The Leamington Flyers may face some ice challenges in next year's playoffs after the town gave conditional approval for a gymnastics competition.
At its March 10 meeting, Leamington council agreed to support Windsor-based non-profit Rose City Gymnastics' bid to host the 2027 Provincial Championships at the Nature Fresh Recreation Centre.
The event requires a large, unobstructed floor space with high ceilings and spectator capacity. Based on the requirements, the Highbury Canco arena is the only suitable municipally owned facility.
As part of the approval, if Leamington plays host for the championships, which is scheduled for April 7 to April 11, the ice at the arena would need to be removed effective March 24, 2027.
This timeline could align with the Leamington Flyers' playoff schedule, and if the Flyers advance to the second round, they would need to find a new rink to host home games.
During the meeting, council directed administration to implement mitigation measures for affected user groups - such as the Flyers.
Jason Melo, co-owner of the Leamington Flyers, says they were disappointed when they learned about the gymnastics bid.
"It unfortunately came as a surprise to myself, and the entire ownership group. I would be remiss if I didn't say we were very disappointed to hear it secondhand, and not be given the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialog prior to this making its way to council and being discussed and voted on."
Melo says to pick up and relocate a game day would be very difficult.
"It's a production. I mean, it's junior hockey. We have countless volunteers who devote time, energy, resources to our game day and making it a success... PA announcements, and tickets, and sales, and not to mention fans and lost revenue for the organization. It's quite a production and it would be very, very challenging to do that."
Leamington mayor Hilda MacDonald says nothing is finalized at this time.
"We're also looking at the cost of putting down a wood floor so that the playoffs won't be impacted for a long time. This is all still a work in progress, nothing is finalized other than saying to Rose City 'yes, we're interested in holding this gymnastics competition'."
MacDonald says there's time to find a solution that works for all user groups.
"We recognize the popularity of the Flyers hockey team. But again, this is an opportunity that comes not often. So, we want to take advantage of that. It's over four days but the impact is huge. Bascially the message is stay tuned, nothing is etched in stone."
An online petition has been launched by local Flyers fans who says there needs to be a resolution in place. The petition has nearly 400 signatures.
Rose City officials say the event would attract 1,200 athletes alone. Once they add in parents, coaches, judges, and volunteers, they estimate anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 could be in Leamington for the event.
According to town officials, Gymnastics Ontario is accepting bids in late March for the host of the 2027 championships.
-with files from CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske