Melting legacy: Shimla’s Ice-Skating club presses for all-weather rink support
Shimla, Dec 15
The Ice-Skating Club of Shimla’s management has urged the State government to support the cause of upgrading the natural rink into an all-weather one. In a media meet held at the 100-year-old Ice Skating Rink, they stated that though the government has always extended its patronage to this heritage club, it is now the need of the hour to upgrade this ice-skating facility.
Speaking about it, Manpreet Singh, the secretary of the club, informed that due to changes in weather conditions and other reasons, skating has become virtually inconsistent. Not only has the start of the ice-freezing period prolonged to mid-December, but an increase in temperatures is also forcing this sport, once initiated from Shimla, to slowly diminish.
Also read:Ice Skating rink up-gradation looms in uncertainty
Noteworthy is the fact that the Shimla Ice Skating Rink is natural. Water is sprinkled after preparing the ground, which freezes naturally due to low temperatures. Erstwhile, this was the only naturally frozen ice-skating rink in the entire Southeast Asia. However, now Himachal can boast of another natural rink at Kaza, which was made operational in 2020 and upgraded in 2022.
“Until 2010, many national-level ice-skating events used to be organized in the Shimla rink,” stated Rajat Malhotra, an executive member of the club. “However, now we are unable to fetch any such events for the Shimla rink due to the inconsistency of ice availability here,” he lamented.
Adding to this, Abhay Dogra, another executive member, stated, ‘We all know that in winters, there are not many activities for children and youth in Shimla. So, if ice skating can run smoothly throughout the winter months, it can at least provide a valuable option.’ He added, ‘This way, we can also save some percentage of kids and youth from indulging in nefarious activities like drug addiction, etc.’
Also read: Snowclad Kaza to host 9th National Women Ice Hockey Championship
Moreover, if consistent skating happens, ice hockey and ice-skating talent can also be honed in Shimla, hoped Rajat. He added that currently, almost 100 percent of ice hockey teams representing at the national level consist of players from Spiti or Ladakh. Only 2 players from Shimla are part of the team, purely attributed to their personal efforts, as they travel to Kaza in winters to practice due to the lagging facilities at the Shimla rink.
Furthermore, Shimla gets around 15-20 lac tourists in the season period. “Even if a day stay for the tourist can be extended because of ice skating, imagine the amount of value the state tourism can get through this sport,” added Abhay. He claimed that around 50 percent of tourists in Shimla visit the ice-skating rink once if skating is taking place.
Even diplomats of embassies like Canada and a few other countries travel every 15-20 days to Ladakh for ice hockey in winters. “If Shimla has an all-weather rink, all such enthusiasts shall prefer visiting Shimla because of its connectivity and distance,” hoped Malhotra.
“Since 1920, Ice Skating has been a prime activity in Shimla, and we want to save it for good,” claimed Manpreet. He said that though the government has prepared a DPR for the upgradation process, it is only if it can be expedited to make it happen sooner.
Pertinent to mention is that last year, the rink could manage only 25 ice-skating sessions, wherein it started on December 14. This year, as of writing this report, the Ice rink has not even frozen yet, with the likelihood that skating may start in the next 2-3 days. Though there is no data to support the claim but perhaps this year would be the most prolonged start of the ice-skating session ever.
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