Community Member
of the Month
Pat Dobberthien
Feb 2021
Pat Dobberthien is Canyon Meadow’s Community Member of the Month for February. Pat has lived in our community for seventeen years, and he has spent sixteen of those years volunteering to maintain the ice rinks at the CMCA facility.
Today, Pat is the Ice Crew Maintenance Lead. With the help of about ten other volunteers, he makes sure the ice is swept and flooded during the winter months.
Pat remembers how he first got involved: “There were a small group of guys doing it when I moved into the community.” He went down to the rinks one day and started helping out, and he’s been doing it ever since.
Maintaining the ice takes time and commitment. The ice is typically flooded in late November. Pat and his team of volunteers work through December, January and February to clean it, flood it, and maintain it.
The amount of work is weather-dependent, and with this winter’s record snowfall and the popularity of the rinks during the pandemic, the ice team has been working hard to keep the rinks in good condition. When it gets busy, the ice needs to be cleaned and flooded every night. This takes about two hours with a two or three-man crew.
Pat was nominated by CMCA Board Member, Anna Glickman, who says that Pat is well deserving of this recognition. “He puts in countless hours to maintain the ice rinks in our community”, says Anna. “We are lucky to have such a dedicated volunteer.”
Why does Pat put in those hours year after year? He likes to see kids enjoying the rinks and getting into skating. As a hockey player, he is also happy to provide a space in the community for others to enjoy the sport.
Article by Dina Katsnelson
