Carolers brighten up Bourkevale skate room

Photo: Hailey Yozenko

It's a tradition neighbourhood families have kept up for 21 years. Christmas caroling door-to-door may be a bit of a dying activity over the years. But not in this St. James neighbourhood, where families have been lighting up their community in the days leading up to Christmas since 1990. This roving choir made sure to stop in to Bourkevale Community Centre's skate room Friday night to spread their Christmas cheer. Nice job and a Merry Christmas to all.

Skaters jam Bourkevale ice on opening night

Bourkevale Community Centre was once again one of the few outdoor rinks to open early during the skating season this year in the St. James area. And as usual, the club drew a huge crowd on opening night, with shinny games breaking out on both the north and south rinks. The club kept both rinks open until 11 p.m. Friday as skaters continued to show up late into the evening.

It didn't hurt the mood when the club pumped the Winnipeg Jets radio broadcast through the outdoor speakers during the final minutes of the team's fourth consecutive win.
We would like to thank our volunteer ice makers Ron Templeton and Jeff Valgardson — and the extra volunteer support from Ed Toews and Scott Nystrom — for doing such a phenomenal job getting our rinks up and running as quickly as they did. Nice work guys.
Skate room is open Saturday and Sunday, 1-9 p.m.

How we make ice at Bourkevale

Halloween Howl Rocked!

What do you get when you have an exceptionally decorated hall, an unbelievably scary haunted house and some really cool DJs for a Halloween party? Probably about the best Halloween party in town, which is what Bourkevale Community Centre enjoyed Saturday Oct. 29.
The kids had a great time, parents had fun and organizers were impressed with the turn-out.
Thank you to all the volunteers who made this event happen. These events do not happen without the commitment of volunteer staff.
Special thanks has to go to our volunteer club president Gary Kristiansen who, without his leadership and grunt work, there would not have been a Halloween party this year.
Parents should think about their future contribution if they want these events to continue.

Bourkevale U9 Boys Soccer had a great year

Hoedown a huge success

Nothing says fun like a Hoedown at Bourkevale Community Centre. It starts with giant bouncers, face painting and delicious food. And it ends with kids games, soccer medals, the best dog show in town and finally, Bourkevale's famous fireworks. And that's exactly how it went Saturday, Sept. 10 with well over 200 people attending the 2011 Hoedown, which for the second year in a row included a live band.
Thanks to all the volunteers who made this event happen. It was a hoot. And it was a great fundraiser for the club, raising over $1,000.

A splashin' good time at Bourkevale

Bourkevale's Slide ’n Splash was a huge hit Saturday with dozens
of families and kids coming out to participate. Thanks to all the
parents who helped out. Might have to do this one again very soon.

New play structure is open!

Bourkevale's U11 boys hit the field

Bourkevale's U11 Boys soccer team is having a great season of team building and skills development. 

Soccer kicks off at Bourkevale

Bourkevale's soccer program kicked off Easter weekend with the U9 Boys team hitting the field for their first practice of the season. Bourkevale is hosting teams ranging in ages from 5 to 14 this year.
Games begin the first week of May and teams are already getting prepared for what looks likes another exciting soccer season.
Come out and cheer on your local budding soccer stars this spring. Evening games are held at Bourkevale Monday to Thursday. Check here for times and more info about Bourkevale's soccer program.

Bruins win city championship!

The Bourkevale Bruins 9A1 hockey team won the city championship Wednesday, the first time a Bourkevale team has brought home a city final banner to 100 Ferry Road since 2004.

Bourkevale took a 4-1 lead against their rival Assiniboine West opponents in Game 2 of a best-of-three final. AW fought back, though, and tied the game 4-4, pushing the match into overtime.

But Bourkevale answered the call, scoring in overtime to seal the championship and win the series two games to none.

Congratulations Bourkevale on an outstanding year. It's one you should be very proud of. It's a championship you will never forget.

