As it becomes painfully cold to be outside in Ann Arbor, many students enjoy exerting their energy at the ice rink. While streets that were once overcrowded with in-line skaters may seem barren, ice rinks such as Yost Arena are filling up.
Although ice skating is possible indoors throughout the entire year, LSA sophomore Sarah King, like many other people, visits the skating rinks when it is cold outside.
"The cold weather inspires me ... to skate," King said. "I just took my little sib from Project Outreach ice skating with me at Yost. It is so convenient and we had such a good time that I will certainly do it again."
Andrew Golding, a Kinesiology sophomore and an intern at Yost Arena, said that bad weather, cold and snow means better business and more people for public skating at Yost Arena. Golding said that there are many ice activities offered at Yost.
"Yost Arena offers public skating every day of the week, learn-to-skate classes, high school hockey team practice, men's and women's club hockey team practice, and the varsity hockey team practices ... plays here," Golding said. "Every day we have a wide variety of people in the arena."
Golding said that many people come to skate and have fun and that the excitement of skating has become more pronounced by the success of the hockey team.
"People seem to take great enjoyment in skating - especially on the ice of the hockey champions. Last Thursday, over 200 people came for public skating," Golding said.
The Ann Arbor Ice Cube is another skating rink in the area. "We get a fair share of U-M students," said assistant general manager of the Cube, Kris Crowley.
In addition to the Cube, Ann Arbor offers the Buhr Park Ice Rink for skating. Both are, however, a car ride away.
Whether it's the Cube, Buhr Park, or the University's own Yost Arena, there are plenty of places to exercise your ability to cut up the ice.
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Katie Bowling struggles to catch her teammate from falling during a beginners' skating performance.