Jordan Mino admits that it's a struggle literally to get onto the ice at all the local hockey arenas in North Bay including Memorial Gardens, Pete Palangio arena and West Ferris arena.
Mino, a longtime member of the North Bay IceBreakers sledge hockey team says there are different challenges in all the North Bay rinks.
"Pete Palangio has stairs that you cannot get down to the dressing rooms so we are stuck getting dressed in the board room in one of the rinks there," said Mino.
"With West Ferris, it is the narrow hallways so it is hard to maneuver in those tight quarters. At Memorial Gardens there are different issues. The bathrooms that we cannot get to in any of the dressing rooms. Then getting onto the ice surface there is a little bit of an incline going to the ice surface and getting on to the ice surface as well there is a significant drop down from the benches so that is another hurdle that we have to get through."
See related: No shortage of opinions on arena project
Because of those obstacles, Mino and the North Bay IceBreakers have come out in support of the new community arena which has seen its share of controversy from angry taxpayers who feel the cost of the project is too high.
"It's incredible, I am super excited about it," admitted Mino.
"The IceBreakers have been in existence for 17 or 18 years so since 2002 so it has been a long time coming that we have wanted something like this - fully accessible rinks. We have gone down south and we have played at a lot of different arenas that are accessible and it was always nice to play in those. But it is not just a rink, it is a community centre and to get one up north here is awesome."
They believe the new arena would open up opportunities that have never been offered in North Bay before for sledge hockey players and events.
"The North Bay IceBreakers are very supportive of North Bay City Council moving forward with this long-awaited build," the IceBreakers team stated via Facebook.
"We can’t wait to finally have a fully accessible rink for our practices and games as well as a fully accessible building with walking/wheeling track."
Mino feels that way too.
"You can't put a put a price tag on a barrier-free independence you know," he said.
