What about sport for youngsters?

Sep 26 2008

THE DECISION to allow the demolition of the Centrum must have been a proud day for Ayrshire's MPs, MSPs and South Ayrshire councillors.

Our politicians love to talk about getting children involved in physical activity, girls involved in sport, fighting obesity and improving adult fitness but that's all it is, talk, if they really cared a way would have been found to keep the Centrum open as an ice rink as it fulfilled all those aims.

The Centrum's Hockey, Figure and Speed clubs as well as the learn to skate program improved the health and fitness for a large part of our community which if given political support would have become a model and bench mark for the rest of Scotland.

With the exception of golf courses the Centrum was the only world class sporting facility in Ayrshire and with the Hockey matches, international figure competitions and speed events provided inspirational goals for the youth of Ayrshire.

A speed skating world cup was booked for the year after the rink closed which I believe would have been the first time that a World Cup from any sport had been held in Ayrshire. After Britain's success in this summers Olympics it's also interesting to note that a number of Scottish skaters with Olympic aspirations who trained at the Centrum have had to follow Chris Hoy's route and train in England due to lack of a suitable facility in Scotland.

So a facility that we desperately need, that improved health and fitness and provided inspiration for our youth is to be replaced by a supermarket which we have an abundance of, where is the social and political sense in that. Next on the demolition agenda for Ayrshire politicians could be the Magnum, let's hope if they decide to knock it down and replace it with houses and another golf course they first build a new full size ice rink.

Archie Marshall

Director

Sk8scotland