Associated Students Inc. is creating an artificial ice rink at the pavement plaza in front of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC) for students to skate free of charge.
The rink will be open from 2 to 7 p.m. on Thursday and students will be given rental skates to use. DJs from the on-campus radio station KBEACH will provide live music entertainment for the skaters in addition to giveaways and prizes.
According to ASI Communications Coordinator Christina Esparza, the rink will not contain actual ice, but instead an artificial substance consisting of a unique plastic polymer.
The ice consistency will be similar to that of a cutting board. The fake material will also be treated with a solution to give the feeling of gliding and skating.
Since the material is not actual ice, students will not be allowed to bring their own skates and will have to use the free rental skates instead.
Esparza said the fake ice material is broken up into several pieces that will be placed together, similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Students will be taking turns in increments due to the limited size of the rink.
ASI employee Alexis Rockwell said she is confident that there will be a good turnout.
“[Students] will want to have some fun before finals week starts and this event could really help calm their nerves and take their mind off of school,” Rockwell said.
The decision to bring back an event like this depends on the ASI Special Events Commission and the commissioner changes every year.
However, Esparza said, “I would dare to say that, if it is a success, we will have it again.”
In addition to the ice-skating, the semester-long Condition for Tuition contest will announce its grand-prize winner the same night. The contest involved students earning points over a 12-week period for engaging in all aspects that the SRWC offers.
Students also earned points through non-fitness related activities like Beach Balance, which dealt with mental wellness and nutrition. Points were distributed starting on Sept. 12 to all who registered for the contest. Whoever earned the most points will win a paid spring 2012 tuition.
When senior engineering major John Baffa heard about the event, his first questions weren’t about what the ice was made of, but rather where they were going to put the rink.
“It still puzzles me as to how they’re going to fit a rink [in the pavement plaza area],” Baffa said. “Still, it seems like a fun idea and it’s a pleasant place to escape from stress.”
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