EMC news: Brewer Park enjoys record opening week for skating rinks

Link to original article: http://www.emcottawaeast.ca/20120119/news/Brewer+Park+enjoys+record+opening+week+for+skating+rinks EMC news - With winter now in full swing, the Brewer Skate Park volunteers have worked tirelessly to ensure the rinks at the community park are up and running in time for crowds of skaters to take advantage of the season.  Three rinks operate at the park, including a puddle pond, a hockey rink and the speed skating oval.  Rink volunteers had been dealing with unseasonable weather until just before Dec. 25, when the first significant snowfall of the season took place.  From there on, the volunteers worked day and night to get the rinks operational.  The park's first week proved to be the busiest Susan Townley, a longtime rink volunteer, has ever witnessed. "Maybe it is because the canal is still closed, but this was the busiest I have ever seen," she said.  Townley, the co-ordinator for the park's rink volunteers, counted 3,866 who turned out to skate during the week of Jan. 3.  "We keep a tally for our records, this was by far more than we've ever had," Townley added.  Having volunteered at the park for nearly seven years, Townley now oversees the speed skating oval. "It gets passed along to a parent who has a child who uses the oval," Townley explained. Her 14-year-old son is one of the speed skaters who use the oval.  Volunteers from both the Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club and the Gloucester Speed Skating Club help to get the oval prepared for use by the speed skaters and Townely said the conditions this year are almost comparable to an indoor surface.  The 400-metre speed skating oval at Brewer Park is the only outdoor oval speed skating track in Ottawa. To get the rink ready, the snow is packed down by trucks dragging large pieces of wood, which serve to flatten the surface, Townley said. This year, it took 14 hours to get the rink into perfect skating condition. The rink currently has eight inches of ice on it, enough for an ice resurfacing machine to drive on the surface.  After the rink was completed, Townley said everyone was eager to be the first one to try it out.  "It takes a lot of energy to get the rinks ready and to maintain them and when it is done everyone is proud and excited," she said.  The speed skating oval is open to the public every day at around 8:30 a.m., when Townley opens the changing-room shack.  Although Townley said she is much better with a shovel than a pair of speed skates, she invites everyone to come down and give it a try. The city of Ottawa also will be offering speed skating classes on Sunday mornings starting in February. For more information, contact the city's recreation skating school at 613-580-2596.  To volunteer at any of the three Brewer Park rinks, residents can contact Townley at susantownley@gmail.com.  michelle.nash@metroland.com