By Karsten Widener
After nearly five months in the dark, a local staple has reopened its doors following its abrupt closure. Skate Frederick, the county’s only ice rink, closed temporarily in December of 2024 due to mechanical complications that left the rink without ice.
The rink provides a home for two youth hockey programs, a figure skating team, and the general public to socialize and ice skate. During the rink’s closure, constant mechanical issues pushed its original anticipated opening date from January of 2025 to early spring. With patrons feeling uncertain, frequent updates through the rink’s website, email, and social media platforms quelled their anxiety.
With the rink’s closure, many teams and avid skaters found themselves scrambling to other nearby rinks. For example, Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex took in Hood College’s NCAA D3 women’s hockey team, and many recreational adult league players.
In an optimistic turn, a reopened Skate Frederick has already begun registering for summer camps and clinics, and commencing scheduled free skates and “stick and shoots,” similar to pick-up games for hockey players.
In a celebratory remark, rink management released a statement regarding its reopening: “Our renovations are complete and ready to welcome back our loyal skating families and athletes.”
The statement ended on a gracious note: “We want to thank all of our customers who cheered us on and supported our efforts during this unforeseen time.” The rink continued, “We are very grateful to our owner, Edward Hostetter, our staff and team of mechanical experts who worked tirelessly to bring us to this much anticipated occasion.”
As summer approaches, and rinks across the area prepare for the next hockey season, locals and visitors alike will once again have a rink that, for many, was out of reach for too long.
