Nashville gives outdoor ice rink warm welcome

Jessica Bliss | USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

My husband tried to trash them so many times.

When they lay buried in a bin in our attic, really not causing anyone trouble. When we packed up our tiny Nashville abode this spring and moved to the suburbs. And when we attempted a few weeks ago to give our sporting equipment a proper place in our new home.

Each time, he questioned the sanity of keeping the white leather figure skates I wore as a teen. He reminded his Milwaukee-bred wife that I live in the South now. The outdoor winter wonderland of my youth no longer surrounds me. The weather here happens to be a bit more balmy.

But I insisted that someday I would want those skates with their brittle browned laces and dulled silver blades of nostalgia.

On Saturday, as I gingerly guided them over the downtown's newest sheet of ice in Walk of Fame Park, they proved worthy of keeping.

The rink — created to be the centerpiece of Nashville’s celebration as our city hosts of the 2016 NHL All-Star Game at the end of January — had its grand opening. Hockey-loving country music star Vince Gill, retired Predators broadcaster Terry Crisp and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry were among those who attended the event as hundreds tested their balance on the small frozen oval.

"Our city is on fire," said Gill, who paired cargo shorts with his No. 16 Predators jersey on a day that was unseasonably warm, even for the South.

And anytime we get to showcase that status to the world, he added, it's great for us all.

At least one ice skater had to agree. Gerry Hyder, a Metro Police sergeant, brought his 7-year-old son, Wyatt, out to enjoy the rink's debut day. Hyder remembers years ago when there was a skating rink on the riverfront. He was glad to share a new memory with Wyatt, who plays in the Mites hockey league at Ford Ice Center.

"Our city has worked so hard to get this going," says Hyder, who often works security at Predators games. "The All-Star game will have a huge impact. It will bring validity to the Nashville Predators."

Which can sometimes be challenging when you are a hockey team in the South.

I mean even the fate of my own skates was questioned as they traveled below the Mason-Dixon line. But I was ready to make them worth keeping. A few days before the rink's opening, I riffled through several still-unpacked boxes.

I searched for the skates, but really I sought stashed away memories.

I grew up in a hockey town where the Predators AHL affiliate — the Milwaukee Admirals — play. We were occasional fans, climbing to the nosebleeds in the Bradley Center where the puck was nothing more than a moving speck. My real hockey allegiance would form later when I covered the Predators here in Nashville, developing a true appreciation of the game.

But even though my family wasn't filled hockey die-hards, we did like to skate.

Christmastime meant layering tights under our jeans, putting on our puffy coats and driving downtown to the outdoor rink. Around the oval sheet of ice across from the Performing Arts Center on Water Street, we would weave between shaky-legged kids and sure-skated veterans. My younger brother gripped my gloved hand, going around again and again until the Zamboni cleared the ice.

Even as a teen, I loved watching that huge machine glide along, fascinated by the gleam it left on the rink as it slicked water into the skate-blade grooves. Then, with our cheeks red and raw from the cold wind and our toes pleasantly numbed, we huddled in the warming house, sipping hot chocolate as we thawed. All smiles.

I wanted to feel that again, even hundreds of miles removed from the Midwest's wintry sting.

So, in the still unpacked clutter of my new Southern home, I searched through boxes, pulling a spider-web covered lid off a huge blue Tupperware container. As I pushed aside a pair of tennis rackets and a sadly deflated volleyball, I uncovered my skates.

The tongues are a bit misshapen, the blades a bit rusted and the black scuffs show their wear, but they hold every frozen memory.

And on the ice in Nashville, it all came back.

No, I didn't need the gloves I threw in my car. Or the coat I wore on my walk to the arena. My cheeks weren't chapped, but they were smiling — along with so many others on the ice. As I made a few laps around the admittedly weather-softened ice, couples skated together holding hands. Some kids moved slowly, grabbing the side boards to keep from a hard landing. Others moved backward with ease, going faster than I ever could attempt going forward.

Twins Kaden and Kylan Renfro, who moved with their parents from Texas two years ago, had never been on an ice rink. This seemed like a great way to celebrate their sixth birthday. It was easy, Kaden said, because he could go slow and "hard because I keep falling."

It will be easy for the city to fall in love with this rink and the new experience it brings. Skating with Southern flair.

As Barry addressed the crowd gathered on Saturday, she noted how the All-Star Game will be an opportunity for us to open the doors to our city. And as hockey fans flood our streets, she said, let's "give them a warm Nashville welcome."

