The ice is right

Dec. 2—As the Palouse Ice Rink nears one year at its new location in Moscow, its success can be seen in a packed schedule of hockey, public skating, curling and skating lessons.

The public has embraced the larger rink, which opened Dec. 14 of last year in the old Northwest River Supplies warehouse on South Main Street, part of the renamed 42,000-square-foot Parks Activity Recreation Center, or PARC. The former, smaller rink operated for about 20 years at the Latah County Fairgrounds.

On Tuesday, children from across the Palouse gathered in the rink to learn how to skate and play hockey through the Palouse Youth Hockey Association. The rink was split in half, with one side being a girls-only lesson, and the other a mixed-gender class.

T-Jay Clevenger, one of the coaches for the class, said it had about 60 children enrolled and another class is planned in the spring.

"You're less likely to join a team if you don't know how to skate," Clevenger said.

Many of the students, at the completion of the 10-week program, will have skating basics mastered well enough to join a local hockey team. The Palouse Youth Hockey Association offers teams ranging from 8-and-under to 18-and-under, a girls development program and the learn-to-play program.

"The nice thing is it's a six-month sport, and it marries well with the outdoor sports in Idaho," Clevenger said.

Clevenger got into hockey when his oldest daughter, now 19, was 5 years old and they both started with little hockey experience. He wanted to teach her how sports can help solve problems and work with others.

He coached his daughter until she went to college and is still involved in coaching new hockey players as well as his younger children. He's a coach and referee and works with the 12-and-under team for the Palouse Youth Hockey Association.

Josh Ramsay, the head coach at the Tuesday classes, has been playing hockey since his youth in Canada 20 years ago.

He took a short break from the sports when he moved to the Palouse but is back on skates now teaching a next generation.

"Part of it is giving back to the community," Ramsay said. "It's also been a ton of fun."

Ramsay plays in an adult hockey league and this is his first year volunteering with the youth association. The learn-to-play classes, Ramsay said, offer a low barrier of entry for possible hockey players.

"The hockey community here is so nice and welcoming," Ramsay said. "There's no intimidation, you can come and learn."

To learn moreabout the rink, visitpalouseicerink.com.

Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.