Across the country, from September to March, community arenas teem with the sights, sounds and locker room smells of minor hockey. For many Canadian kids, playing minor hockey is a seminal part of childhood. But before a single player can lace up his/her skates and hit the ice, legions of volunteers need to step up. Off the ice and on, it takes an army of volunteers to keep the game in motion. 

If minor hockey runs with an army of volunteers, then Christy Newcomen-Randal should be a general by now. More than eight years ago, she enlisted as the treasurer for the Pincher Creek Minor Hockey Association where her two sons play hockey. She’s been the treasurer ever since. It’s an experience that Christy says has been as rewarding as it’s been demanding.

“I think I would feel lost without it at this point,” says Christy. “There are definitely days when I shake my head at what I am doing, but most of the time it's really rewarding and I'm happy that I'm involved in it.” 

As the association’s treasurer, Christy is responsible for handling registrations, collecting and depositing concession funds, banking, distribution of funds, tracking of income and expenses, and providing financial reports. During the busy weeks around hockey registration, it’s a 25-hour-a-week job. On the quiet weeks, when it’s just a matter of collecting, depositing and balancing concession funds, it might just take two or three hours.

“I did keep track of the hours one year and then I decided I didn't want to know,” Christy jokes. 

Fortunately, experience makes for efficiency, and after all this time, Christy has plenty of experience. That wasn’t always the case. Back when she first volunteered, she’d had no background in accounting or bookkeeping. These days, though, Christy can spreadsheet like a pro. It was a steep learning curve, but that was part of the reward, she says. Another part of the reward was helping to change the association’s financial future.

Christy joined the association’s board at a time when many of the board members were new to their positions. The team gelled and worked together from all angles to improve the financial situation. 

“There was a tangible reward to seeing our bank account grow and not have to worry about how we’d manage next season or the season after that,” she says. “We kind of have a good system going financially that the board has established as a team. So, it's been rewarding that way.”

Next year, Christy’s oldest son will age out of minor hockey, and her second son isn’t far behind. When this happens, Christy says she might take the opportunity to hang up her well-worn treasurer’s hat. She’s not sure exactly what she’ll do, but she knows volunteering will be part of her future.

“I have some ideas that I want to follow through with… I like being community-minded. I like my kids to see that it’s important to participate in community service. And it just feels like the right thing to do.”