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Ice activities on the North Shore The following information, compiled by Beth Jones, Editorial Staff member, represents a comprehensive if not exhaustive survey of North Shore ice rink activity. Each facility manager, identified following each section, contributed a brief description highlighting selected aspects of their respective programs. We appreciate this cooperative effort. GLENCOE PARK RECREATION DISTRICT The "Great Skate" is a special event designed to encourage people to utilize the ice rink for fun and fitness while competing for prizes. The participants are in three divisions: Youth Jr. (10 years and younger), Youth Sr. (11-18 years) and Adult (19 years and older). Skating a maximum of 5 miles per public skating session for 10 weeks, the skaters strived to reach a predetermined number of miles. Thirteen (13) laps around the rink equals 1 mile. It takes approximately one hour to skate 5 miles resting after each mile depending on age and ability. Adults may skate individually or as a team of two in order to accumulate the required number of miles. Laps are recorded and charted into miles on a graph which is posted in a display case. The "Great Skate" is not a race. Participants count the number of times they circle the rink while skating for their leisure. They are surprised how quickly the laps turn into miles. "Super Star of Ice" is a special event with a variety of skating activities and races. Points are assigned to the "Stars" of each activity and trophies are awarded to a boy and girl from each age category with the most points. The four age groups are: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Grade; 4th, 5th, 6th Grade; 7th, 8th Grade; and High School. Events included are individual races, team relays, giant obstacle course, hockey puck shooting and skating between pylons and sprints. Figure skaters, hockey skaters and just plain ol' skaters participated. "Gold Medal" races are held each week during the rink season for school children in preschool thru eighth grade. Participants, according to age, skate laps for ribbons. At the end of the year, a "Gold Medal" Skate Championship race takes place with all the weekly winners competing for gold, silver and bronze medals. Robert O'Brien is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a Master's degree in Leisure Studies. Before Illinois, he attended West Virginia University and received his Bachelor's degree in 1977. For the past year and one-half, Bob has been employed with the Glencoe Park-Recreation District where he is currently the Facilities/Recreation Supervisor. Professional involvement includes membership in N.R.P.A., I.P.R.A. and the North Shore Round table. As a member of I.P.R.A. Bob is affiliated with the Special Facilities Section. He is also the newly elected treasurer of North Shore Round Table.
NORTHBROOK PARK DISTRICT For all you sports fans who love the sports related to skating, but can't master the skills, the following information indicates the Special Events which will be held at the Sports Center that are guaranteed to attract numerous spectators. Every Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoons beginning in November teams belonging to the Metropolitan High School Hockey League—North Division, meet in contests which lead to the State Title Playoffs in March. If you'd rather see youth hockey, the Northbrook Hockey League hosts an annual New Year's Pee Wee Hockey tournament at the Sports Center, with games being played December 31 between 12:00 noon and 5:30 p.m. and then again on January 1 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The Northbrook Speed Skating Club sponsors a Speed Skating Meet on November 27, 1981 from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the Sports Center. Top amateur speed skaters compete in these races while preparing for the 1984 Winter Olympics. The Northbrook Sports Center invites the public to attend two Holiday Recitals to be held on December 4th at 5:45 p.m. and December 21st at 4:00 p.m. Skaters representing the Skating School of 1200 students will display skills learned in that program through a program set to music. Also, during the Holiday Season, the Sports Center plays host to its annual "Holiday Open". This I.S.I.A. sanctioned competition is held on January 15, Illinois Parks and Recreation 17 November/December 1981 16, and 17 and is open to all registered competitors across the nation. In bringing the winter season to a close, the Northbrook Park District presents its 1982 Northbrook-On-Ice titled "Nothing But The Best". This show which has been acclaimed both locally and nationally as the best amateur ice show in the country will be presented for the public on May 6, 7, 8, and 9, 1982. Jerry Krewer is the newly selected director of the Northbrook Sports Center coming to the position of manager of the Winnetka Park District Ice Arena. Jerry is a graduate of Western Illinois University and a member of I.P.R.A.
