In April, Laurium’s George Gipp Arena ice condenser fundraiser received a generous gift in honor of a long-time volunteer and figure in the community. Over the weekend, Laurium’s community came together to honor Al Ayotte and dedicate the arena’s warming area in his name.
Al Ayotte has been a figure of sportsmanship, teamwork, and community in Laurium for many years. Since 1969, he has supported CLK athletics from fall through the end of the year into the summer. Former resident Andy Storm remembers growing up on Iroquois Street in Laurium, walking with Ayotte to the Gipp Arena for countless hockey practices, and to the baseball fields where al was the one in charge of the strike zone.
And Al would ump multiple minor league baseball games and then multiple Little League baseball games. And then as we all grew older, we graduated into junior varsity and varsity sports, and Al was the manager on all the major sports teams for Calumet schools. – Andy Storm, former resident, Laurium
Storm adds that Ayotte’s involvement in Laurium, local sports, and genuine kindness has been an inspiration to him and how he wants to impact his community. In honor of Ayotte’s impact on the community, Storm donated 75,000 dollars to the George Gipp Ice Arena Condenser Project.
We have a great village council here in Laurium, who were very proactive and engaging, not just myself, but others in the community to support some of the investments that are helping to improve and strengthen the athletic and recreation facilities that we have here in Laurium. – Andy Storm, former resident, Laurium
Hopefully, we’ll be able to start the hockey season even sooner than normal. But today is all about Al’s dedication to the Keweenaw’s youth sports. From hockey to baseball to softball to volleyball, we heard. Al has assisted and volunteered for probably thousands of hours. – Ian Lewis, Village Manager, Laurium
In recent years, the George Gipp Arena, the nearby park, and baseball fields have been the center of recreation in Laurium. The village converts the ice rink in the summer for indoor pickleball courts and has hosted roller skating and many other events.
We’re hopefully going to start having some cornhole tournaments held here. And I think the warming area being named after Al shows that he wasn’t just for a hockey rink. He was for the entire community. He was for every sport, every athlete. He was there watching or helping on the sidelines. – Ian Lewis, village manager, Laurium
And when you think of recreation and when you think of sport and when you think of being outside and you think of community, there’s no one, no one in Laurium that represents that more than Al Ayotte. – Andy Storm, former resident, Laurium
The Al Ayotte Warming Area offers plenty of space for families to take a break during open skating in the winter, or for pickleballers to catch their breath. Laurium will continue to work on improvements at the George Gipp Ice Arena, supporting the facility’s reputation as a hub of community activity. Learn more about programs, open skate, activities, or other opportunities at the George Gipp Arena online.
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