The Pond of My Youth

I grew up beside a golf course that provided wonderful year round childhood activities. We had a small community of six families, five girls in my age group (my No. 1 rule was no playing with dolls!!!) and two lads that were quite older. We would all congregate on the ponds in the winter.

My mother would put a whack of potatoes in the oven for an hour then wrap them in foil before heading out. The first time I observed this I asked incredulously, “Mom, I don’t think we’re going to barbeque steak and potatoes down there so what are you doing?” Her response was, “Oh, you’ll see, William. Your mother isn’t as crazy as you think.” After phoning all parties to see who would be in attendance we headed out. Usually pulling a toboggan or two, as one of the great thrills was to start at the top of one hill, whoosh all the way down, slide across the pond (once cleared of snow), and see how far up the opposite hill you could go, all the while squealing (that was the girls) and whooping (that would be us macho males).

The fathers and two teenage lads would do the worst of the “Zamboni” work. We would clear an area for The Men to have a game of shinny plus a sufficient area for the girls to practice their twirlie thingies. Once the ‘rink’ was cleared we would sit down, on the benches kindly supplied by the golf course, and take off our boots and put on our skates. My mother would drop one of her hot spuds in each of our boots and she would show us how to connect our boots at the opening to further keep in the warmth of Mr. Potato Head. Aha ! She wasn’t just a pretty face ! Even after a few hours out in a frosty afternoon our boots would still be warm for the trek home.

Break time would see the mothers produce hot chocolate and homemade
cookies. I’m sure the fathers were sharing a mickey or two of some form of
anti-freeze. Probably the mothers, too, as I recall wineskins, whilst I was a mere child.

My mother was usually the most reckless of the group – especially when it came to tobogganing. Even more so than us kids. She would pile as many of us as possible onto a sled and try to go the farthest. Well, one day she succeeded. Since she was in the front, she ran into a tree and broke one of her big toes. No real complaining at the time; as I recall she went careening down the hills a few more times. By the time we slogged home she was voicing some discontent. Once home, I think some libations eased her discomfort. The next day, she finally realized it was broken. It didn’t stop her rallying the troops to swoosh down the mountains but she no longer rode at the front.

…2


Shinny ! Does anyone under the age of 40 know what this word conjures? I grew up idolizing the players of the Big 6 NHL teams. I watched them fanatically with my parents every Wednesday and Saturday night. The voice of Foster Hewitt was part of our family. I followed every game and team statistics. Then a new kid appeared with the Boston Bruins. As a defenceman myself, I was entranced by his mystic moves when he got control of the puck as he bobbed and weaved around, not only the opposing offence, but also their defence. He was phenomenal - and my idol - Bobby Orr (and we share similar problems with our knees).

Back to the pond...for shinny we had the two teenage boys, fathers and myself, plus an assortment of friends. So, I had some tough competition! Considering I was a 50 pound runt (yeah, those that know me now can’t imagine that) I had to develop some different methods against those Goliaths in my way. So I learned how to skate. Fast. Change direction quickly. Control the puck. Just like my idol...Bobby. And when I got a goal I would ride my hockey stick down the pond like a horse. Several years later a famous NHL’er stole this shtick from me. I’m still waiting for the royalty cheques from Tiger Williams.

I am ecstatic when I hear of a father taking the time and effort to make a rink for his children and neighbours. Get the kids away from the boob tube and video games. Outside to enjoy fresh air and exercise and fun.

Two winters ago I awoke on a Sunday to find a glorious day. After puttering
around Idle Acres I decided to check out my pond for possibilities of skating. Perfect conditions!!! I drove my four wheel drive van down, with some libations and 2 shovels. Cranked up Q107 for some classic rock resounding around the natural amphitheater. I proceeded to clear a sizeable area then made trails through the snow. And I reminisced about playing shinny on the pond of my youth. Hot spuds in boots. Sipping hot chocolate. Children squealing in delight. Neighbours having fun. Outside in the fresh wintry air.