RR gets new Rec. Director

By Ken Johnston
Editor

When he and his partner moved to Rainy River so she could pursue a teaching job Patrick Briere was not sure what he would find for a job, but on Nov. 7th he started as Rainy River’s new Recreation Director.
While he was an Education Assistant in his home town of Geraldton, Ontario, there were no openings here for him. So to keep busy he joined the Rainy River Volunteer Fire Department and recently helped the Rainy River Curling Club put their ice in for the season.
As it turns out when he was not working at the school in Geraldton, Briere was very busy in both the fire dept. there and the curling club.
“I am a level one certified ice technician,” saying his love for curling had him in the right place at the right time. “The guy that was doing the ice there decided to leave and I got into it.” He took a certification course in Sudbury and had been the ice maker in Geraldton for the past four years. He even volunteered to help make ice at the World Junior Curling Championships in Thunder Bay.
He hopes to eventually take more courses and get certified up to level five which would allow him to make ice at The Worlds.
On November 7th he started his new job as Recreation Director at the Rainy River Arena and Community Centre. He has tapped some of his curling ice making skills to help coworker Mickey Gustafson brighten the lines, but noted that the ice surfaces are two completely different animals. “Arena ice is very hard and thick. Curling is softer.”
Briere has been very busy talking to people to see what types of recreational activities they would like to see happen in Rainy River. “Right now I am working on getting open shinny up and running.”
He said that he is also trying to fill an opening in the ice schedule from 3:30-5:30 p.m. “I am trying to get more for the kids to do and give parents a bit of ease knowing their kids are here (the arena) while they are at work.”
Briere said that the Rec. Centre will be the hub of most of the activities planned for the annual Rainy River Santa Claus Parade on Nov. 30th. “The kids will end up here and visit with Santa here where the Rec. Board will provide free hot dogs and hot chocolate and offer a skate with Santa.”
Other work on the go right now is trying to get the fitness centre completed in the building. Construction was started on one a couple of years ago but had to be halted when funding ran out. Now Briere said there is equipment on its way and they are planning to initially open it during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with nominal membership fees. “We are also working on expanding it out into the arena as was originally planned and possibly putting a swipe card system in place so people can use it 24/7.” On order are elliptical, treadmills and free weights for sure. Briere said that at first usage will be limited to ages 16 and over for liability reasons.
Outside of work Briere has been busy with the Fire Dept. and coaching youth sports. At the fire dept. he has been helping Chief Stewart McNally work on training curriculum that he has already done quite a bit of before coming here.
He also just finished coaching junior boys volleyball at Rainy River High School. He is planning to coach mixed RRHS curling this year as well.
He is also working with KidSport to host a day long youth sports day. On December 8th the Rec. Centre, the Curling Club and the Schools will be bustling with sports samplers. In other words as a kick off to the new KidSport program here, kids will gather at the Rec. Centre, then break off into groups to try soccer at the school, skating related activities at the arena and curling at the curling club.
In the spring he hopes to offer a full line of baseball, soccer, roller hockey and possibly lacrosse activities.