By Daniel Larios
Staff Writer

November 11, 2014 -- It’s hard to believe that a surface parking lot at the corner of Arizona Avenue and 5th Street could bring so many holiday memories.

But it’ll happen once again this year, when Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM) turns the corner lot into one of the few places in America where skaters can twirl on a frozen rink in short sleeves a few blocks from a balmy beach.

From November 1 through January 19, Downtown’s eighth annual ICE at Santa Monica is expected to draw more than 50,000 skaters, making the outdoor rink one of the most popular in Los Angeles County.

“It’s become a premier skating destination,” said Kathleen Rawson, DTSM’s CEO and a native of Minnesota. “People come from all over the region. For many, it reminds them of the winter holidays they left behind when they moved to Southern California.”

When it was launched eight years ago, the prospect of setting up an outdoor ice rink in sunny Santa Monica was considered a risky venture. At the time, nothing like it had been tried before.

“The first year was a big experiment,” Rawson recalled. “We didn’t know what would happen, if people would come by or if it would even draw a crowd.

“I told my board at the time, ‘Well, we could lose $60,000 on this, and I don’t think we’ll lose more than that,’” she joked. “It was a risk our board took to create a family experience in the Downtown area. It was seen as an attraction for people to come shopping in Downtown, as well as a chance to talk and get together with neighbors.”

The novel idea took a lot of planning and a grassroots marketing campaign that included distributing flyers to schools and businesses in an effort to spread the word. The strategy worked. Soon, skaters flocked to the rink with their families, friends and neighbors.

“I wouldn’t say the ice rink was an instant success, but when winter break began, we were amazed by the number of people who came to skate,” Rawson said. “We knew we created something special. We took the risk, and it quickly became a community tradition.”

On an unseasonably warm October afternoon, Dave Fies, vice president of operations for Rink Specialists, looks on as his workers put together the wooden frame of the ice rink four blocks from the beach. A few yards away, a front-end loader and a dump truck lay down road base for the rink’s foundation.

The two pre-constructed wooden frame decks that have been brought out of storage form the shape of both the Tot Spot ice rink for small children and the regular 8,000-square-foot rink.

The dump trucks will drop between 500 and 600 tons of road base — a mixture of gravel, sand, concrete and other particulates used mostly as a base for freeways and roads — within the frame to serve as a stable compact foundation for the rink.

Workers then smooth out the foundation using a front-end loader, making sure it’s compact and even to ensure a flat surface for the rink. Once that is done, insulation panels that will help keep the ice frozen are placed on top, completely covering the surface. Plastic “ice mats” are then rolled out on top of the panels.

After covering the foundation, plastic tubing is placed all over the rink and connected to a large refrigeration unit that produces 0-degree Propylene Glycol, which is environmentally safe and reaches a freezing point far lower than water. The colorless liquid, which is commonly used as a skin-conditioning agent, will run through the tubing, insuring the ice stays cold during the warm Santa Monica days.

Once the rink is in place, workers hose and mist it with water, typically at night to make it easier for the ice to build up. It will take between three and four days to reach two inches in thickness, according to Fies.

“The final product is amazing,” said Fies, who is building the Santa Monica rink for the fourth year. “We always enjoy working with Downtown Santa Monica, and it’s nice, too, because of the weather. Everyone in our company wants to come to this project.”

Two weeks later, on November 1, crowds of local families, teens wobbling on unfamiliar ice skates and children in snowman costumes will eagerly wait in line to experience something that is mostly unfamiliar in all too warm Southern California, and for only $15 for an entire day of skating.

For some, it will be the first time they step on the slick, slippery surface, and they will hold steadily against the side of the rink in an attempt to not slip and fall. For beginners, or those who want to further hone their skills, American ice skating legend Randy Gardner’s School of Skating offers individual and group lessons.

For others, it will be like riding a bicycle, the muscles remembering a once-forgotten skill they picked up in their original hometowns, where winters are winters.

For the romantic, it’s the perfect place for a special occasion. Couples have been known to come on a romantic date, blushingly holding hands while they skate together in a picturesque winter wonderland.

“We have someone come to ask to skate after hours every year to propose,” Rawson said. “It’s very quiet, you’re under the stars. It’s a very magical place.”

Even with the rink in place, the work of Rink Specialists is not done. The company must now set up tents, benches, cabanas, a café and a skate rental booth, and help manage the rink. The cabanas are a popular venue for private events, birthday parties and holiday gatherings.

Managing the rink is Ann Potenza’s job. Her duties include stocking concessions, hiring a staff of 30 to 35 people and working out the logistics of running the rink for the next two and a half months.

“We’ve got hot chocolate, individual pizzas, nachos, churros, pretzels and so many goodies, all at reasonable prices,” she said. “We hope people all over the region will come by to enjoy the experience and just skate all day.”

With nearby Culver City’s ice rink having closed down, Potenza is expecting even more people will show up during the holiday season.

“To skate on the ice with the sun coming down, bundled with a jacket and mittens and you’re three blocks away from the beach is the most amazing thing,” she said.

“It’s so much fun,” said local mom Melanie Ladham. “My daughter was taking skating classes here a few years ago. She is so excited about it.”

Then she added, “We’re Canadian. We live for this!”

“Of course I’m going to skate,” former Mayor Bobby Shriver said during the opening of ICE in 2010. “I used to play hockey back east. I think it’s so great that the community can come down and party here for the next 12 weeks.”

This year, Shriver can brush up on his hockey skills at ICE with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings hockey program. For four Sundays in December and January, experienced coaches and staff will be on the ice with skaters to teach them the same skills and techniques that the Kings used to win the Stanley Cup.

The rink not only attracts locals and tourists, but also brings in the biggest names in ice skating.

In the past, performers and special guests have included Tara Lipinski, the youngest gold medalist in the history of the Olympic Winter Games; Olympic Silver Medalist in ice dancing Tanith Belbin and retired NHL hockey star Luc Robitaille.

“I always bring my friends here [to ICE], it’s a great time,” said Santa Monica local Lipinksi. “I’m here a lot with family.”

The rink will open on November 1, but the official grand opening celebration will be on November 6, when skating is free. The event starts off with children from PAL being the first to enjoy the ice, much to the delight of the crowd. There will be cookie decorating for the kids, an interactive photo booth, free food from local restaurants and giveaways.

Afterwards, the ice rink is open to all, with music spun by DJ Kelly Dlux and a performance by the California Gold Synchronized Ice Skating Team.

A great location to celebrate the holidays, ICE at Santa Monica is the perfect place to hang out with friends and family, throw a party in a private event cabana, enjoy a first date or sign up for skate lessons.

Dates
            November 1, 2014 - January 19, 2015
Hours of Operation
            Monday - Thursday: 2 p.m. – 10 p.m.
            Friday: 2 p.m. – Midnight
            Saturday: 11 a.m. – Midnight
            Sunday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.