Just like we did our new ice rink on this 70-degree day.

Reach Jessica Bliss at 615-259-8253 and on Twitter @jlbliss.

Ice rink hours

Dec. 13: 11 a.m.– 10:45 p.m.

Dec. 14–18: 3:30 p.m.–10:45 p.m.

Dec. 19–Jan.3: 11 a.m.– 10:45 p.m.

Jan. 4–8: 3:30 p.m.–10:45 p.m.

Jan. 9-10: 11 a.m.– 10:45 p.m.

Jan. 11–15: 3:30 p.m.–10:45 p.m.

Jan. 16-17: 11 a.m.– 10:45 p.m.

Jan. 18–22: 3:30 p.m.–10:45 p.m.

Jan. 23-24: 11 a.m.– 10:45 p.m.

Jan. 25–27: 3:30 p.m.–10:45 p.m.

Jan. 28-29: 11 a.m.– 10:45 p.m.

Jan. 30-31: 10 a.m.–10:45 p.m. (All-Star weekend)

*Hours are subject to change. For detailed rink hours visit fordicecenter.com.

Winter Park presented by Intellicentrics events

Sunday skate: ugly Christmas sweater theme, Dec. 13, 3-5 p.m.

Family night, Dec. 18, 5-9 p.m.

Sunday skate: holiday theme, Dec. 20, 3-5 p.m.

Sunday skate: Disney theme, Dec. 27, 3-5 p.m.

New Year's day party, Jan. 1, noon

Preds party, Jan. 2, 6 p.m.

Sunday skate: 80s theme, Jan. 3, 3-5 p.m.

Movie night, Jan. 7, 6-9 p.m.

Family day, Jan. 9, 12-4 p.m.

Preds party, Jan. 9, 8 p.m.

Sunday skate: super hero theme, Jan. 10, 3-5 p.m.

Movie night, Jan. 14, 6-9 p.m.

First responders' night, Jan. 15, 5-9 p.m.

Community day, Jan. 16, 12-4 p.m.

Sunday skate: Preds pride theme, Jan. 17, 3-5 p.m.

Movie night, Jan. 21, 6-9 p.m.

Sunday skate: country music stars look-alike, Jan. 24, 3-5 p.m.

For more information visit: NashvillePredators.com/WinterPark

Concert series

Ribbon cutting ceremony; Big & Rich, Jan. 28, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

John Hiatt, Lee Brice and Aaron Lewis, Jan. 29, 4-8:30 p.m.

Chris Young and Tara Thompson , Jan. 30, 1:30-3 p.m.

Kelsea Ballerini, Eli Young Band and Dierks Bentley, Jan. 31, 12:30-2:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m.

NEED MORE PLACES TO SKATE?

Nashville actually boasts several spots for ice skating around town. Check it out.

A-Game Sportsplex

Williamson County's only ice rink, A-Game also offers basketball, soccer, volleyball and a fitness center in addition to its hockey and skate academy. The facility will close in the spring but is open for skating until then.

Where: 215 Gothic Court, Franklin

Cost: $7 adults; $5 ages 12 and under; skate rental is $3

More info: goagame.com

Centennial Sportsplex

Located right across from Nashville's Centennial Park, the Sportsplex boasts an indoor ice rink in addition to its large pools, tennis courts and recently revamped fitness center. The rink is open year round.

Where: 222 25th Ave N, Nashville

Cost: $7 ages 13 and up; $6 ages 5-12, seniors and military; free ages 4 and under and to Sportsplex members; skate rental is $2

More info: www.nashville.gov/Parks-and-Recreation/Centennial-Sportsplex/Ice-Skating/Public-Skating

Ford Ice Center

Located in Antioch, this ice skating and hockey facility hosts Nashville Junior Predators and the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy. The rinks are open year round.

Where: 5264 Hickory Hollow Place, Antioch

Cost: $7 adults; $6 ages 3-10; free ages 2 and under; skate rental is $3

More info: fordicecenter.com

Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center

The grand hotel offers so much around the holidays, including the new 6,000 square-foot outdoor ice rink. That goes along with the arctic plunge six-lane tubing hill covered in 1.5 million pounds of snow and the facility's more than 2 million twinkling Christmas lights and decorations. Ice skating runs through Jan. 2.

Where: 2800 Opryland Dr, Nashville

Cost: $14.99

More info: www.marriott.com/hotel-info/bnago-gaylord-opryland-resort-and-convention-center/christmas/y477rbs/snow-tubing.mi