SPECIAL EVENTS — GLEVNIEW ICE CENTER
Ice skating isn't usually a spooky experience, but those who visit the Glenview Ice Center during the week of Halloween are bound to find stranger-than-usual things happening there. Ghouls, goblins and witches are likely to pop out from behind corners in the Center's four locker rooms. Spooky music and a lingering fog pervade the air. Skaters who dare can "fly" around the main rink in a variety of creative Halloween costumes. Games and contests are also a part of this "creature feature" affair. Halloween is just one of the annual holidays which are celebrated with special events at the Ice Center. Christmas is another time of the year when special ice skating activities occur. A Christmas Ice Show provides the community with a special form of entertainment as well as giving figure skaters the chance to perform in front of an audience the skills they've learned. And, of course, Santa Claus makes his annual guest appearance at the show. The Youth Hockey League holds a traditional Holiday Party at this time, too. Hockey players and their families gather in the upstairs portion of the Ice Center to be entertained by magicians, hockey personalities, films and—of course—good ol' Santa. A father-son broomball game on the studio rink is also a part of this special celebration. The Glenview Ice Center staff doesn't wait for a holiday to plan a special event, however. Throughout the skating season, special events are held to enhance the overall recreation experience of Ice Center participants. Among the variety of unique programs and presentations are: films of the USA Olympic Skating Illinois Parks and Recreation 18 November/December 1981 Teams, international hockey games between teams from such countries as Sweden and Finland, figure skating exhibitions by Olympic hopefuls, trips to the Ice Capades (complete with a backstage visit with Dorothy Hamill), clinics conducted by Chicago Blackhawk team members and parties. These spectator and participation events help bring a change of pace to the Glenview Ice Center as well as boost the aspirations and dreams of young skaters. Adult skaters may also participate in a regular Ice Center program which is considered by most to be a very special event. Each Sunday night beginning in November, adult couples participate in the popular Co-Recreational Broomball League. Three men and three women comprise a team, whose goal is to bat, swat, swing and slide their brooms in an effort to hit a ball into the opposition's net. Broomball is a team-work-oriented game which is played on the Ice Center's studio rink. Participants wear boots or gym shoes as they slip and slide across the ice. Many of the regular Ice Center programs are enriched by a full schedule of these and other special events. Special events keep regular members/participants interested and involved at the Ice Center, as well as drawing new people to the facility.
Mark Schneiderman graduated from Western Illinois University with a Recreation and Park Administration degree. He has been the Manager of the Clenview Ice Center for the past five years. Active in the local chapter of the Ice Skating Institute of America, Mark is also a member of the Special Facilities section of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. EVANSTON RECREATION DEPARTMENT Robert Crown Ice Center Robert Crown Ice Center, as part of the City of Evanston Recreation Department, hosts two ice shows, a figure and speed skating championship and a state broomball tournament during the winter months. These special events provide essential goals for the participants of our program. They are designed to display the talents of our ice skaters to parents, friends, and other members of the community. Often, a skater will continue year around participation in our various programs because they like to perform in the ice show or that they want to be part of the fun and excitement of an upcoming competition. Special event details demand a large amount of staff planning and coordination, but the effort is rewarded by successful and consistent future registrations. The Nutcracker. For the seventh consecutive year this elaborately costumed and staged production will showcase students of Robert Crown Ice Skating School and guest soloists. Based on the famous Tchaikovsky ballet, this holiday fairy tale has become a delightful seasonal tradition in Evanston, cherished as a family viewing "must." Evanston North Shore Speed Skating Meet. This national speed skating meet is expected to draw over 250 top-notch competitors from throughout the U.S.A. It will be hosted by the Evanston Speed Skating Club at Robert Crown Ice Center. Events will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. November 21 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. November 22, 1981.
