Ultimate Blogging Challenge January 2026 - Sports and Solidarity

My dear blogging buddies,

Thanks to those who sent encouragement. I made it. 

1. Bust first, coffee ☕ ✅ ✅ ✅
2. Take a break ✅
3. Laundry 🧺 One load of hockey stuff, one load of regular clothes ✅ ✅
4. Mise-en-place 👕 for Colin’s practice tonight ✅
5. Recycling ♻️ ✅
6. Create video 💻 of last night’s hockey 🏒 game ✅
7. Make lunch ✅
8. UBC: Commenting 🗓️ on posts from January 3, 4 and 5
   2 x Amanda ✅ ✅
   Patricia ✅
   2 x Nadya ✅ ✅
   Kebba ✅
   2 x Martha ✅ ✅
   Lily ✅
   Kim ✅
   Paul ✅
   Kimberly W. ✅
9. Finish ✍🏻 UBC post for January 5  ✅
10. Edit 👩🏼‍💻 Magazine Article ✅
11. Grocery shopping 🛒 ✅
    Trash Stickers 📒 ✅
12. Make a doctor’s 👩🏻‍⚕️ appointment ✅
    I have to arrive on Wednesday, January 15, on an empty stomach for a blood test, and the consultation will take place on Thursday, January 22.
13. Send our Elves Cookie & Biscuit off  ✅
14. Starbucks: whole beans ✅
15. Drive Colin to practice ✅
16. Wish my Ex from College a happy Birthday  ✅

It was an intense day, though. more to-dos came up, important ones, such as "taking a break", which I did. I'm actually quite proud of myself.

Filming and putting together the video, including the hockey game's highlights, required a huge effort, more than usual. It was an outdoor rink, and safety nets were installed above the usual acrylic glass to prevent flying pucks from landing in the neighborhood. These nets made it impossible to film, and as the temperature dropped, ice crystals formed on the inside of the acrylic glass, which also severely impaired visibility. So I had to cut out all the really bad-quality footage.

There's a first for everything: the players observed a minute's silence to honor the Crans-Montana club fire victims and their families. The speaker thanked everyone and then said, “Now enjoy the fact that you are alive and healthy and able to play this game.”

After the game, my husband said to Colin, "This was your first time being an athlete observing a minute’s silence. How did that feel?" 

He said, "LONG, tbh. A minute’s silence is not supposed to be an actual 60 seconds, but that's what they did." 

And he was not wrong; they let them stand there on the ice for a full minute. Still, the players all looked concerned and empathic, so it was meaningful.

Actually, one of Colin's teammates has a former classmate who is friends with a "missing person." I have to assume that by now, missing equals deceased :-( 

So many kids his age, and even younger, either lost their lives or are severely injured.

Investigations are now underway to determine whether the relevant safety precautions were in place. It already seems clear that there were significant shortcomings: the only staircase leading out of the basement, where the bar was located, was too narrow, and the noise insulation on the ceiling was made of cheap but highly flammable material. There were no sprinklers in sight, and if there were fire extinguishers in the building, they were not used. Every door in a public building should open outward. This was not the case in this club. Now think about what that means when a large crowd of people want to rush out of the premises.

This raises the question of whether it was solely the fault of the bar operators, who carried out the renovation themselves, or whether this work was never properly inspected and approved by experts. 

The last documented inspection of Le Constellation reportedly took place in 2019, meaning it occurred after the 2015 renovation but before the pandemic. There is no evidence that authorities resumed regular visits after COVID restrictions were lifted, which points to a troubling gap in ongoing oversight and safety enforcement.

In many cantons, including Aargau, (where I live), buildings like this would have been rigorously inspected by the cantonal building or insurance authorities, and owners would be required to comply with fire safety regulations, including proper staircase widths, emergency exits, and nonflammable materials. 

In Valais, however, there is no obligatory cantonal building insurance, and inspections often rely on local authorities or informal checks. Theoretically, that means property owners are responsible for their own safety, but in practice, the state, the canton, or the community often steps in after a disaster, softening the consequences and reducing preventive incentives.

This is part of a larger pattern: Mountain cantons receive significant public support through programs such as Berghilfe (mountain aid to support local farmers and infrastructure in remote alpine regions), Milchsubventionen (milk subsidies for dairy farmers to stabilize the industry), and Finanzausgleich (financial equalization payments from wealthier to less wealthy cantons). Local economies are often propped up for tourism, yet establishments, businesses, and residents rely on this collective safety net while simultaneously facing high costs, fluctuating incomes, and local regulations that are sometimes applied loosely. It is a system of shared risk, but it also blurs the line between personal responsibility and collective support.

I hope this situation will be investigated carefully. The canton of Valais is well known for being a place where everyone knows everyone else, and where rules are sometimes enforced loosely, perhaps out of well-meaning generosity. But this cannot come at the expense of safety.

Of course, no investigation will bring back the deceased, but it is important to send a message and hold those responsible to account. Above all, existing establishments should be rigorously inspected, including entry controls. One cannot help but ask: What were 14-year-olds doing in an establishment meant for people aged 18 and over?

It leaves you wondering: How much responsibility should truly rest with individuals, and how much with the state or community? When systems provide safety nets, whether through insurance, subsidies, or emergency aid, do they encourage us to take risks we otherwise wouldn’t? I’d love to hear your thoughts.