Bruins take first game in city final

Bourkevale's 9A1 hockey team won the first game of a best-of-three city final at Gateway Community Centre Tuesday night. The Bruins won 4-3 against their arch rivals Assiniboine West.

Bourkevale plays its second game of the series Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at Gateway. Come out and cheer on the Bruins.

Bourkevale Bruins going to city final

The Bourkevale Bruins 9A1 team posted a solid 5-2 victory Monday night over St. Boniface (White) to advance to the city final championship.

The Bruins were ranked No.1 going into the playoffs and knocked off River East (Black), River East (White), Fort Garry (Black), Transcona and St. Boniface (White) on their march to the city championship.

And what a final it will be — an all-St. James line-up between Bourkevale and rival Assiniboine West. Bourkvale has not delivered a city final championship since its Novice A1 team brought home a banner in 2004.

Come out and cheer on the boys Tuesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Gateway Community Centre and Wednesday March 23, 7:15 at Gateway (1717 Gateway).

Give Bourkevale all the support you can and help them bring home the banner!

Bruins 11A2 team rebounds in second half

If you were to use one word to sum up the 2010-11 hockey season for the 11A2 Bourkevale Bruins it would be "perseverance."

The first half of the season was difficult for the team as they struggled with positional play. The team suffered numerous losses early in the season but fought back with hard work and perseverance to improve their play. By Christmas the team began showing signs of improvement and the Bruins have carried that momentum into the New Year. The club competed in the Christmas Challenge tournament and made it to two overtime match-ups in the medal round. Although the Bruins didn't win a medal, the tournament was a rousing success for the team and the coaches were extremely proud of the team's play.

The Bruins have continued to show improved play-making and positional play in the second half of the season. And their skill development is paying off. They recently tied the second-place team and completely dominated the seventh-place team.

The Bruins are looking forward to a competitive post-season play and expect to surprise a few teams in the playoffs. The motto from the coaches before every game is "Remember to play Bruins hockey — grind them, outplay them and never quit." It's a pre-game ritual that's beginning to pay dividends. Got get ’em Bruins We're all cheering for you.

Bourkevale Bruins clinch first place

The Bourkevale Bruins 9A1 hockey team has been tearing up its league this year with a record of 15-1 by early February. The Bruins posted an incredible 24 straight games without a loss this season during both league play and tournament match-ups.

The Bruins have clinched first place in their Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association West League and are looking forward to a successful playoff run.This team has been busy. They were champions at the Atom Oakville Tournament in December and came out on top at the Moorhead Squirt Tournament in January. The Bruins were also Black Pool Champions in the Christmas Challenge in December, posting a 4-0-1 record. The Bruins are hoping to bring a city championship back to Bourkevale for the first time in seven years. Check here for details on when and where you can head out to cheer on our Bruins in the playoffs. Congratulations, team. Great job.

 

Video: How ice is made at Bourkevale

Kids show parents a thing or two about hockey

Bourkevale kicked off its first weekly Kids vs. Parents hockey game Sunday with more than 30 skaters out to play a little informal hockey and enjoy the outdoors. It appeared the kids were dominating most of the game although no official score has yet been registered with www.mybourkevale.com. In any event, the kids and parents had a blast and it looks like this weekly event — held every Sunday from 1-2 p.m. on the north rink — will be a community favourite.
Check here for updates on cancellations due to inclement weather.

Huge crowds at Bourkevale

Bourkevale Community Centre was the only club with ice rinks open the first week of December in the St. James area. That's thanks to our dedicated volunteer ice-making crew who put in countless hours in the 10 days leading up to our official opening Nov. 28, providing area residents with excellent ice all week. And it's been drawing massive crowds.
Over 150 skaters and hockey players jammed into Bourkevale's two sheets of ice Thursday, Dec. 2, many of whom skated until 11:30 p.m.