Illinois Parks and Recreation 19 November/December 1981
Fifth Annual New Year's Open Figure Skating Competition. December 28, 29, and 30, 1981. Open to all ISIA and USFSA skaters. Contact Director of Robert Crown Ice Skating School for entry information. Spring Ice Show. The Sixth Annual Spring Ice Show will feature spring semester students of Robert Crown Ice Skating School and guest soloists. Original choreography, beautiful costumes and excellent ice skating have become hallmarks of this crowd pleasing entertainment. Allen Cassady, Manager of Robert Crown Center, is a graduate of the University of Iowa in Parks and Recreation Administration and is presently working in a graduate degree program. He is past president of the Chicago Metropolitan Ice Rink Managers Association and currently serves as President of the United States Broomball Association and Vice President of the Ice Skating Institute of America. SKOKIE PARK DISTRICT Each year, the Skokie Park District's Skatium celebrates Thanksgiving Holiday by hosting its All-America Figure Skating Competition, November 27, 28 & 29. Figure skaters of all age groups and skill levels come from various parts of the U.S. to participate in freestyle, interpretive, couples and precision events. The Competition, which is sanctioned by the I.S.I.A., draws over 800 entries and hundreds of spectators to provide an enjoyable and exciting holiday weekend for children and adults alike. The Skokie Flyers Youth Hockey League annually holds a Winter Holiday Party for participants, parents, coaches, instructors and friends to celebrate their favorite winter sport. The special day, which is held at The Skatium, includes ages 4-16, mites through midgets and provides them with the opportunity to meet players from all of the teams and makes for an excellent break from their normal hockey schedule. A parent-child exhibition game, open skating, on ice games and refreshments help make the day an enjoyable one for hockey players and their families. All skaters registered in classes are invited to participate in The Skatium's annual Ice Show. Skaters practice for months looking forward to the show, which gives them the opportunity to show off their skills to their families and friends. Props, scenery and costumes are handled mainly through volunteer help from the Skatium Figure Skating Club. Each year a different theme highlights the show which is attended by over 3000 people. Rich Schoeneman is a graduate of Winona State University in Parks and Recreation. He has been the Manager of Special Facilities for the Skokie Park District for the past year and a half. Prior to that Rich was the manager of the Downtown Court Club in Chicago. NILES PARK DISTRICT Special events are every week occurrences at the Niles Sports Complex. There is the traditional ice show in the spring to culminate a season of hard work by figure skating students. In addition, a special ice show is held at Christmas and the Sweetheart Open competition is scheduled for the winter months. Every other week a special is run during public skate times when a discount admission rate is in effect. Specials will include all winter holidays and several "created" holidays such as Blue Jean Day, Shake 'n Skate and Grab a Date 'n Skate. A winter carnival is planned for this year, too. Mike Trover is new to the Chicago area coming from the Logon Ice Center in Peoria. Prior to his management of the Peoria Center, Mike was a skater with the Ice Capades. Illinois Parks and Recreation 20 November/December 1981 Winter Recreation in the Forest Preserves by Steve Christy The use of Forest Preserves for winter activity has always been overshadowed by their attractiveness in other seasons. Thoughts of recreation in Forest Preserves generally led to summer picnics and ball games, spring wildflower walks, and perhaps a pleasant canoe trip on a smokey autumn afternoon. Yet winter offers opportunities for many kinds of past-times, and in some ways the Forest Preserves are at their best during this dark season. Their size and grandeur become more evident, even to a casual glance. Their solitude is never more intense, as the biting winds keep most of us indoors; this solitude offers a welcome change to the clamor of our daily lives. Much of Nature is easily espied, even by the novice. The weather too is always inviting, provided one dresses properly. How welcome are the sharply cold and brilliant days, pacing off the weeks with those mellow silent hours of softly falling snow!
Enough of Illinois' earlier generations knew northern climes to foster winter recreation in their new country. Chicago's flat terrain was easily conquered by enormous wooden toboggan and ski slides erected in the early city parks. Here daredevil and novice alike amused themselves unfettered by lawsuits and liabilities. The early Forest Preserves also attracted similar attention, particularly in the Des Plaines River Valley and the Palos Hills area. Skaters as well enjoyed themselves on the numerous open marshes and slow-moving creeks around Chicago which, at that time, were still undisturbed. Old-timers in Lake County recall skating from Waukegan to Chicago, some thirty miles, over the immense Skokie marshes. Unfortunately all the above has changed today. We have thoughtlessly destroyed many of our natural wonders which yielded recreational gifts in winter, and at the same time we have become enmeshed in a morass of legal problems brought on by a suit-happy mentality. The public has also become much more demanding, easily swayed by recreation fads which create sudden immediate demands on limited recreational facilities, and easily sold on expensive equipment and outfits which, in their owners' opinions, require recreational facilities equal to the quality of these trappings. American recreation, puffed up by advertising and hype, has come of age. The solitary skiier working through the woods has become a glistening army of brilliantly-clad nylon troopers demanding immaculate trails which can be shared with no other groups. Similar memories of simpler facilities surround the bicycle, whose mechanized masses now demand asphalt highways through the woods to protect their alloy frames and sew-up tires. In the face of all this foolishness though, one can still find blessings in Forest Preserves. Wildlife watching opportunities are excellent, and one Cook County facility invites users to blinds overlooking fields and marshes. Horse riders, hikers, and solitary skiiers often report sightings of shy and unusual animals. Snowmobilers' travels, mercifully swift to some, allow an enjoyment of the larger landscape formerly not possible in winter. And for those who prefer no motion at all the ice fishing shack is a favorite get-away spot. The glory of winter recreation still lies in those two old standbys, however; ice skating and sledding. These have withstood change well, perhaps because their components—sleds (or nowadays anything from cardboard boxes on up) and skates—and requirements—ice and slopes—have remained simple and constant. It is thus no surprise that these activities have consistently drawn in Lake County the largest crowds from the wide spectrum of society. In keeping with our recreational development policy used on all developments in the Lake County Forest Preserve District, only the most simple and catholic facilities are created to accommodate the needs of winter recreation activities. Always foremost in our minds are two items: the facilities must serve several uses in all seasons, and must be built of materials easily cared for. Both of these are old tenets, but they are rigidly enforced from the planning stages on. Illinois Parks and Recreation 21 November/December 1981 A sled run for instance may be an open slope or an artificial hill. The former must be cleared with an eye for aesthetics (not a swath through the woods!) and be appropriate for summer use perhaps as a play slope for childrens' groups or an extra attraction to a picnic area. The latter may well be, as one of ours is, built with expressway and building rubble, but this must all be clothed in a garb of gentle contours and wild-flowers which marry it to the earth. In the summer then this hill will offer a challenging hike and, once conquered, sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. Skating facilities too must fit this creed. One artificial pond is craftily laid out to disappear in the summer landscape. In another Forest Preserve, the ponds are reworked clay borrow pits. Beneath the hiss of winter's skates the specially-planted arrowheads, water lilies, and rushes wait for warmer times to delight both man and wildlife. A similar example might be found in our first section of the DesPlaines River Trail. In summer the gravel surface accommodates bicycles, hikers, horses and other users, thanks to good grooming and a reasonable tolerance of "road apples." In winter good grooming also produces a surface satisfactory for both skiiers and snowmobiles. True, such maintenance may seem high when weighed against separate trails or so called "no-maintenance" surfaces such as asphalt, but we believe the costs to be even in the long run and the simpler facilities in keeping with the purposes of Forest Preserves. This story thus comes full circle, from a recognition of the true meaning and beauty of Forest Preserves to a fostering of winter activities suited to them in facilities respectful of their essential nature. Forest Preserves were first envisioned nearly a century ago as places to hold precious the unaltered landscape of Illinois, in a belief that this landscape spoke something profound to each of us. Today the significance of this belief is more clear—and dear—than ever, and no amount of clatter from the rush-and-tumble world should turn us aside from its protection. Winter recreation, as with all activities provided for in Forest Preserves, must always be pursued with a love for the quiet stillness within all of us. Stephen Christy, ASLA, is currently the Supervisor of Planning and Design for the Lake County Forest Preserve District, and is responsible for the initiation, budgeting, and construction of all recreation and conservation oriented developments in the district. Christy, a registered landscape architect, received his masters in landscape architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976 and worked for the planning firm of McFadzean and Everly before joining the forest preserve in 1978. He currently lives in Chicago and enjoys gardening. Illinois Parks and Recreation 22 November/December 1981 Toboganning in the Cook County Forest Preserves
