CMU recently donated $48,000 to Ice Skating Inc. to finish the construction of the local ice rink located on Third Street.
Since Ice Skating Inc. is a non-profit organization, they rely completely on donations. So far, CMU has been the biggest contributor to the rink.
“President Foster decided to make this generous donation because he wanted to keep the hockey team going forward,” Director of Ice Skating Inc. Curt Maki said. “He also wanted to open up the options for CMU. Students who are not on the hockey team are able to use the rink. The Hamilton Rec Center is going to use this rink and there will be intramural teams as well.”
Many people are passionate about getting the rink open on time.
“I’ve been working 18 hour days for the past couple of months,” Maki said. “The ice hockey team at CMU has been giving much of their time to get everything ready. They have been great about coming down here when help is needed. Because of the contributions of money and time, we are on schedule for opening the rink on Nov. 1.”
Maki said he hopes the weather will cool down substantially in the next couple of weeks. Cold weather is needed to make the ice for the outdoor rink. The first step to making the ice is using hoses to distribute water and various solutions on the rink. The water won’t freeze unless the outdoor temperature is 32 degrees or below. Once the ice is set, if the outdoor temperature goes above 50, the ice begins to soften.
“We have a lot of control over the hours put into the rink, but we don’t have control over the weather,” Maki said. “However, we do have an insulated blanket that we will put on the rink when no one is on it. The blanket will help keep the rink cold.”
CMU’s ice hockey team is ready to start the season.
“This year is a building year with the full backing behind us from CMU,” Mav’s Hockey co-coach Ben Guska said. “We are looking to have fun and keep moving forward for this year.”
To find out more about Ice Skating Inc. and view the weekly rink schedule, visit their website at www.iceskatinginc.com.

sfrose@mavs.coloradomesa.edu