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 Residents of Riverside South can be thankful for the efforts of a select group of volunteers who have been braving cold temperatures to lay down ice surfaces at three different community park locations; Mountain Meadows, Spratt and Four Seasons. Conditions permitted the rinks to open for skating in late December, and despite a somewhat steady dose of flurries this past week, the surfaces have been improved by routine scraping and flooding. Our goal is to provide the greatest amount of outdoor ice time possible, as conditions and volunteer availability will permit.
The Riverside South Community Association not only appreciates the dedication of its all volunteer workforce, but also the financial support that it receives in terms of grant funding from the City of Ottawa. The result can be seen in the enjoyment of the many participants, eager and already taking full advantage of what has been established and accomplished. These local community facilities are just 3 of the 240 plus skating surfaces that you will find throughout Ottawa this year, in addition to the NCC sponsored Rideau Canal. To the best of our ability, local rink conditions will be updated on our website as frequently and timely as possible. Users can also update them if it is noted that they are significantly different from your most recent experience. Additionally the ottawarinkconditions.ca website will allow you to check the conditions of other outdoor rinks in the City. Considering the amount of work required to keep the facilities in operating condition, we encourage you to dig in and grab one of the site shovels to help clear the snow, particularly after a minor snowfall. After larger snowfalls you can expect that our team of volunteers will do their best to get the rinks back into skating condition as soon as reasonably possible. As a community oriented program we expect that all skaters and participants will all have an enjoyable time and experience; best made possible when participants respect both fellow users and the facility itself. While sticks and pucks are permitted on all of the surfaces, non-boarded rinks are designed for pleasure skating, not hockey, particularly when pleasure skaters are present. Among the regular users of these facilities we expect to see our local schools during the course of their Physical Education Classes, between the hours of 9am and 3pm. Outside of these hours the ice is available to all, and under certain conditions will be available for special interest groups to conduct “exclusive access” activities. Exclusive access must be arranged through the RSCA Recreation Coordinator, subject to limits in time, duration and type of activity. You are encouraged to routinely check the RSCA website for planned events or restrictions. Again, do take the time to enjoy these wonderful facilities. Where possible please lend a hand, and by all means stop and thank one of the handful of volunteers who truly make this possible for many to enjoy. Should you care to learn how to become a greater part of the volunteer team, contact any one of the rink operators below. This is the third year that the Riverside South Community will have outdoor ice surfaces at Spratt Park, and the fourth year for Mountain Meadows. Building on the lessons learned from last season, the generosity of volunteers and support of the City, the RSCA hopes that you will find these ice facilities enjoyable and to your liking as we continue to invest time and energy into our growing Community.
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