The Rosetown U18 Redwings had plans to host an outdoor extravaganza this past weekend against the Outlook Ice Hawks; plans that unfortunately had to be canceled due to a freak accident on the ice caused by a months long stretch of warm winter weather.
WestCentralOnline reached out to Town of Rosetown Recreation Director Kelli Emmons for more on just what happened to the ice surface at the Kinsmen Outdoor Arena. Getting the rink ready for Saturday's game, a series of unfortunate events led to the game eventually being moved indoors.
"Unfortunately with the mild winter we have had so far this winter the ice had to be installed later than normal. Currently at the one end of the arena there is an area where there is a significant hole, and unfortunately the ground underneath is fairly soft and will not freeze." shared Emmons, as they do have an idea of the root cause. "We feel that there may be an air pocket underneath certain areas of the ice surface."
Even before the recent damage, the Town put out a warning on Facebook back on January 30 that the rink would be closed due to warm temperatures. While they shared that update, Emmons did note that the Town staff doesn't take care of the rink, instead crediting the group of local volunteers behind the project in the first place.
"There is actually a committee of council called The Friends of the Kinsmen Arena that take care of the arena." said Emmons, before sharing the rink's fate for the rest of winter. "Unfortunately the season for the outdoor ice will most likely be done for the season."
It seems shinny and public skating will be moving inside for the rest of the year (Photo via Town of Rosetown website/Kinsmen Outdoor Arena)While it's certainly disappointing that the "U18 Redwings Outdoor Classic" had to be cancelled, Rosetown isn't giving up on community fun inside the rink. A fun day of public skating, complete with cookies and free hot chocolate is on tap for Family Day.
Keep up with the Town of Rosetown through their Facebook page HERE.
Wed, May 22, 9:00 AM
