It is estimated that over 35 million Americans ice skate. Whether it is ice hockey, competitive figure skating or recreational skating, interest in the sport of ice skating is at an all time high. As a form of recreation and family entertainment, ice skating is becoming even more popular in spite of being held back by a shortage of ice skating facilities offering quality ice on a year long basis. The problems associated the shortage of adequate ice rinks is further compounded by the lack of such off-ice amenities and profit centers as retail pro-shops, food and beverage services, arcade games, and other ancillary amenities.

The number of skating rinks that are in place come in a number of different sizes. The average sized rink would be about 18,000 sq ft with a skating surface of roughly 9,500-11,500 sq ft (or approximately 70’ x 150’). These are only rough numbers.