The Ozaukee Ice Center

I grew up figure skating here (late 90’s) when they had one rink. So when I went to watch a hockey game I totally missed the fact that they have a second rink now (DUH!) and I watched a period of the wrong game. oops.
Prepare yourself, this rink is pretty cold, but I’ve been told they do have a second floor heated viewing area… and there is a warmer viewing area on the ends of the rink.

My 6-​year old is taking ice skating lessons here and I’ll keep taking her to the lessons, but I was disappointed with the operations. My daughter forgot her helmet and it turns out the Ozaukee Ice Center doesn’t sell helmets. They sell nachos, hot dogs, horrible smelling popcorn, low-​quality coffee, etc. But no helmets… or anything else useful to ice skaters, either.
So after my daughter’s lesson, I put two quarters into one of those little machines that spits out a cheap toy; it was going to be her reward for following her instructor’s directions and behaving well. The machine ate my quarters and wouldn’t dispense a toy. No big deal. I go to the concessions counter and let the teenage girl know that the machine isn’t working and I’d either like someone to pluck a toy out of it for my daughter or give me fifty cents. She goes into the office area where a couple men are sitting at desks eating sandwiches not sold at the concession counter (can’t blame them for that) rather than helping at the busy skate rental counter or the busy concession counter. Girl comes back and reports that because the machine does not belong to the Ice Center and they don’t receive any money from it, no one will either give my kid a toy or reimburse me fifty damn cents. She was very nice and apologetic. I asked her to go tell the sandwich eaters in the back that they just made a 6-​year old cry (true story; she cried).
The actual ice skating instructors seemed great and I loved watching my daughter improve skill-​wise and have fun on the ice. The getting-​on-​the-​ice process was clusterfudgey because dozens of kids were all trying to get through the doorway while the instructors were setting up their areas. A staff person keeping it more organized would have helped.
There it is. If management would postpone their sit-​down lunches long enough to help out employees during a very busy portion of the day, that would be great. If they wouldn’t be so damn stingy about fifty cents that a machine they installed ate, that would be great. If they sold safety gear, that would be great (and pssst!- profitable, too). I have two kids and although I’d like to get them into ice hockey, I’ve got no problem changing plans if Ozaukee Ice Center is my only option. And I’ve got no problem telling all the other suburban mommies and daddies that the jackwads in back stole money from a child and didn’t offer a damn thing in return, not even getting off their behinds to personally apologize for ruining my kid’s morning.

I found myself shivering in the Ozaukee Ice Center during the hottest day of the summer, 2011. It was one of the most welcome sensations I’d felt in weeks.
The OIC offers free admission to Ozaukee County residents and rentals of their skates go for $ 3. The young lady working the desk didn’t bother to check our IDs and just gave us the discount, so admission must be negligible if you aren’t an Ozaukee County Resident. That’s awesome, ‘cuz I totally can’t afford to live in most of Ozaukee County anyway.
Public skating hours at the OIC are fairly abbreviated when compared to those of the Pettit National Ice Center: two or so hours a day, five days a week. Personally, I can enjoy an ice skating experience in two hours or less, so their schedule worked just fine for me. I don’t need sore ankles for any more than two hours.
On another personal note, I’ve made the acquaintance of one member of the Pettit family and, when I find myself in the mood to endanger myself on an ice rink and basically look like a fool for an hour or so, I’d rather not indirectly support her or her already wealthy family.
The changing area at OIC is a little sparse. I either had to skate carrying my purse and shoes, or leave them unattended unnervingly close to the front door. I figured my purse was crap and my flip-​flops were trash, so I’d be safe, but other people may not feel as inclined.
Concessions are available, including ooey-​gooey nachos made with cheese of unknown provenance. Yum. (Seriously!)
The best part about visiting the OIC was being there when air conditioners can’t keep up, when leather seats inside my boyfriend’s car made me want to cry. For $ 3, I was the happiest (and coldest) I’d been all summer.