SMART | entertainment  Hockey Barn providing mentorship and life lessons Continued from page 1


peg. Hunt created Central Canadian Roller Hockey (ccrh.ca) here in the city and has been running it out of Maginot Arena for the past two years. After searching for the ideal place to open his business, Hunt found the space he was hoping for, a 3200 square foot barn located near the corner of Route 90 and the Perimeter. Te doors opened up close to four months ago and Hunt says the response has been fantastic. “In our first six weeks we had close to 90


teams and 1400 athletes come and try out the Hockey Barn, and we are now getting more bookings from teams for second and third practices at the Barn, so it’s even exceeded my expectations.” Upon entering the Hockey Barn, One of


the first things you notice is the charm. En- tering the barn with a hockey stick in hand, you breathe in the chill of the winter air and see remnants of the machine shop the barn used to be. It’s something Hunt says adds to the whole experience. “When we first moved in here it was an


old machine shop. Tere was a motorcycle, a compressor, some grease stains on the floor around the barn, exactly what you’d picture in a machine shop,” says Hunt. “Even after we pressure washed and disinfected everything, there’s still the stains from the oil around the barn, which just adds to the charm.” “When I walked in here and I saw this


concrete kick plate going all the way around the barn, and it was level, the floor was level with no cracks in it, and it was 3200 square feet, I said this is absolutely perfect.” Te brain-child of this concept is a close


friend of Hunt’s named Peter Dale. Dale, a member of Team USA Roller Hockey for years, lives on a farm in Wisconsin and began his training facility Farm Tough Hockey in his barn 20 years ago. It’s a top training facil- ity for many Division 1 college hockey players


school but it’s fun and it works.” Te barn features four shooting stations,


small space training, dryland training, and they can tailor a program for each and every player who comes through the door. With a number of different training facili- ties throughout the province, Hunt believes there are a few factors that make the Hockey Barn stand out. “I think it’s because of our coaching, and


the direction we go about our business,” says Hunt. “Anybody can open up a place where they can have tile courting, they can go buy some nets, buy some pucks and cones and run through it, but the way we do it is offer- ing athletes a chance to improve their overall skills while providing mentorship and daily life lessons to help them become better stu- dents, athletes, and people.” With over 200 years of hockey knowledge


in the United States and has attracted people from all over the world to attend their camps. Hunt says Dale has been instrumental in helping him start the Hockey Barn. “Dale has done it for 20 years in his barn


so his experience has been invaluable,” Hunt adds. “I’ve been teaching and coaching that long, but I just opened up this facility and he’s been instrumental in giving me advice of what I need to do, what to stay away from, what to focus on. He’s the best in the business and if I’m not doing it here, I’d tell everyone I know to go out there because it’s absolutely incredible what he does.” Hunt says this is something he’s always


wanted to do here in Winnipeg. “When talking to (Dale) I told him this


is exactly what I wanted to do in Winnipeg because there’s nothing like it in the city. We know the different training opportuni-


ties in the city all offer great programs, but they can’t combine everything together, and that’s what we offer here.” Hockey Barn providing opportunities Being an eight-time member of team


Canada, two-time world champion as a coach of team Canada and a 17-time National Champion in Te United States, Hunt brings with him a wealth of experience. Troughout his travels, Hunt has seen what works and what doesn’t for many athletes. Te Hockey Barn provides athletes a chance to get back to their roots, and take a step back in time when it comes to training. “I have gone backwards to the Rocky


meets Youngblood type of training and do- ing it old school,” Hunt says. “We have heat- ers to keep everyone warm in the barn. We create some of our own training equipment using things you’d find on a farm. It’s old


from both inline and ice hockey, there is no shortage of experience when it comes to the staff who train the athletes. Michael’s son Cameron, a five-time National Champion and a three-time member of Team Canada, is one of the coaches at the Hockey Barn, along with Kali Leary, Reggie Goodfellow, and Murray Cobb. Hunt says the experience is great, but the philosophy all the coaches share is what makes the Hockey Barn a place where parents want to bring their kids. “What we like to say is learn how to do the


drill right the first time, then use the rest of your life learning and perfecting it,” Hunt adds. “Regardless of ability, you take that principal and you apply it to your school work, your work life, your home life and so on. It’s just a building block for kids to go from an idea of theology to ‘hey, there’s something to this.’ Because at the end of the day, hockey is just a game, but these principles can be used for the rest of your life in anything you do.”


