“We always have different events, but students have been asking for an ice skating event for a while,” Travis Stevens, Union Board Director of Late Night Programs, said. “This year, we decided to make it happen.”
Stevens said they contacted the same company that helped with the roller skating event in Alumni Hall last semester as part of IU After Dark to rent the ice and skates for this event.
The company, All Year Sports Galaxy, was founded in 2007 by Vadim Slivchenko after he retired from playing professional ?hockey.
Slivchenko competed on the Ukrainian national team in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and in two world championships.
The rinks are made of a synthetic plastic that can be used in any temperature, Slivchenko said.
Each side can be skated on for 20 years. After those 20 years, it can be flipped and used for another 20 years.
“The friction’s a little slower, but it benefits your muscles,” Slivchenko said. “The more you do it, the better you get. It will help you skate properly on regular ice because once you get on ice, you won’t have to work as hard.”
When skating on regular ice, the friction and heat melts the surface slightly, and people are able to glide on a thin layer of water. On the synthetic ice, the friction and heat releases lubricants that are engineered into the panels, creating a similar effect to real ice, according to the group’s website.
The company rents its plastic rinks for a variety of events, including hockey games, figure skating competitions and roller derby.
Mark Rogers II, a sophomore majoring in management, was the first one on the ice.
He said the synthetic plastic was slick like ice, but it felt different than regular ice.
“My goal today is not to be the only one that falls,” Rogers said. “I’m not going to try any tricks. I’ll leave that to the pros.”
Students signed forms and rented pairs of skates to use on the ice for free.
Junior Madeline Lewis said she had no idea the event was going on until she walked by the ice rink but was going to try and return after her classes ended for the day.
“It’s so cool that we have our own ice rink for the day,” she said. “I know I should be going to class, but all I want to do is go ice skating.”
The rest of the Winter Welcome Week activity schedule can be found on the Union Board website. Activities for the rest of the week include grocery bingo, Gone Girl showings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and a yoga session.
