Skating Practices on Ice at Urbandale Facility

Hockey players and figure skaters will have to find another place to play and practice for two months this summer as the

Metro Ice Sports Facility in Urbandale undergoes repairs.

The floor’s refrigeration system needs to be repaired, manager Scott Branoven told the Des Moines Register.

Though the repairs aren’t costly, shutting down the facility for two months – from June 15 to Aug. 15 – will require some “creative planning” for the Des Moines Youth Hockey Association and the Des Moines Figure Skating Club, which is looking to move practices to Ames temporarily.

“At first, we were concerned, but the board is pretty excited about the renovations,” Debbie Noe, a past president of the Des Moines Figure Skating Club, told the newspaper. “We’re looking forward to having more reliable ice. We’ve had to cancel things before because of problems with the compressor and we’re looking forward to an increase in the quality of ice, too.”

Taking advantage of the new ice will be students in Northern Educate Hockey Academy of Eagen, MN.

“They’ve really developed a very unique on-ice curriculum that offers three and a half hours of training for hockey players each day,” Branovan said. “Their hybrid education model is one of the most unique things I’ve ever seen. It has an individualized education platform, so a student is provided an opportunity to accelerate at their own pace.”

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