Frontenac Minor Hockey Needs Votes For Kraft Hockey Goes On!

Mar 21, 2013

South Frontenac resident and acting president of the Frontenac Minor Hockey Association (FMHA), Allanah Walsh, usually tends to shun the limelight. Not these days though... and for good reason.

Walsh, who has served on the executive board with the FMHA since 2002, was one of over 1000 Canadians nominated by their local community hockey supporters and she is eligible to win one of the Kraft Hockey Goes On Program grand prizes of $100,000 for the FMHA. If she is successful, the funds will go towards supporting minor hockey at the Frontenac Community Arena in Piccadilly, near Verona.

The Kraft program, which both celebrates and recognizes local community hockey supporters, is making available a total of $1 million to Hockey Canada-affiliated minor hockey associations across the country. On March 16 it was announced that Walsh had made it to the second phase of the contest and she is currently one of the 20 nominees in Ontario, out of a total of 100 across Canada, who are in the running for one of five $100,000 grand prizes.

The top five grand prize winning nominees will be chosen by the public in a two-day online voting session that will begin at 9 am on Saturday, March 23 and continue until 11:59 pm the following day on Sunday, March 24. Voters can vote as many times as they like online and Walsh is hoping that voters will take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Walsh says that the FMHA is one of the lucky rural associations in that it is well attended compared to others, which have seen a decrease in registration due to players opting to play in larger centers. However, she also says that there are important needs that are not being met. “In order to keep the association's fees competitive, other important necessities have fallen short”, Walsh said when I interviewed her by phone earlier this week. “For example, we don't replace our jerseys as often as we would like, nor hold as many clinics and training sessions as our players and volunteers like and need. We could also really use about eight sets of goalie equipment and other equipment like nets. The funds would also help with bursaries that help to cover registration fees for players who otherwise could not afford to play.”

While no final decisions have been made as to how the $100,000 grand prize might be spent if the FMHA's bid is successful, Walsh did say that it would also go a long way in making slated improvements to the Frontenac Community Arena, which was built almost 40 years ago. “Replacing the time clock definitely ranks up there on the list, as does completing the second phase of the arena renovations, which include the addition of a new heated viewing area.”

Walsh is no stranger to the financial challenges her association has faced in the past. In 2003 when it was faced with the choice of either boosting revenue or dramatically increasing players' fees, she chose the former and launched a chocolate bar fundraising campaign that raised over $75,000. In her 11 years with the association she has acted as both president (for 5 years), and vice president. She started up the association's on line registration and also overhauled the fee structure. She has also worked closely with both players and parents.

Walsh, it appears, made a good decision by choosing to finally step into the limelight. “I was totally shocked to be nominated and though I hate the attention, I felt this time that I needed to put that aside because this is something that the FMHA really needs and really wants and it is also something that the kids who play really deserve."

For those who understand what hockey means to so many youngsters in the community, now is the time to make a difference. Voters can mark the voting days - Saturday March 23 and Sunday March 24 on their calendars and can visitwww.krafthockeygoeson.ca to vote for Allanah Walsh as many times as they like.