The Grand Pavilion and The America Cup

Karl Hammer | Jun 28, 2023

In a month’s time we will be wrapping up South Frontenac’s (SF) first ever international sporting event. The “America Cup of Stock Sport'' will be contested at SF’s new facility called the “Centennial Grand Pavilion”. Both the event and the facility are amazing achievements and the structure and the event both went from an idea and vision to a reality.  It took tremendous amounts of energy, commitment, sacrifice, time to see these two things through and without the one, you wouldn’t have the other.  In that sense, the South Frontenac Stocksport Club and the Municipality of South Frontenac will be forever linked as the drivers to see a multi-use, covered facility being built in SF.  

A decade has passed since the sport of Eisstockschiessen (now termed “Stock Sport'') began a new life in the SF area.  This could have easily gone the other way where the sport vanished into the darkness of cultural loss.  Instead, with the right people, at the right place, at the right time, I can share a story of growth and the formation of a new identity for this traditional Austrian / Bavarian sport.  SF is not immune to complaints regarding garbage pick up or the quality of roads or for decisions made at council. 

This letter, however, is about acknowledging - in a positive sense - the township and the critical people that work to provide opportunities instead of closing doors. It is exactly that approach that helped to support this “fringe” sport to find its own place right here in SF and the main reason why an international sporting competition will be held here.

The SFSC is one of many clubs and organizations in SF that has benefited because of our municipality's commitment to enhance sport and recreation opportunities for its citizens. Take a look around at the different courts in South Frontenac and you will see re-freshed, vibrant and accessible spaces that provide social and recreational opportunities for all of us. Come budget time the costs of recreation investments can be judged as less important than other priorities; however, it is exactly these investments that improve the health and wellbeing of the taxpayer the most. Confirmation?

Go to Harrowsmith Centennial Park on a summer evening: Pickleball in the south-west area of the park, kids with their moms, dads, grandparents etc on every soccer field, baseball diamond a mom or dad are working on grounders with their kids and the stock sport folks are practicing take outs in the Grand Pavilion… Just awesome!!

The idea of a covered multi-purpose pad was born about five years ago. 

SFSC played a piece in this vision. With all the courts being renovated to rubberized surfaces, SFSC was advocating for a space to keep moving our sport forward so that our club - which is largely made up of SF residents - could continue to provide social and recreational opportunities for members in our community. Through having a place to practice and play our sport this past ten years, 17 of our members have gone onto represent Canada in international competitions. We literally have had SF residents make history because of our sport. Tyler MacComish is the first athlete with an exceptionality to represent Canada in the International Federation of Ice Stock World Championship event.  Sydenham High School’s Sophia Antione is the first teenager and athlete with Indigenous heritage to represent Canada at the World Championships and she is a role model for other young folks in our community to take a positive risk and try a different sport.

To stop this progress would be a shame and so the process to problem solve a win / win solution began.

Tim Laprade was instrumental in seeing how a multi-use, covered pad could not only benefit the continuation of our club and our sport, but he appreciated how this type of facility could become one of South Frontenac’s prized outdoor facilities. Having a yea- round, multi-purpose space, capable of hosting large events and recreation (especially for events that are weather dependent) would no doubt lead to positive outcomes. Fortunately, SF Council was able to see past the projected costs on paper and came to see the big picture and the economic payoff that could be achieved.

If you build it, they will come…

And that picture has come to fruition: Farmer’s Market (every Friday), music festivals (Kickoff to Summer), community events (Show and Shine) and in less then a month the America Cup of Stock Sport will feature six different countries showcasing our sport for our community.  Go Canada! Thousands of people have already connected to this space in the three months since the roof was completed. Quickly we are realizing the multi-use nature of this space and you can’t deny the benefits to our township and it is exciting to see this roll out in real time.

This is a remarkable outcome on the investment that was made to bring the “Centennial Grand Pavillion” from dream to reality.  That SFSC also played a small role in this big picture is a tribute to our club.

If you are looking for something to do from July 22-27, during the day, stop in at the Centennial Pavilion and grab a bite to eat from a local food truck and enjoy some stock sport competition.

“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world.  In fact it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead