A dying tradition

• Former rink at Southside Municipal Ballpark

Press Photo by Jason Adkins The outdoor ice rink adjacent to Southside Municipal Ballpark in Dickinson is closed this winter for the first time in several years.
• Eastside Complex skating pond

Press Photo by Jason Adkins The outdoor skating pond at the Eastside Complex in Dickinson is empty on a snowy Wednesday afternoon. The pond is one of two still open Dickinson.
• Skating at Optimist Park

Press Photo by Jason Adkins Keith Roniski, a North Dakota State University student home for the holidays, skates at the outdoor rink Wedneday at Optimist Park in Dickinson.

Talk about it

Hockey enthusiast Keith Roniski was the only person to brave the cold and the snow Wednesday afternoon at the two outdoor ice rinks in Dickinson.

The North Dakota State University student, home for the holidays, is a regular at the rinks.

“Every now and then, whenever it’s cleared off,” Roniski said of how often he skates.

Skaters have fewer and fewer opportunities to skate outdoors in the area as the number of outdoor skating ponds maintained by Dickinson Parks and Recreation dwindles.

“We slowly eliminated ones that weren’t getting used,” Dickinson Parks and Recreation Director James Kramer said.

One rink that’s closed this year is adjacent to the Southside Municipal Ballpark. The rink, complete with boards, was maintained by the Dickinson Hockey Club.

“That’s the first time in several years that wasn’t done,” Kramer said.

Kramer said the popularity of outdoor rinks isn’t a high as it used to be.

“It’s gone down,” Kramer said. “Part of that is now we have indoor ice. I don’t think it’s a popular as it was 15 or 20 years ago before we had an indoor rec center.”

The only two outdoors rinks open now are at the Eastside Complex near Third Street North and Ninth Avenue East and at Optimist Park at Sixth Street West and Eighth Avenue North.

Getting the rinks ready is fairly straightforward.

“They’ll go in and mow it down short in the fall,” Kramer said. “When it gets cold enough, they’ll soak the ground. Once that freezes, they can build the ice.”

Kramer said the goal is to get the rinks ready by the start of Christmas break. Mother Nature determines how long the rinks last.

“We’ve had them go into February,” Kramer said.

Roniski doesn’t like skating indoors as much.

“It’s nice to be outside than be restricted indoors,” Roniski said.

When he plays hockey outdoors, the nets are usually improvised from what’s on hand. He said he used to play at rink near Southside Municipal Ballpark, which had nets.

“Usually there is a trashcan or something that we shoot into,” Roniski said.

One benefit of outdoor ice is that you can play hockey anytime. Hockey hours at the Dickinson Recreation Center are limited.

“You can have a lot more fun outdoors, I think,” Roniski said.

Tags: outdoors, recreation, fccnetwork