Ice rink has second successful year
The ice rink successfully opened for its second consecutive season Friday, Jan. 14, when early arrival students were able to start skating before the first day of move-in, which occurred from Jan. 20–23. During move-in days, the ice rink saw 797 total ice skaters. Monday, Jan. 24, the day before classes, was the busiest day — 433 total ice skaters.
In total, the ice rink was open for 45 days from Jan. 14 through Feb. 27. The ice rink was open from noon–9 p.m., seven days a week. Last season the ice rink closed at 8 p.m. The busiest timeframe for the ice rink was from 7–8 p.m. when there were 667 total ice skaters over the 45-day period. The next busiest timeframe was from 3–4 p.m. with 637 total ice skaters. Over the 45-day period, there was a grand total of 4,453 ice skaters including students, staff, faculty and guests. This was 282 higher than last season in terms of total users. Total ice skate rentals were 4,144, while 309 users brought their own ice skates. There were 2,627 unique ice skaters over the 45-day period. Each user signed a waiver which was kept on file.
For the 2022 season, there were a few upgrades to the ice rink operation. The staff booth was upgraded so the ice rink monitor staff had full-service windows to handle the day-to-day operations. In addition, the booth was made to match the school color scheme and overall provided a more serviceable operating space to store ice skates and equipment for the staff. Additional seating and tables were brought over to the ice rink, including a larger landing area for users to change into their skates. Signage and operating hours were also included as part of the space to support operations.
Music was played each day to add to the overall ice skating environment. This was provided by The Union through a portable sound system. Additional programming included various groups (mainly student organizations) bringing their members to the ice rink on a more regular basis. A few departments hosted several gatherings at the rink as well. There was even a Taylor Swift-themed night coordinated by the lead ice rink monitors to end the season. Overall, the rink saw great attendance for a second straight operating season.