Local skaters enjoy a 'cool' New Year at Ice & Sports Complex

January 02, 2002

Local skaters enjoy a 'cool' New Year at Ice & Sports Complex

By DAN KULIN
dank@herald-mail.com

About 110 people spent the first day of 2002 on ice - skating at the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex.

"It was cool. But then I fell down flat on my face so many times," said Jordon Edlund, 5, of Hagerstown. Jordon was learning to skate Tuesday so he can play hockey.

There was music, food, and broomball, at the New Year's Day skate at the rink on Security Road. Broomball is like hockey but played with broom sticks and a ball instead of hockey sticks and a puck.

About 60 people skated into 2002 at the New Year's Eve Skate Monday night, which had similar activities, rink Executive Director Dave Bayles said. He said most of the skaters were children and teenagers.

"It's nice," Julie Wills, 39, of Hagerstown, said about the New Year's Day skate.

"We were away over Christmas so we're ice skating on New Year's Day to break in the new skates," said Wills, as her 7-year-old daughter, Caroline, skated around the rink.

Caroline said skating is fun, and she likes to glide the best.

"I like going slow because I don't fall so often," Caroline said.

Mike Scott, 38, of Falling Waters, W.Va., brought his daughters and a friend of theirs to the rink.

"They've really been looking forward to it and I had the day off so (we came)," Scott said.

Scott's daughters Natasha, 11, and Cassidy, 6, said skating is fun.

Cassidy wanted to learn how to spin on skates, but it was her first day on the ice.