Georgia Magazine - December 2021 - 29

Children use metal skating aids at Olde Town on Ice
in Conyers.
The ice makers
Getting a temporary rink in place has its
challenges in a state not known for its waterfreezing
temperatures. But Jim Gomez of the
Conyers-based Ice Days company has been
making it happen for nine years.
Gomez and his wife, Andrea, got into the
temporary-ice business when owners of the
company that had been putting up a rink in
Conyers for years wanted to sell. That rink is now
in its 22nd consecutive year in business-making
it the longest-running outdoor ice-skating rink in
Georgia, Gomez says. The company also has erected
a rink in Covington for the last two years.
" We're the only independent company I know
of that operates rinks in the state, " says Gomez,
whose crew handles the entire operation, including
bringing in the equipment, setting up the 55-by100-foot
rink, hiring staff and selling tickets.
" That's about the same size as the rink at
Youngsters in Athens take a spin around the rink aboard Bobby the Seal. The
seal off ers novice skaters a stable aid and serves as a ride-on for young children.
Alpharetta's The Cooler has hockey classes, camps and clinics as well
as figure skating classes and 45-minute freestyle sessions during which
advanced skaters can practice. Public sessions are held daily.
A few miles south in Sandy Springs, the Center Ice Arena also offers
public skating and a variety of classes, and it fields an in-house league as
well as a traveling hockey team.
The Atlanta IceForum invites competitors to practice on the rink in
Duluth. School skate nights, public sessions and free " try hockey " classes
for young skaters are on the schedule.
In addition to the permanent rinks, there are several locations in
Georgia where temporary, outdoor rinks allow skaters to get into the
spirit of the season. In Atlanta, look for rinks at Atlantic Station, Ponce
City Market and Park Tavern. Avalon, the retail and shopping district in
Alpharetta, puts up a rink inspired by New York City's Rockefeller Center,
complete with warm drinks and theme nights. The Ice Rink at Sugar Hill
behind City Hall is another seasonal skating spot, as are the Olde Town on
Ice attraction in Conyers; Frosty's Ice Rink, part of License to Chill Snow
Island at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands in Buford; and Evans on Ice at
Evans Towne Center Park in Evans.
H.M. Cauley is an Atlanta-based freelance writer.
Continued on page 30
www.georgiamagazine.org
29
Rockefeller Center [in New York], " he says. " That one
just looks bigger because it's so open and has all
that cool stuff around it. "
Setting up the temporary rink takes about four
days. A grid system of coils, similar to the systems of
indoor arenas, is attached to two chillers as big as
what you might see on top of a commercial building
or in a meat-packing plant, Gomez says. They're
about 140 tons, compared with a residential airconditioning
chiller, which might be about 4 tons.
The chillers can get 1,200 gallons of water to
below freezing in 30 minutes to form the 4-inchthick
ice surface suitable for skating.
" That's more than an indoor rink that might
be about 1.25 inches, " Gomez says. " But they have
better temperature controls [indoors]. We have to
deal with the temperature swings from 65 degrees
during the day to 25 at night. So to keep the ice
stable, you need a thicker sheet. "
The task requires a solid understanding of the
many moving pieces, he adds.
" You have to understand weather, temperature
and humidity, " he says. " To a certain degree, it's a
real art form. "
COURTESY ATHENS ON ICE
SOLIA DIGITAL MEDIA
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Georgia Magazine - December 2021

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