by Roland F. Eisenbeis
Tobagganing is an unpredictable sport in Chicagoland. It is never predictable whether there will be weeks of suitable conditions during the winter or merely a few days of snow conditions that make tobagganing possible. Nearby Lake Michigan is a huge weather conditioner that can either dump huge quantities of snow on the metropolitan area or take it away shortly after it has fallen. The Forest Preserve District of Cook County operates fourteen toboggan slides at five locations throughout the county. All are manmade as there are no natural hills with suitable elevation for this purpose. The popular Swallow Cliff slides are the highest at 90 feet while being 376 feet long and having a 900 foot swale. Speeds of over forty miles an hour are attained when ice conditions on the surfaces are good. The smallest slides are 37 feet high and 170 feet long with a 500 foot swale. This is an excellent size for children and those apprehensive about high speeds. The slides for the most part are wooden structures that have been in operation for forty years. Thru the years, refinements have been made where concrete troughs have replaced wood at Swallow Cliff and corten steel has been used at another site. Annual inspection and repair, if necessary, is essential to insure safe facilities. The operation of the slides is a personnel intensive program. There is the rental, safety, parking, chute operation, toboggan inspection and a twelve hour day service day schedule. Four inches of snow are required with temperatures of 20 degrees or less to maintain a fine film of ice on the wooden runs. Sunshine, even at zero temperatures, often melts the ice film. All slides are open when conditions permit from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. To keep the public informed as to when the slides are suitable for use, there is an on-going public information program that responds to hundreds of telephone calls each day. The public has an option of using their own toboggans free of charge or are able to rent one for $1.00 per hour. Rental requires a deposit or a positive form of identification. When a tobogganist uses his own toboggan, it is subject to inspection to insure that it is made of durable materials and is in good condition. Toboggans which are cracked, damaged, excessively narrow or short, constructed of flimsy materials, or considered unsafe for other legitimate reasons are naturally prohibited from use for safety reasons. Safety is a constant element of the whole activity. It is a youth and family oriented sport with much inherent enthusiasm. The toboggan must be of good quality and the number of riders must not exceed its capacity. These judgments are the responsiblity of staff members on duty. They are also responsible to see to it that everyone is properly seated with legs and arms close to the body. The automatic chute openings are not activated until the controller is completely satisfied that each toboggan and its occupants is all in order. Such strict supervision precludes accidents that are likely to happen when large numbers are waiting their turn and the urge to hurry prevails. To operate under safe conditions requires sixteen men during the day and nine at night at the six slide Swallow Cliff facility. The smaller slides require fewer attendants. During the recent 1978-79 winter of the "big snow", the slides operated for a record breaking 61 days. Very nearly total effort was put into keeping parking lots plowed and slide conditions suitable at the more popular runs. The waiting lines were so long that it was not uncommon for groups to wait one hour between slides. This was a year when 5,753 toboggans were rented at Swallow Cliff and the total attendance for the season was 122,246. Total use of the five Illinois Parks and Recreation 23 November/December 1981
toboggan sites that year was approximately 370,000. In normal years the attendance number and suitable days of tobogganing number would be half or less. Snow oriented activities such as skiing, snowmobiling, sledding and tobogganing are becoming more and more popular with the advent of better equipment, more comfortable clothing and the health kick that currently involves the younger generation. Then too the economy and travel costs have caused the public to seek less expensive forms of recreation closer to home. It is this trend that has brought greater use and attention to the local park systems and will create a greater demand for year-round activities and facilities. Illinois Parks and Recreation 24 November/December 1981 |
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