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By Chris Brown

Hosted by Lions Club

Gear Up equipment swap gearing up for return

Aug 4, 2022 | 1:52 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Even though it’s summer, some young athletes – and their parents – are already thinking about getting back on the ice.

The Lions Club of Medicine Hat will help them get geared up with the Gear Up equipment exchange program.

“We take in gently used and outgrown hockey equipment for hockey and ringette and we have it examined to make sure it’s all safe and then we pass it out to the community to families that want to have their kids involved but can’t necessarily afford all the gear, which is so expensive these days,” explains organizer James Higgins.

The club hasn’t been able to hold Gear Up the past couple of years and Higgins says they’re excited to return.

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It fits the Lions’ mission of serving the community and its needs, and the benefits are far-reaching.

“The community benefits, the parents benefit and most of all the kids benefit,” says Higgins. “It gets them away from the computer screens you know and gets them out exercising and playing organized sports.”

“I mean it’s a program that we’ve done for about 10 years now and it’s so worthwhile. I bet you in the 10 years that we’ve done this we’ve helped over a thousand families get their kids geared up for playing.”

This year Gear Up has partnered with the Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta, which provides grants to families that need financial support, to have applications available at the event.

Gear Up takes place Aug. 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hockey Hounds Recreation Centre Social Room. The first day is for drop-off and the second for pick-up.

Higgins says the community always strongly supports the event and they wind up with tables and tables piled high with equipment.

They accept gear covering head to toe including helmets, shoulder pads, shin pads and skates. Higgins says they don’t generally take jerseys because they’re usually pretty worn out.

And there’s one other piece of equipment they steer clear of, Higgins says with a chuckle.

“We really don’t touch is jocks. That’s a little too personal.”

For more information, you can call Higgins at 403-527-0140.