Poor fan support for Warriors

Dear Editor: Well, I guess having about double the attendance is an improvement of sorts over the dismal showing at last Wednesday’s Warriors home game against Wenatchee (a big draw everywhere else in the league) when a measly 200-odd fans bothered to attend. However, it was still under 400 in attendance at Royal LePage Place. The remainder of the people from West Kelowna and Peachland showed up disguised as empty seats; this on a Friday night.

I beg to remind everyone that we came within an ace of watching the Warriors pack up their tent and head for Delta last year because of the lamentable lack of interest. This year, the new management is bending over backwards to make what is already a great night of entertainment, win or lose, even more entertaining with all kinds of prizes and promotions, to say nothing of quality hockey. The reward so far has been dismal at best and disastrous at worst.

What does it take to get us enthusiastic? The West Kelowna Warriors have many advantages the Kelowna Rockets, with all due respect, lack: free parking, lower prices for admission and season tickets, less expensive beer and better food, and the avoidance of having to go over the bridge to traffic-clogged downtown Kelowna.

And, while the quality of play may not measure up to major junior standards all the time, the games are still excellent examples of talented young players striving for excellence and a future in our great game. What’s not to like?

My guess is that we’re enjoying our last year of Junior ‘A’ hockey on the Westside, and we’ll have to swallow hard and either go to Penticton or Vernon for our BCHL hockey fix if things don’t start improving, and soon.

There are many hockey-mad communities in B.C. (and Washington state) just begging for a new junior team to fill their arenas. They’ll have only us Westsiders to thank when one of them gets their wish.

Roderick MacIntosh

Peachland