Skaters, hockey players can take to ice in Lawrence
By Manny Lopez Special to the Kansan
His black hockey skates don't get much use these days. The only action they see anymore is on an occasional Sunday for a pickup hockey game in Kansas City.
"I played in a league for six years until they tore down the ice rink in Lawrence," said Max Utsler, associate professor of journalism.
Finding a place to step onto the ice to enjoy an afternoon skate or raucous hockey match with friends may be a little difficult in Lawrence this winter. But take heed there are some options.
Ice skating in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas offers a unique way to get some exercise or just to use as an excuse to plan a short road trip with friends as a study break.
Usually, Watson Park at Eighth and Kentucky streets is open to skaters. The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department sometimes plugs a drainage pipe during the winter and floods the basin for ice skating.
But Fred DeVictor, director of the department, said that massive flooding from the summer had caused some erosion under the basin, preventing it from holding water
"Unfortunately, when you are dealing with nature you can't always control things," DeVictor said. "So right now it looks like there won't be skating in Watson Park."
Teresa Rasmussen of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers at Clinton Lake highly recommended that people stay off of the ice in Lawrence.
"Obviously, on a body of water the size of Clinton Lake the ice is not always going to freeze well," Rasmussen said. "Also, the waves and wind on the lake make the ice that does freeze very uneven and difficult to skate on."
She said that the corps was responsible for the maintenance of Clinton Lake, but that they did not test the ice for safety because they did not have the manpower to provide adequate skating services.
John O'Brien, professor of systematics and ecology, said that it was safe for people to ice skate on Potter Lake as long as temperatures were below freezing and the ice was thick.
For those students that must get their winter ice-skating fix, a trip to Kansas City is the answer. One of the most popular venues there for ice skating is the Crown Center Ice Terrace, 2450 Grand Avenue, Kansas City, Mo. The drive from Lawrence to the Ice Terrace takes about one hour.
Admission is $5 daily except after 5 p.m. on Thursdays, when students get a $1 discount. The Ice Terrace is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Another option in the Kansas City area is the Ice Chateau of King Louie West, 8788 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park. Admission at the Ice Chateau is $4.75, and skate rental is $1.75. Group rates are available at both rinks, but advance reservations for groups are required.
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GUIDE TO GOING OUT • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN • February 11, 1994