Young artisan unintentionally starts own business Rylee McOuat T


aylor Dawn is a seventeen-year-old girl from Winkler, Manitoba. She's like many from her age group, attend-


ing college in Winnipeg and trying her best to keep up with the demanding workloads from school while still maintaining her personal interests. What sets her apart from other young college students however, is that she is also a successful artisan with her own art making business. Dawn, a long-time lover of art and crea-


tive processes, began her art business quite unintentionally. "I had done a couple paint- ings and friends kept telling me how they wanted this one or that one. Eventually other people were asking for my art too and that's just how it all started," Dawn says in a light voice. Since her humble beginnings in a high-


school art room, Dawn has partnered with Winkler boutique shop Tiny Haven and Winnipeg local store Shop Take Care,


where her paintings of plants are show- cased and available for purchase. Dawn is also a regular vendor in multiple Winnipeg market scenes, including this year's Tird + Bird markets and Alleyways Market in the exchange. Her primary source of advertising her art


is on Instagram. Here, people can explore her profile that is full of her artwork and available pieces and then message her for their desired prints or even custom pieces. "I've done portraits and custom drawings and I'm always open to new ideas," says Dawn. Currently, she sells 8x10 prints of her


pieces of painted plants for $20 and 5x7 prints for $10. "I like to do pieces according to what I feel like I could see myself buying, too and then there's also the matter of fair pricing. I don't want to charge someone a huge amount and have them not be able to buy a piece they really love," Dawn ex- plains when asked about how she chooses her pieces and her modest pricing. "I also do a buy 3, get one print for 50% off. Lots of people like to buy the prints in rows to put


up on their walls." In comparison to other local artists selling their work, Dawn's prices range to about 1/3 of what is being asked for original works. When asked about what her friends and


family think of her art business, she says that they're very supportive. "Tis wasn't something I did on a whim, I was already generating business before I decided to actually sell my artwork," Dawn says with a laugh. Dawn has aspirations to graduate with a graphic design degree and then land a job for a design firm. "I'll always do my artwork and business on the side, though. I love the idea of freelancing and getting to do my artwork still," she says. Currently, Dawn is working on a mural for Winnipeg beauty salon Bare Body Sugaring, an opportunity she is very excited to work on. Te creative process of making the art-


work is one that Dawn invests heavily in. "I'll research about the plant that's been requested or that I'm interested in painting and I'll decide what parts I like about the plant and focus on those. Ten I'll sketch it first and figure out the general composition that I want before painting the good copy." Dawn's personal style for her plant work


involves a lot of blending and earthy tones. "You have to blend the paint while it's still wet so once I start a piece I go until it's done. I'm definitely not the type of person to just chip away until it's finished anyway," she says with a laugh. Her artwork is not exclu- sive to only plants however, as she enjoys


Artist Taylor Dawn


abstract work and other styles as well. "Art is something that I've known for a long time that I wanted to pursue. I have so much fun doing it all," says Dawn. For more information on Taylor Dawn


and how you can buy and request artwork by her, you can visit her Instagram page @ artworkbytaylordawn or visit Shop Take Care and Tiny Haven, where her art prints are available to buy.


Stay tuned to Smart Biz on social media for future chances to win concert tickets and so much more!


#GetSmartBiz #SmartBizContest 12 Smart Biz www.smartbizwpg.com March 2018


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