[Wrapping up our pre-Canada Games posts for the week is another guest post from a friend who’s been making use of the Oval with his family. Don’t forget to check out the cute video capturing the missing skate.]

By Andrew Leitao

The Canada Games are coming, and with them comes the Big O. My family and I (2 adults, a 2.5 and .5 year old) were very excited when it first opened to the public. Got our skates and headed over. There were so many people on the Oval, you could barely see the ice. Our 2.5 year old Gabrielle was raring to go and experience her first skate. It lasted 30 seconds. I forgot to tighten the nut on her cheese cutter skates (double blade that fits over the boot). Thankfully, mommy was there to figure it out and get her on her way…until she fell.

Many tears later and with some coaxing, Gabrielle continued and made it a quarter of the way around until she wanted to get off. A bit of a rough start, but fun nonetheless. Since then, we’ve been quite a few more times. Each outing has driven Gabrielle to skate a little further on her quest to complete a loop. She finally acheived it on a beautiful crisp Saturday afternoon. Papa and mommy were very proud.

The Big O is a great space for all types to enjoy some healthy out door physical activity. It’s a place for community. By the look of joy on everyone’s faces, you can feel that this is a facility that needs to stay.

Having said that, I hope it’s done in a fashion that keeps it sustainable. It’s great to be gung ho, but let’s have a plan.

Oh, and there’s plenty of grass on the commons for the people who always complain about the grass…just saying…

Kimberly Walsh is a social media and online community manager. You can follow her on Twitter @AliasGrace.