RECREATION – ‘Hosers’ needed to help with outdoor skating venue this winter

Hoser: a Canadian who is happy to build and maintain skating ice — mostly for kids — by hosing down a rink or natural body of water (pond, etc.).

KOSA (Kamloops Outdoor Skating Association), a local volunteer organization, is looking for donations and volunteers to help maintain great skating ice at Inks Lake this winter for recreational skating, shinny hockey and speed skating.

All volunteer skills and abilities are welcome. The Kamloops Long Blades Speed Skating Club is also helping with this initiative. All donations are gratefully accepted.

Last winter, KOSA and Kamloops Long Blades successfully teamed up to build and maintain an Olympic size 400-meter speed skating oval for six weeks; which was enjoyed by hundreds of people.

This winter, both organizations are keen to recreate the popular attraction and expand on what they did by adding pleasure skating areas, a skating path around the lake, and several large and small shinny hockey rinks.

The overall plan is to get the skating surfaces ready in the new year and work at maintaining them for as long as the weather will allow.

KOSA needs Kamloops’ help in order to make it happen.

• • We need people: hosers (10 to 20 people who can regularly help groom and flood the ice); people with a quad and blade; people with shovels; people who can help organize volunteers; people who can help with graphic arts and marketing.
  • We need $5,000: KOSA needs to raise $5,000 in cash or in-kind donations for the following: home-made Zamboni equipment, ATV with a blade to clear snow, snow blowers, signage, pumps, and hoses, plus lumber for the “boards” of the ice rink, and if we raise enough, we will get porto-potties too.

The main goal this year is to build upon the success from last year and help Kamloops get through another ‘COVID winter’ by offering a healthy, family-oriented, community activity that is free for anyone to enjoy.

Cash donations can be made to: https://gofund.me/73bcd174

To volunteer yourself or your group or your equipment, contact: Nancy Bepple (nancy.bepple@gmail.com; 250-319-2500).

— Kamloops Outdoor Skating Association