Nice ice baby
This just in: Ice is cool.
An increasing number of Utah State students are enjoying watching the USU hockey team at the Eccles Ice Center play to an 11-6 record.
Brandon Taylor, a USU graduate who is currently working of the Eccles Ice Center, says that the crowds have steadily increased the last few years, and that now they are seeing more and more sellouts at the 2,200-seat arena, particularly against rivals BYU and Weber.
The George S. Eccles Ice Center opened just before the 2002 Winter Olympics, where it served as the practice facility for many of the Olympic figure skaters. However, the center is different than many other facilities of its type. Taylor said that it is the only Olympic-sized ice arena in the Midwest that is run privately as a non-profit corporation, making it different from other facilities that are typically run by city, county or state governments.
Taylor said that operating the ice center is “[their] way of giving back to the community” by “providing a way for kids to go get exercise and grow from all they can learn from sports.” He says that a lot of people who previously had to go to Ogden for a first-class ice facility have been excited to be “a part of hockey and spending time on the ice.”
Although the USU hockey games, as well as local club and high school hockey leagues, remain the leading draw for the ice center, there are a variety of different activities to do there for both novice and advanced skaters. There are even some activities for those who prefer not to skate at all.
The Eccles Ice Center is open everyday to the public for open skating from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and many evenings as well. Taylor says that the open skating is still the center’s biggest moneymaker. Brittany Redwine, a freshman at USU who works at the center, said skating makes the “most romantic date” and that she enjoys watching many couples develop relationships while skating on the ice.
There are also multiple opportunities to learn or improve skating skills through private or group lessons. The ice center’s “Learn to Skate” class develops skating skills for beginners of different levels. Although the classes often has many beginning child skaters, Taylor reports that it is not unusual to adults to take the classes as well. Private figure skating and hockey instructors also rent time on the ice for individual lessons.
The USU figure skating and hockey classes are also held at the Eccles Ice Center. Rebecca Anderson, a freshman in psychology and an instructor in the figure skating class, said for $85 dollars in class fees, students receive a semester of ice time, skate rental and instruction in basic skating skills. Whitney Despain, a sophomore in Spanish, said she “learned a lot of skills and tricks” in the USU figure skating class.
While skating and hockey are the primary activities at the Eccles Ice Center, they are also open to a number of other group activities. Different groups have reserved the facility and held a variety of ice games, and even ice dances. Also, during the fall, the Cache Valley Stone Society reserved the ice for curling one day a week.
Public ice skating at the Eccles Ice Center costs $4 with a $1.50 charge for skating rental. This spring the arena will also host the 2007 Utah Winter Games figure skating competition and the West Regional Tournament for USU hockey, as well as the opening an Olympic exhibit featuring displays and stories of how locals contributed to the Olympics and forged relationships with the participants.
-tliljegren@cc.usu.edu