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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018 11THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 201810 Around Town Around Town ROCKWOODTh e Miller By: Vivien Fleisher It's been such a great winter for all manner of outdoor sports this year that to some rugged in- dividualists, it seems a shame to waste it on only conventional activ- ities like tobogganing and skating. If you're just as passionate about summer sports as winter ones, hy- brid sports are your friend. Sometimes they're a blend of related activities, like 'pickleball', which com- bines tennis with aspects of badminton and ping pong. But in other cases, they're opposites. Such is the case with ice tennis, which blends tennis with skating, and was played for the first time on the outdoor ice rink at Lloyd Dyer Park on Saturday by several members of the Rockwood Tennis Club and a few non-members. For tennis club President Stephen Campbell, it was a dream come true: He had wanted to do this for ages. Conditions at the volunteer-run outdoor rink were perfect Satur- day, notwithstanding the steady fall of puffy white snowflakes. Campbell praised local Ken Cor- nelisse for his steadfast maintenance of the rink throughout the season, while thanking Greville Bowles who was integral in line painting and sup- plying net supports. Ice tennis requires pro- ficiency in two areas, but anyone could see that skat- ing was the number-one skill required. Campbell said, "The tennis itself was quite awesome and fast, very similar to play- ing on grass as the ball skidded off the surface," and they enjoyed "long rallies, great gets, great shots, aces and double faults." If your enthusiasm outranks your skating abil- ity, it's probably not for you, which he said made it hard to recruit players. But apart from that, it's the same game, with 20 per cent less bounce of the ball on ice compared to a court. T h o u g h h e 's l o n g dreamed of it, Campbell cannot take credit for its invention, and says this hybrid can be traced back to the turn of the last cen- tury. However, he dreams of one day watching it played at the Olympic level. Until then, residents can give it a try them- selves at the next event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 24 at Lloyd Dyer Park in Rockwood.By: Vivien Fleisher Wi t h o u t a n a r e n a , the town of Rockwood relies on a small army of volunteers to keep the surprising number of outdoor rinks going all winter. With fickle weather to contend with, these volunteers are truly the unsung heroes of winter. With three out- door rinks in a village of 5,000, Guelph/Eram- osa's website reminds residents that "The suc- cess of outdoor rinks is in the hands of our com- munity members." At the Max Storey rink on Dun- bar St. in Rockwood, that success is very much on display at the eight- year-old rink that looks like a miniature Maple Leaf Gardens, thanks to a lot of dedication and one very generous do- nation by Guelph Line resident Tony Belbeck, who gave the town his rink after he conceded that it was under-used at his rural location. This year, it got bigger when more boards were added. Costs, like water and hy- dro, are covered between the community and the town, which last year kicked in some money to help buy the tarp beneath the ice that helps retain the considerable amount of water needed to cre- ate a surface that size. According to volunteer Richard Dopheide, i t functions more like a tub so they can get through prolonged warm patches. Prior to the donation by Belbeck, Dopheide spearheaded the Max Storey rink by creat- i n g o n e i n h i s o w n backyard, flooding and maintaining it and letting the neighborhood use it, even winning the Tim Horton's sponsored the Guelph-area back-yard rink contest three years ago. Todd Bertuzzi at- tended, along with some of the Guelph Storm. Today, he and six other main volunteers run the bigger, fancier rink in the bowl of Max Storey park. They raise money by advertising to about seventeen businesses, allowing for the to re- placement of last year's ripped up tarp. Volun- teers honored the 100th anniversary of the Leafs last year, with a nod to the Stanley Cup win 50 years ago painted at one end. Times can't be booked, and there's an informal understanding that skating and hock- ey alternate every two hours. All ages come out. Another volunteer, Tony, built the bench- es this year. The town stores all the materials during the off-season, and levelled the site for the rink. They even have a Facebook page. Dopheide said that for him personally, it's time to step back a little, but in his place, Tiffanie Thompson is stepping up. He added that the rink is used more and more each year. "No- b o d y 's d o i n g i t f o r recogni t ion. They're doing it for commun- ity." And, they're always looking for volunteers. The story behind the Max Storey Rink Ice tennis anyone? LOVING TEA: Lisa Robson (left) and son Taylor Beattie, Nancy Beattie and her son Eric enjoy Valentines Tea at Rockwood's St. Johns Parish Hall on Saturday. - Vivien Fleisher photo The sound of skate blades mixed with bouncing tennis balls at the first-ever Ice Tennis event at Lloyd Dyer park on Saturday.