Volunteers get ice rinks ready for skating season

Skating rinks will be opening soon in neighbourhoods across the City of Kitchener.

Now that there’s a stretch of sub-zero temperatures in the forecast, volunteers have been busy getting ice rinks ready for skaters.

At the Pioneer Park West rink, on Green Valley Drive, it’s a labour of love for their dedicated crew.

“We’ve been doing this rink now for 12 years,” explained Laura Myers.

Getting it ready requires long hours and faithful flooding to build a solid base.

“We’re up all the time,” Myers added. “You can find us here every hour. Sometimes the guys stay up all night.”

It also takes several days of consistent temperatures, ideally -5 Celsius and below.

The Pioneer Park rink is one of 25 across the city and more than 100 volunteers are needed to create and maintain them.

“We’re hoping to get more of the volunteer rinks operational in the next week or so,” said Zack Stevens, a supervisor with the city’s neighbourhood development office. “They really help develop a sense of connection and camaraderie in a time when people don’t necessarily spend too much time outside because of the cold weather.”

Last year, the warmer temperatures made for a shorter skating season.

The Pioneer Park West rink, for instance, was only open for about five days – the same amount of time it took to build.

For Myers, it was worth it.

“We see the five days of enjoyment the community got out of it, so we’re still benefiting,” she explained.

Volunteers and the city are holding out hope that they’ll have a little more time this year.

“We’re anticipating a cold couple of weeks here, so that’ll hopefully get a good chunk of skating days,” said Stevens.

Warmer weather was the reason the City of Cambridge didn’t open its five rinks the last couple of years. They are hoping to change that, but it will not happen without volunteers.

As of early January, they have enough to open the rink in Lincoln Park and Amara Park, as well as Angewood Park. However, a crew is still needed for Victoria Park in Hespeler and Domm Park.

Skaters are asked to stay off the surface of the rink while the ice is being built up, to avoid any damage to the base.

Click here to learn more about volunteering for an outdoor skating rink in Kitchener.