New at the Ice Chalet

For figure skaters:

 

There's a morning freestyle! It's Thursday at 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. The rink is usually open by 6:00 to 6:15, so work and school is no longer an excuse not to skate.

Jodi's doing power skating every Tuesday and Thursday, 5:00 - 5:15 p.m. It's only $2.00 and lots of fun, plus we skate to my disco playlists.

The Walla Walla Figure Skating Club is having a membership drive. We've got snazzy new brochures available at the rink. Everyone, no matter the skill level, is invited to join.

For hockey players:

Adult beginners can learn hockey every Thursday evening, 7:45- 8:45 p.m. The adult Hockey League starts in November.

The Sno-Bears are going to Portland on Nov. 15 for the Ice Crystal Classic ISI Hockey Skills competition. Don't forget that the Brian Moreno Goalie clinic is Oct. 25 

A new season begins! Group lessons and hockey began Tuesday night at the Ice Chalet, though freestyles have been in full swing for a couple of weeks. As is typical, the rink was brimming with excited children sporting figure skating dresses or impossibly big shoulder pads and hockey pants. Every year the staff manages to herocially impose order on this chaos. Despite the economy, it seemed as if there were more kids than usual and the parents and assorted on-lookers were in good spirits. 

Our rink isn't fancy and its floor is not painted white. This means that at the start of each season the ice is transparent, almost dark with the concrete showing through, which creates the impression of skating on glass. Its great for figure skaters because you can really see your tracings. Gradually, the tracings begin to merge together and as the ice is cut and made the surface grows oblique. Its a cool process and totally unique to older rinks.