Caution at the Rinks: Review of KC ice skating rinks during COVID-19

Even while shivering in the freezing cold as icy air seeps into your lungs and your tightly tied skates rub against your ankles, ice skating rinks have always been an enjoyable holiday adventure to pull you into the holiday spirit. 

But in the midst of a rise in COVID-19 cases, a few skating rinks in the Kansas City area are handling the pandemic differently. This year, it’s vital to be careful and safe while choosing activities to participate in during the holiday season.

Crown Center Ice Terrace

Walking out of a dark parking garage, the Crown Center skating rink is beautiful with familiar Christmas songs playing faintly in the background and people skating joyfully with their loved ones. The rink is decently sized –– about the length of two East classrooms –– with lots of room to walk around the outside. 

Masks are required to be worn at all times on the rink and in the skate rental area, where only 15 people are allowed inside at a time. While this causes a long wait time on the weekends, I find that this is much safer than crowding 30 people into one room trying to check in to their reservation and rent skates.

In past years, Crown Center has been bustling with skaters and shoppers, crowding the rink to its max capacity of 150 people. However, this season on weekdays the rink is less busy. Only around 20 people are found on the ice at once, and weekends get up to about 60 people, according to staff members. And while weekday numbers are safer compared to the size of the rink, 60 people in the rink at once isn’t nearly enough space to socially distance from others. 

The staff have been cleaning the rental skates more thoroughly, using disinfectant on both the inside and the outside, however, it would still be safer to bring your own skates if possible.

The Ice at Park Place

Rather than the standard tent covering above the rink, there are hundreds of white lights that reflect blue and purple on the ice, adding a magical holiday feel to the Park Place skating rink. Similar to Crown Center, on the weekends there’s often a 20-30 minute wait to get on the ice. This is due to a max capacity of 75 people –– which is still far too crowded during a pandemic.

However, on the Monday night I went, there were about 14 people on the ice, all of which tended to stay within their groups. I’d recommend that if you go with a group, stick to a limit of two friends or family members no matter what skating rink you choose. This way it’s easier to stay grouped together, and it’s safer for everyone on the ice. 

Even though masks aren’t required, they’re highly recommended to keep the public safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19 — they also keep your face warm in the frosty air. I observed that this created a bit of an issue with some younger kids struggling to keep their masks on all the way. Not to mention, the rink is half the size of Crown Center’s.

Kansas City Ice Center and Pavilion

The KC Ice Center is the only rink that has stopped their open skate during COVID-19 –– they are expected to resume open skate sometime in March, according to a staff member. 

Their hockey and figure skating lessons still continue in their indoor and outdoor rinks, and though I wasn’t able to observe the practices, there were only about five parents waiting in the concession space. Along with having a hockey rink, which was much bigger than those at Crown Center and Park Place, there’s a big open lobby area adequate for social distancing. 

The rink seems more fit for hockey than free skate, and didn’t fit the holiday spirit that was present at Crown Center and Park Place. But, if you’re interested in hockey, this is the place for you.