Whole family can enjoy KRYO’s rink
A recent visit to Kootenai County’s only public ice rink was a lesson in the popularity of ice skating. Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization’s rink, off Seltice Way, was packed with fearless kids racing around in circles; teenage couples skating in tandem and the more cautious adults, all having a great time. Bolstered by the Winter Olympics and Fox TV’s “Skating with Celebrities,” ice skating is more popular than ever in the United States, with more than 30 million participating, according to the Figure Skating Association.
Not to be outdone by the twizzles, free dances and hydroblading of figure skating, hockey is the main event at the KYRO rink, with games, regional youth tournaments and practice sessions taking the ice when it is not reserved for recreational skating. With two teams of six players racing on skates to hit a hard rubber disc into a net, this sport is fun to watch or play. USA Hockey Inc. reports that participation in ice hockey of children under 19 increased almost sixfold in the past 25 years, with about 260,000 kids playing under the guidance and rules of their organization. Stick ‘n Puck, fun hockey for anyone, is featured twice a week.
Operated at the former site of Go-Cart Family Fun, KYRO bought the facility in 2004, then extended the ice rink and enclosed it in the present building. Improvements including the addition of restrooms, concessions, new benches and a new Zamboni.
Public skate admission is $4 for adults and $3 for kids 14 and under. Stick ‘n Puck is $4. Skates rental is $2.
Access from I-90 and the Ramsey Road/Northwest Blvd. overpass: Go west on Seltice Way for approximately 1.2 miles. Turn right, just across Seltice from the Atlas lumber mill (look for the mill’s big, billowing smokestack during business hours), into a gravel parking lot. The ice rink is housed in the big blue metal building in the north end of the parking lot at 3519 W. Seltice Way.
Length: The rink is 185 feet by 85 feet.
Schedule: Open skate – Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 1:45 p.m. Stick ‘n Puck – Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Use: Moderate to heavy
Condition: The ice is well-groomed by a Zamboni.
Difficulty: All levels of skaters are welcome. Training devices, much like walkers used to help the disabled, are available to stabilize the little ones on the ice. Lessons for hockey and skating are offered.
Restrictions: Helmets are required for Stick ‘n Puck (some are available at the rink).
What to see: Hockey games and skaters in action.
Special features: Overhead heaters keep spectators warm. Programs include public skating, competitive and recreational figure skating, youth and adult hockey, group and business functions, broomball (played without skates and provided brooms) and training sessions.
Preparation: Call (208)765-4ICE or visit the Web site, www.kyro.org/, for more information.
Gear: Layered winter clothes, mittens and ice skates. Helmets a good idea for beginning skaters.
Note: The Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization’s mission is “to provide and promote lifelong recreational and entertainment activities for all members of the North Idaho community.” The group tries to provide the activities in a cost-efficient manner to make them “accessible to all economic classes in the North Idaho region.”