Suddenly, Cool Sport Is Red Hot

A decade ago, the future of ice skating rinks in Orange County seemed as promising as that of a snow cone on a sweltering summer afternoon.

The Brea Mall’s rink had just closed, leaving the Ice Capades Chalet in Costa Mesa as the county’s last ice-skating venue.

But on Aug. 9, 1988, a decidedly winter activity suddenly became hip in a region famous for its lack of winter.

That was the day the Los Angeles Kings signed hockey great Wayne Gretzky to a multimillion-dollar contract, setting off a dramatic resurgence in ice sports that gained even more power with the Mighty Ducks’ arrival in Anaheim three years ago.

Orange County is now home to six rinks, including the striking Frank O. Gehry-designed Disney Ice center in downtown Anaheim. A seventh is scheduled to open next month in Westminster, and facilities are planned for Foothill Ranch and perhaps Irvine.

“Wayne Gretzky really began turning it around for us,” said Chuck Heathco, vice president of Ice Palace, which opened a rink in Aliso Viejo two years ago and is now completing its second in Westminster.

“He really helped boost awareness of the sport,” Heathco said. “You need to get people interested enough to come in and try it.”

The success of the rinks is surprising because of Southern California’s mild climate, which has historically limited the appeal of indoor sports.

“Everyone loves to be outdoors,” said Donald Bartelson, a leader of the Ice Skating Institute of America and owner of the Ontario Ice Center. “It’s a really a major challenge we all face.”

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To lure patrons, the rinks sponsor hockey leagues, figure skating classes and activities targeted to young people. Along with professional hockey, interest in women’s figure skating has increased, thanks in part to the high visibility of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympic games.

The booming business represents a major reversal from the early 1980s, when many ice rinks across Southern California closed down because of high energy costs, insurance problems and rising rents.

Ice rinks in shopping centers were hit especially hard as mall operators converted the spaces to more lucrative department stores and boutiques.

Orange County’s five new rinks are all in free-standing buildings, allowing them to operate into the night and without restrictive mall rules. Some ice-skating venues remain open past midnight, hosting such events as church-sponsored youth broom-ball games.

“It gives kids something unique to do and keeps them out of trouble,” Heathco said.

Beyond that, the surging interest in ice sports is also being driven by nostalgia, experts said.

“We are seeing a large return to skating by baby boomers,” said Judy Caulfield, executive director of the Ice Skating Institute of America. “They are saying, ‘Listen, we did this as kids, and now we want to do it again.’ ”

The skating resurgence in Orange County is mirrored elsewhere in the Sun Belt, which in the past has had fewer venues than the Northeast, where inclement weather drives sports indoors for much of the year.

Though in-line skating and roller hockey might seem like rink competitors, Caulfield said, those activities have actually increased interest in ice skating. Local operators said business remains strong and don’t expect a decline as the new rinks open.

Nonetheless, some question how much more growth is possible before the market becomes saturated.

“That’s always a concern. It can become like having too many restaurants in one area,” Bartelson said. “But I think we can prevent that. I don’t see it as a problem at the present time.”

Outside the Ice Capades Chalet in Costa Mesa on a recent afternoon, 15-year-old Manny Garcia confirmed that hockey is more popular than ever. But that’s not to say he and his contemporaries won’t eventually turn their attention to other sports.

“I don’t know if it’s a fad,” Garcia said.

Bartelson insists that hockey is here to say but concedes that fan interest sometimes fluctuates. His rink saw a slight downturn in attendance earlier this year when Gretzky left the Kings, he said.

“Wayne is a very high-profile individual,” he added. “He’s a real Hollywood star.”