Ru Mehta was one of many local hockey parents who experienced a rude awakening on Aug. 2, 2024.
That day, the Squamish Minor Hockey Association (SMHA) distributed an email revealing that the Sea to Sky Bears would not be having a 2024/25 season.
The Bears are jointly run by the SMHA and Whistler Minor Hockey Association (WMHA) and aim to provide competitive Sea to Sky athletes with the opportunity to play at a high level close to home.
The SMHA email cites difficulty in recruiting coaches and a dearth of available ice time as key reasons for the cancellation.
Mehta described the news as "shocking and upsetting." His son Sam has already played four years in a Bears jersey, and they are one of roughly 40 families who—until recently—expected the U18 campaign to take place at both the A1 and A2 levels.
"If we knew there was a chance [the Bears would not operate this fall], we would have started looking elsewhere," Mehta says. "When the U15 program got canceled a few months ago, some of those families found teams that were appropriate for their kids, but we've been left in the situation where it's really too late to look elsewhere."
'Beggars can't be choosers'
According to president Leah Hodges, the SMHA first began to fear that a U18 Bears season would not be viable in late July.
"Squamish provided a list of possible coaches on July 25, including qualified parent coaches, to which Whistler advised we could not have parent coaches with kids on the team," Hodges explained in an email to Pique Newsmagazine. "They had received lots of feedback from last season’s A2 team that parent coaching is not what is expected with the program and higher-level coaching is one big reason people are in support of the program.
"Squamish suggested that the [A2 coaching position] be posted as soon as possible and it was done the following day, July 26. [Association members were advised] via email, the SMHA website and social media, that the position needed to be filled by July 31. Squamish received no inquiries regarding the posting."
At that point, the SMHA asked the WMHA for an extension until Aug. 7 to fill the vacant position, raising the names of two additional candidates. However, WMHA leadership advised that they would not extend the deadline beyond the morning of Aug. 1. Both organizations chose to announce the season cancellation on Aug. 2.
"Had we known that this was a pressing issue—to find a coach—as a group of parents, we would have tried to make something happen much quicker," Mehta said. "It just felt like we had the rug pulled out from underneath us."
Mehta also believes that hiring a qualified parent to coach the Bears' A2 roster would be a far more equitable option than calling off the season for both A1 and A2.
"Beggars can't be choosers," he argued. "Everything in Whistler, up until two years ago, used to be coached by parents. It's only more recently—partly with the advent of the Bears program—that we've hired professional coaches. We had this program that all the families have shown interest in…and to let it go because you're dissatisfied [with available coaching candidates] makes no sense to me and to a lot of the other parents."
A possible Hail Mary
There could yet be a glimmer of hope, but circumstances remain fluid.
On Aug. 8, Mehta and numerous other parents met with the WMHA board, which agreed to consider other options based on the wishes of Bears families. Since then, a new potential coach has emerged—but the SMHA's position remains to be determined.
SMHA representatives did not attend the Aug. 8 meeting.
"The Squamish board told us that once the Whistler board said no to going ahead with [the season] due to uncertainty of getting an A2 coach, they considered the Bears to be over and are already moving forward with their own plans," revealed Mehta. "But as of [Aug. 12], we have a viable individual to coach. Now we are going back to the Squamish board to see if they open the door to the Bears program again."
Hodges also claims that the SMHA "needed two U18 Bears teams to make the program and ice schedule work, which Whistler and the [Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association] were aware of." The SMHA encouraged community members to raise their views about their town's perennial ice time limitations with the District of Squamish Community Planning Department.
Mehta acknowledges that the Sea to Sky corridor could use more rinks, but feels that it should not have jeopardized the Bears' campaign.
"[Rink availability] wasn't an issue for these teams, because they had the ice time allotted," he opined. "[The boards' concern] was going ahead and scheduling two programs—the A1 and A2 teams—without a coach in place for A2."
Though his son's immediate athletic future remains in question as of this writing, Mehta expressed gratitude that an attempt to save the Bears season is being made.
"I just want to thank the WMHA board for agreeing to meet, as a bunch of board members turned out in the middle of their summer [on Aug. 8]," he said.
Adds WMHA administrator Norma Gonzalez in an email to Pique: "The board would refrain from further commenting at this time, as they are still working closely with families to achieve the best possible outcome."
Check back with piquenewsmagazine.com for more updates to this story.
