Aquatera Community Skating Oval

City of Grande Prairie

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THANK YOU ⭐️Bryce for all you do for speed skating and the Aquatera Community Skating Oval for our community! ⭐️You are our UNSUNG HERO!

Best Wishes at tonight’s Northwest Alberta Sport Excellence Awards hosted by the Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection.

7pm Clarkson Hall at Evergreen Park. www.GPSportConnect.ca

Tuesday update… more snow that needs to be brushed off. ❄️❄️❄️☃️
Hoping for some maintenance to improve the top surface. Ice is still fairly thick otherwise.

Sunday update: Saturday had above zero temperatures and warmth making for soft ice in the afternoon. Today’s wind chill is -20C. It’s a rough skating surface. Okay for frigid, fresh air laps this morning.
⚠️Ramp from parking lot to oval is very slippery. Consider walking through the snow instead.

Update Friday, March 11th. ✅#ACSO is open. North straightaway is nice ice. ⚠️ Caution on the West corner.

❇️A cold flood followed by a hot flood has really helped improve conditions on the Aquatera Community Skating Oval. We’re hoping for the weather to cooperate.

⚠️Ramp from the parking lot to oval is icy, a bit rough & has some dirt. Use caution.

🔄Please skate counter clockwise.
🪑Benches are available to sit on to put on your skates, or bring your own lawnchair.

☑️Figure skates
☑️Hockey skates
☑️Strollers / carts with clean wheels. Please NO muddy / slushy / salty wheels. It damages the ice surface.
❌No hockey pucks or sticks

Located on the Community Knowledge Campus, West of Eastlink Centre.

Last January to March we had such incredibly smooth ice and excellent weather conditions. It takes so much time, dedication and lots of effort to bring a 400m outdoor skating oval to our community. THANK YOU to the MacLennans!
THANK YOU to our Aquatera Community Skating Oval Co-ordinator Bryce for all the energy you pour into supporting speed skating locally!
⭐️You are our Unsung Hero!!! ⭐️

Congratulations to Peace Wapiti Speed Skating Club's Bryce MacLennan on being nominated in the category of Unsung Hero for the 2022 Northwest Alberta Sport Excellence Awards. Thank you for all you do!
Tickets to the Northwest Alberta Sport Excellence Awards are on sale now! Get yours before they are gone at https://gpsportconnect.ca/events/sportexcellenceawards.

Thinking of attending the Alberta North Sport Conference too? We have combo tickets as well.

Ice conditions Monday, March 7th. 🤪
We’re hoping that the oval can be flooded tonight to help smooth it out.

Unfortunately the surface of the #acso remains rough and requires perhaps another brushing and certainly an awaited flood. Some intrepid skaters have been out there but the ice is rough and bumpy. Optimism for some aligned maintenance to smooth it out soon.

🔄❄️ A visit from the SNOW BRUSH.
Coach John also posted a video update.

More snow.

Friday update: We’re hoping to get the snow brushed off and then flood the oval tonight. If equipment is in the area, please give them the time & space needed for maintenance.

We’re dreaming of smooth ice & making the laps on the oval again. 😊

We hope to invite the community for skating again soon! 💚

Snow blown & a possible flood tonight at #ACSO.
(Thursday, February 24th).

😄We’re hoping for good weather this weekend and the Peace Wapiti Speed Skating Club would like to get on the oval around lunchtime Sunday.
You’re welcome to stop by, say hello and see speed skating up close.

If you enjoyed the Olympic Speed Skating and are interested to try it out, follow the @Peace Wapiti Speed Skating Club for updates. Athletes & skaters of all abilities are welcome. Local athletes are training and preparing for 2023’s Arctic Winter Games.

A slow skate tonight, but the oval has been snow blowed. ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
(Friday, February 18th)

✴️ Open for a slow skate ✴️
The oval has been snow blown with some areas more "icy" than others. The maintenance crew might also try a brush to clear the rest of the snow away and a possible flood this evening. ❄️🌬💧 (Thursday, February 17th update.)

We’re working on getting a smooth surface before the forecasted snow arrives.

🌀Have you been skating on the oval recently? Comment ⤵️

Hoping for good ice conditions this Family Day weekend! 😄😎😊🤩

Canadian women claim 1st ever Olympic gold in team pursuit

The reason we have the #acso built as a 400m skating oval is so you can experience the same straightaways, the same corners, the same distances - as the Olympians. Their journeys started on an ice surface somewhere. Yours can start right here in Grande Prairie: inside at the Coca Cola Centre short track or outside on the long track. As was posted on the Peace Wapiti Speed Skating Club page, never give up, keep skating, because someday a Gold medal may just be on the line:

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2003170371795/

Canadian women claim 1st ever Olympic gold in team pursuit Canadian speed skaters Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais win the gold medal in women's team pursuit with an Olympic record time of 2:53.44.

❌Best to stay off the oval today. (Friday, February 11th). It’s still rough and pock marked. This morning’s test skate was extremely slow and cautious.⚠️

💙Feeling hopeful! ❄️💨 The ice is hanging in there. ⚠️⚠️⚠️Please remain off the oval while we’re considering options for surfacing. Thank you 💙(Thursday, February 10th)

⚠️Unskatable⚠️
☹️Very poor ice surface this morning. (Tuesday, February 8th) 🛑Maintenance options being reviewed but please remain off the oval.

⚠️⚠️⚠️Ice is too soft! 🛑 Please stay off the oval today (Monday, February 7th). ❌🔆The lights will be off tonight.

You can enjoy Team Canada Speed Skating at the Olympics on tv or online.

Footprints on the snow will change to blades on the ice as soon as weather and maintenance allow.

Photo by Coach John.

Come skating! 🍪☕️Free cookies & hot chocolate thanks to New Horizon Co-operative at the oval on Sunday, February 20th starting at 10am.
🟥🟨🟩 All children under 18 must wear helmets while skating on the oval. For details: https://bit.ly/3GtR5iH

City of Grande Prairie Aquatera Utilities Inc. Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association #gptourism #grandeprairie

Celebrate Family Day weekend with us at Eastlink Centre on Sunday, February 20 with free access to the facility and a variety of fun, family activities.

Learn more in our media release and follow their page for full details: https://bit.ly/3GtR5iH