach out.
“They can talk to us in the association and we can try to work something out. We work really hard at making sure anyone who wants to play hockey, can.
There are even people in the community who will sponsor kids to play if their parents can’t afford it. The support is pretty outstanding.”
The bottom line? Hockey is expensive, teams are travelling more, but there are ways around it if you child has a passion for the sport.
“Hockey is what you make of it. It’s one of the best sports in the world,” says Ernst.
Many in Quesnel would agree.