Hockey is more than a game for the Rideout household.
Members of the proud Flin Flon family eat, breathe, sleep and speak hockey, and have done so for the majority of their lives.
Ronna and Glen Rideout are the longest serving Flin Flon Bomber billets in the community, with nearly 28 years under their belts.
The couple has opened their doors to countless hopeful and rostered Bomber players since the 1987-88 season.
“We’ve being doing it for so long that when you think about it, yeah it’s been a long time,” Ronna laughed.
The Rideouts have housed at least one player every season, with the exception of two years in which they lived at Schist Lake.
This year, as they have for the past three seasons, the couple has welcomed Bombers captain Dean Allison.
Hockey has been a part of both Glen and Ronna’s lives since early childhood.
Glen’s parents had billets while he was growing up and Ronna spent her days at the rink watching her brother play for rep teams and eventually the Bombers at age 15.
Carrying on the tradition of billeting seemed like an obvious step for the couple, now married for 36 years.
“We’ve always been involved and that goes back to [Glen’s] mom and dad always billeting in the Western Hockey League,” said Ronna.
The couple are long-time Bomber fans and have spent many nights in the seats of various arenas cheering on the Maroon and White and their billets.
“We’ve always gone to the games,” said Ronna.
She recalled one big game in Melfort while Arland Eliason was their billet.
“It was the first year [the Bombers] beat Melfort in their arena,” Ronna said. “There were tons of people in there and [Eliason] said it was the fans who had won it for [them].
“I still remember him running and giving me a big hug. He was so
excited.”
Eliason and the Rideouts developed a strong friendship in the three years he spent at their house.
Of course the Rideouts have shared friendships with all of their billets over the years.
“That’s the part that I enjoy the most,” said Ronna, a mother of two. “I enjoy being able to develop the relationship with the parents and the [players].”
Eliason is a billet who stands out, as he first came to the Rideouts at age 17.
“You’ve got to be in the right mind frame to start with a 17-year-old,” Ronna said. “Someone else’s kid is coming to live with you.”
Over the years, the Rideouts have kept in touch with their billets from past seasons. Social media sites like Facebook have helped maintain these connections.
“Eliason married a local girl and he still keeps in contact with us,” Ronna said. “We get to see his son grow up now.”
With two children of their own, Travis and Sharla, Ronna and Glen also have five grandchildren.
The Rideouts continue to spend countless hours at the arena, not only watching their billets and the Bombers, but also their two grandchildren, who play hockey as well.
The couple travels to watch Nolan, their 10-year-old grandson, compete on rep teams, and enjoy seeing their six-year-old granddaughter, Corey, learn the game.
“It makes your winter go by quickly,” said Ronna.
Hockey has been the source of many great memories for Ronna. She enjoys looking back on the Royal Bank Cup tournament held at the Whitney Forum in 2001.
“That was exciting hockey,” she said. “The [Whitney Forum] capacity was over 2,000 people. There were tailgate parties and bonfires on our front lawn.”
Another milestone for the Rideout household came when the Bombers won the Anavet Cup in the 1992-93 season.
Though that was a year the couple didn’t have a billet, they were just as involved with the team and celebrating their victories.
As much as they have loved it, Ronna and Glen almost gave up billeting a few years ago. They changed their minds at the encouragement of current Bombers head coach and GM Mike Reagan.
“The year before Mike was going to take over, we had decided that we were going to quit,” said Ronna. “But because Mike is such a close family friend…we decided, because he asked, ‘Would you keep on billeting while I’m a coach,’ [to billet again].
“That [would] basically [be] like saying no to your own kid,” she laughed. “So basically, seven years later and we’re still billeting.”
Ronna has even become more involved with billeting, stepping up to be the Bombers’ billet coordinator for the past two years.
Ronna and Glen’s love of billeting has rubbed off on their children, as Travis and Jill Rideout as well as Sharla and Ray Madarash have billets in their homes.
“We just love it,” said Ronna.
Outside of the arena, Ronna has worked at the Flin Flon General Hospital for 33 years. She spent the first 18 years sterilizing and has been at the admitting desk for the past 15 years.
She recently stepped down from full-time to working shorter days.
“It’s a good transition to being done,” Ronna smiled.
The extra time away from the admitting desk gives Ronna a chance to spend more time with her family.
“I don’t have to miss the Christmas concerts and things,” she said. “We do a lot with our grandkids and we like to partake in what they do.”
Travelling the world doesn’t interest Ronna, as spending winter days at the rink and summer days camping with family is the perfect balance.
“We aren’t world travelers,” she said. “We like to camp. I really enjoy doing a lot with my family.”
As for checking items off her bucket list,
Ronna says she doesn’t need one.
“I feel my life is complete,” she said. “I’m very fortunate to have been married this long with two great kids and all these wonderful in-laws and grandkids.”
Ronna does, however, make sure she and a friend have one fun thing to do each year.
“It’s just something fun every summer,” Ronna said, recalling tubing, cliff jumping and getting rowboats stuck in culverts.
“We just like to have fun.”