Kids' Christmas party a huge success

What a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season. Bourkevale Community Centre hosted a fun and well-attended Children's Christmas Party Sunday Nov. 28. And you won't believe who showed up! St. Nick himself — despite his very busy schedule this time of year — made an appearance at our club to hear the Christmas Day wishes of local children.
Ethan Iwanusiw, shown here with Santa, was one of dozens of children who spent some magical time with Santa Claus at Bourkevale.
A big thank you to Brenda Waterman, Bourkevale's new Special Events Coordinator, who did an exceptional job of making this event a memorable and unique kids' Christmas party. Well done Brenda.

Ice skating now open

Bourkevale's crack volunteer ice-making team was busy around the clock the last week of November flooding the club's two ice rinks as they prepared the ice for the winter season.
The club officially opened its north rink Sunday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m., coinciding with Bourkevale's annual children's Christmas party from 1-3 p.m.
Volunteer ice-makers Ron Templeton, Jeff Valgardson, Andrew Kelch, Ed Toews and Dan Reles have put in countless hours preparing the rinks for flooding, clearing snow and laying down well over two dozen floods on both the south and north rinks. Their efforts were made a little more challenging with heavy snowfalls in late November that delayed flooding.
The response to our first day of skating was nothing short of phenomenal with dozens of skaters out on the ice the first afternoon it was open.
The skate room and canteen will be open regular hours — 6-9 p.m. Mon-Fri and 1-9 p.m. Sat.-Sun. — beginning Monday Nov. 29. Come out and enjoy the best outdoor ice in the city and warm up with a tasty hot chocolate and snack at our friendly canteen. And while you're at it, leave a thank you note in the comment section below to our volunteer ice makers who put in unbelievable amounts of hours to give us the high-quality ice we enjoy every year.

Video: Halloween Howl was a hoot

Bourkevale Bruins rocked the soccer world

The Bourkevale Bruins U11 boys soccer team not only had a highly successful outdoor season this year, they had an extremely fun and exciting soccer experience. The Bruins cleaned up in the regular season, finishing first in the 10-team St. Charles Soccer Association league. That earned them a spot in the A-side of the playoffs, squaring off against the best teams in the city. And the Bruins did very well, coming in third place out of six teams in their division in post-season play.
"The boys had a great season," said Bruins coach Rob Dorbolo, adding he was very proud of his team's performance this year.
Meanwhile, the Bourkevale Blades U13 girls team came within a whisker of making it to the finals in the B-side of their league. The Blades, who finished sixth place out of 12 teams during the regular season, performed exceptionally well in post-season play with a 3-1-1 record, only two points behind first-place River Heights. For full playoff standings for the U13 gils, click here.

Video: Hoedown 2010

Hoedown a smash hit

Bourkevale Community Centre's 2010 Hoedown/Soccer Windup Sept. 11 was a rousing success with a strong turn-out from all parts of the club's catchment area. It was a fun-filled day for kids of all ages and their parents, including bouncers and kids' games in the afternoon, an evening dog show courtesy of Wilddog Sports and more evening games for children. The food was great and the beer garden was humming as families enjoyed live entertainment, a well-stocked silent auction and the company of good friends and neighbours. A great time was had by all. Thanks to the dozens of volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this event so special.

New play structure on the way

Bourkevale Community Centre's new play structure has been ordered and could arrive as early as this fall. The structure, as featured here, will replace the old wooden model and will be located on the same foot print just north of the club.
The structure includes a steel, double slide that will face north to avoid direct sunlight, a corkscrew slide, climbing nets, multiple platforms and a track slide. There will be swings located to the west of the main structure and even a spring teeter-totter.
The structure will be wheelchair accessible.
The existing site will be excavated and the current pea-gravel will be replaced with a safer, spongy material known as engineered wood fibre. Bourkevale will also be getting two new picnic tables, two new park benches and two modern-style garbage containers in the immediate area.
The company that won the bid for the play structure is scheduled to begin construction this fall. But there is a possibility it may not get done until the spring. Bourkevale's executive has been working with the city in recent months to acquire a new play structure and finalized plans with city officials in August.