Bronx children finally have a spot to ice skate, thanks to a partnership between the 161st Street Business Improvement District and the United States Figure Skating Association.
Dr. Cary Goodman, executive director of the 161st Street BID, worked for several months to find space for the free rink, which caters to children aged three to eight and offers free lessons to school groups, daycare centers and community programs.
The temporary rink will expose children to ice sports, such as figure skating and hockey, for the first time, Goodman said. The fun will last through February and will coincide with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, which begin on Friday, February 12.
“This skating rink will allow young people to learn the basics of ice skating,” Goodman said. “Nursery and elementary school kids will have lessons before getting out onto the ice I think this will be the first time that kids will have a chance to connect with the Winter Games and with just lacing up ice skates and being on the ice.”
Originally slated for temporary installation outdoors at Lou Gehrig Plaza or Joyce Kilmer Park, the rink opened inside the former Concourse Plaza Hotel, today a senior apartment complex, on Tuesday, February 2. United States Olympic figure skater Jeremy Abbott stopped by a kick-off celebration on Friday, January 29.
The rink is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and is free. The 161st Street BID has sponsored the rink to the tune of $7,500 and the city has taken notice.
“The [161st Street] BID is not only working to keep the streets clean and revitalize the neighborhood, but it is also providing fun-filled services such as this ice-skating rink,” Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Robert Walsh said. “The rink will be the centerpiece of the community during this winter season.”
Goodman described the temporary rink, which has received praise from Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and other elected officials, a “first step.”
“We are agreed that this is just an intermediate step into getting a permanent rink,” he said.
Goodman has his eye on several parks nearby. For more information on the rink, reach the 161st Street BID at (718) 590-5433.
Reach reporter Patrick Rocchio at (718) 742-3393 or procchio@cnglocal.com
