Op-Ed: Bridgepointe Skating Rink on Thin Ice, Rally Planned for Saturday

By Dina Artzt

Join us for a rally Saturday at noon at Bridgepointe Skating Rink before the ice breaks. The rally will start at noon at 2202 Bridgepoint Pkwy.

We must try to save one of the last precious resources for a sport that cannot be easily replaced. We have 9000 signatures in support of our rink. How many does it take for our voices to be heard?

Not even a year ago, the San Mateo Daily Journal wrote an article about how demand for ice time is skyrocketing at San Mateo and other rinks in the area. Ice is hard to come by and demolishing the Ice Center at San Mateo (AKA Bridgepointe Skating Rink) will mean fewer kids learn to skate or experience the thrill of ice hockey and figure skating.  

San Mateo families will face longer commutes, higher costs, and less convenient hours for kids who play hockey or compete in figure skating. The San Mateo rink is currently busy from early morning to late at night - 18 hours a day.  The closest rink, Belmont Iceland, is also at capacity and packed well into the night.  Unlike San Mateo, the Belmont rink isn't full size so some competition levels cannot play there.  All the rinks in the Bay Area are currently at capacity.  Closing San Mateo will increase demand on other rinks, increasing costs for San Mateo families that will now need to travel elsewhere.  

Interest in ice hockey in San Mateo continues to grow significantly.  This fall, the San Francisco Bulls pro hockey team will hold their inaugural season at the nearby Cow Palace. This will result in even more children taking hockey lessons and joining leagues. The California Cougars youth hockey program, serving kids as young as 5, is currently headquartered at the San Mateo rink.  

Many Cougar alumni are playing at college, junior, and professional levels; current skaters dream of one day following in their footsteps.  

Figure skating demands on ice time also continue to grow; recent San Mateo competitions have hosted well over three hundred skaters and their families.  

Ice Center at San Mateo has a legacy of amazing and accomplished U.S. figure skaters. Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi got her start in San Mateo. Gold medalist Brian Boitano and bronze medalist Debi Thomas also skated in San Mateo during their competitive careers.

While we appreciate SPI Holdings LLC's offer to build a park restroom and provide synthetic turf on an existing soccer field, we feel this will be of less benefit and use to the community than the rink.  The artificial turf will only increase playtime a few days a year.  Closing the rink will eliminate ice time year-round for thousands in our community.  

Losing the rink will greatly change the lives of San Mateo and other area families, many that moved here due to the rink.  The San Mateo City Council made a commitment to this community in their previous 5-0 votes to keep the rink.  An entire ice skating culture has grown and developed from that commitment.  We ask that the City Council not reverse its previous decisions and not change the current master plan to demolish the ice rink and build more chain stores.

A few quotes from young skaters who attended the May 6 San Mateo City Council meeting to speak out on behalf of Ice Center:

9 Year old girl…"I love bridge point so much. Bridgepointe is so special to me  We are a community and also a family. We have all these disastrous events happening around us. This is our safe place. This is an opportunity to keep us together."

16 year old hockey player stood up and red a poem: "Do we really need another store, fast food restaurant or store taking the place of this ice rink?  We have plenty of them.  It's a world of greed.  Fight for what you believe..We must stand up for what we believe..what's best..what's right and wrong.   Stealing, greed and breaking hearts. Ask yourself is this what a community wants or is this what they want?"

12 year old girl.."Whenever you go to the rink It's always smiles.  I'm there from 5AM to 12 PM.   It means so much to me.  Please don't take my rink away."

15 year old boy…"Breaking hearts, tearful please…do we really need turf on a soccer field and a toilet to replace our rink?   This is where I live.   We are tight knit family.  I may not have a hockey team to play on next year.   What am I going to do?  What is this for?  I don't understand.  I don't know what I am going to do if I can't play my hockey?"

SAVE THE BRIDGEPOINTE RINK LAST CHANCE RALLY.

IT’S  NEVER TOO LATE

PLEASE COME AND WRITE YOUR STORY.

PLEASE COME TO THE RALLY BEFORE THE ICE BREAKS.

For a video link to the May 6 San Mateo City Council meeting, click here.