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Eccles Ice Center gliding along smoothly on its own By
Jerry VanIeperen NORTH LOGAN -- The landscape surrounding the George S. Eccles Ice Center may be rough, rugged and muddy, but inside activities are running as smooth as the ice under the Zamboni. With the Olympics now over and done with, the ice arena, which opened its doors Jan. 1, can now operate strictly for residents of Cache County. Until this past January the closest ice rink was in Ogden. The rink, at 2850 N. 200 East, offers open skating, open hockey, figure skating and skating lessons as well as hockey leagues for both children and adults. Utah State University also offers ice skating and hockey classes. Times and schedules are avaible at the front desk of the arena. Already 117 children from ages 5 to 17 have signed up to play hockey at the Eccles Ice Center. Joe Vizenor, director of marketing and public relations for the ice rink and also president of the Cache Valley Amateur Hockey Association, isn't surprised at this number because the past four years Cache Valley has had a youth roller hockey program. "If anything surprises me, it's that parents are willing to pay,๖ he said. Hockey ๔is not a cheap sport." The ice rink has no plans to put up extra safety nets in the wake of a 13-year-old girl's death from being hit in the head by a puck at National Hockey League game. Warnings are read over the arena's public address system to watch for errant pucks before hockey games begin. There were no severe injuries while the arena was hosting Olympic exhibitions. "The Ice Center was pretty crowded," said Vizenor. Figure skaters from France and Russia as well as Chinese speed skaters and the Swiss hockey team used the rink to practice before the Olympic games began. Vizenor said crowds of people filled in the 980 permanent seats in the arena, as well as 500 temporary seats set up for the exhibitions. North Park Police Chief Kim Hawkes was given credit for the security plan during the Olympic exhibitions. At peak times during the displays six officers were stationed in the arena. "Mayor Potter was very supportive," Vizenor said, giving praise to the mayor and everyone that volunteered at the arena. Potter spent a lot of time in the frigid night air directing traffic into parking stalls. "He thought it was a real kick! "SLOC didn't give anything," he said, when asked about the financing of the ice arean. "It all came out of our pockets." The first six weeks of Ice Center's existence they did not have cash registers to complete transactions. All of the money went into and out of a money box. There are still a few projects to finish inside the building such as completing restrooms, a pro shop, and two of the six locker rooms as well as landscaping around the arena.
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