Above: Ashley Sikkema with Town Supervisor Galen Crique and Harry Smith
Town of Springfield, New York, Parks Director Ashley Sikkema remembers when the idea of a community ice skating rink first came about. It was while working on a summer lakeside project with members of the local Amish community
"One of the men, Wayne Stutzman mentioned to me that I wouldn't see him or his wife very much this winter because they were extremely busy with their ice rinks," Sikkema said. "Naturally, I asked him to tell me more."
Stutzman shared that he has two rinks at his house, a 160 x 55 for hockey and an 80 x 55 for the children to play during their games.
"The Amish community gathers a few times a week to play hockey and visit with each other," Sikkema said. "I started thinking about how wonderful that must be for them, and I wanted to recreate that for the rest of the community as well."
Sikkema immediately got to work to make a rink for their small upstate New York town a reality. Little did she know at the time, the community project she dreamed of would soon become a reality and draw national media attention as well.
"Wayne and his friends explained how their rink was built and offered to help build one for us," Sikkema said.
She immediately got to work and contacted the town's insurance company and a neighboring town with a similar rink. Sikkema, Stutzman and seven of his friends then attended the town's Board meeting to present their plan.
"When I presented our plan, I made sure to point out what our community means to me," Sikkema said. "I suggested that we were not just building a rink, that we would be creating a COVID-safe venue that could rebuild our sense of togetherness and belonging."
The rink was carefully built in three stages: laying the forms and pins, adding an agricultural strength liner and finally pouring the water. Three different towns sent fire trucks. It took 40 tanks full of approximately 80,000 gallons of water.
"We made sure to fill the rink when we knew the temperatures were going to stay in the teens for a few days," Sikkema said.
Once frozen solid, the crew scheduled a work night to put up the walls and lighting.
"Members of the community made lasagna and chili to feed the workers as they arrived in the evening," Sikkema said. "It's unusual for something to be built in town at night by headlamps; therefore, many people walked or stopped when driving by. The workforce grew larger and larger as the evening went on."
It was only the beginning for the rink that would soon become a town and national sensation. People donated over 50 pairs of skates, hockey gear, pads, sticks and pucks that Sikkema placed in a nearby baseball dugout for people to use free of charge.
Opening weekend saw close to 400 people. Sikkema saw adults return to skating after more than 20 years, multi-generational families gathering for fun and exercise, and with no local restaurants open during the winter, couples enjoying a perfect date night together.
"The rink is also officially trilingual," Sikkema said. "Between the Amish and Russian Orthodox members of our community, there are often three languages spoken out there, but it doesn't seem to phase the kids. Play is universal," Sikkema said.
The story of the little ‘if you build it, they will come’ rink has been viewed over 10,000 times on Facebook and drew media attention from NBC's Today Show.
"The Today Show has an employee that grew up in a neighboring town who read about our rink when it was on the cover of a local paper," Sikkema said. "She sent Harry Smith the information, and he called me to ask more about the project. After a brief conversation, he said he couldn't wait to meet my team and would be coming out soon."
Springfield was featured in a segment on Today in February.
"I really enjoyed Harry Smith and his team," but I think the best part of the Today Show and the rink, in general, has been watching the joy and excitement it brings to our community members of all ages," Sikkema said.
Thanks to a little ice rink where everyone seems to find their place.
