Roseville ice rink thriving despite recent warm weather
ROSEVILLE, Minn. — This week has been warm, which isn't great for winter activities, but skaters and hockey players have been able to enjoy a refrigerated outdoor ice rink in Roseville.
People can lace up their skates at the Oval even if temperatures are in the 50s.
Sam Moen got some ice time in Thursday before his hockey practice for Mounds View High School, where he's a senior goalie.
"I just love the game of hockey," Moen said. "Just love being on the ice, just playing."
Anna Sharratt was there for her son's 14th birthday and teaching her 3-year-old daughter, Sylvie, how to skate.
"You're supposed to start by marching or stomping, and then they do a push from there," Sharratt said. "Of course, [she's the] third child, she has her own ideas."
The Oval ice facility is cooled with underground pipes, which allows for skating even during winter's warmest stretches.
"We actually just had a customer call today that was wondering if we'd be open," said Kevin Elm, the Roseville Skating Center superintendent. "They're coming from an hour away because a lot of the outdoor rinks right now, the ice is too soft. With warm weather coming, we're expecting record crowds over the next week and a half or so."
Elm's worked for Roseville for 30 years. He tries not to take any of it for granted.
"Everybody's smiling, makes my job easy," Elm said.