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THREE Ways to Save On Skating
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SIBLING DISCOUNT Crystal Ice House offers a discount of $10 when a second child registers for Group Lessons.
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MULTI-CLASS DISCOUNT Sign up for a second or third class and enjoy a discount of 20%.
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VIP SKATE CARD Every student enrolled in a group class receives a VIP Skate Card that provides skaters 12 opportunities to practice on one of the following options: VIP figure skating practice ice, Stick 'n Puck, and Public Skate. This translates to up to a $144 value during the duration of the session! Add the value of your skater potentially progressing faster through the Learn to Skate program and it's a win-win to be a VIP!
| Our Spring Ice Show "A Skater's Heart" is still open for registration for Group Lesson skaters through 3/23! Group Choreography practices begin right after Spring Break, and Picture Day will be Sunday 4/28. Don't miss the highlight of the figure skating year! Questions? Contact Kim Johnson. |
High School "Home Ice" Review
Crystal Ice House is pleased to share recent submissions from some of the high school teams who proudly call our rink home.
| This past December, the D155 Predators Hockey Club invited back its alumni members to participate in the first annual alumni skate held in several years. Participants spanned several decades in age and included former members of the D155 Predators Hockey Club as well as former players from Cary Grove, Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South, and Prairie Ridge High School. The D155 Predators Hockey Club is honored to have such strong support from its alumni members, families, friends, and community and we look forward to making this event even bigger and better in the years to come! Once a Pred, ALWAYS a Pred! |  | Kings High School Hockey Club is a not-for-profit volunteer-based club with student-athletes from Huntley, Jacobs, Hampshire, McHenry, Woodstock, and Woodstock North High Schools. The Kings High School Hockey Club rosters Varsity and JV teams and is part of the IHSHL North Central Division. In 2023-2024 the Kings rostered 56 athletes across 3 teams. Varsity finished 11th in the Champions division; JV1 finished 4th in the Champions division; JV2 finished 8th in the Silver division and won the Chicago Cup tournament series. In addition, 6 Kings players were selected for IHSHL North-Central Division All-Star team. |  | Barrington Broncos Hockey Club JV and Varsity teams celebrated their 50th Anniversary season, hosting over 30 games at Crystal Ice House including our annual Alumni Game and Senior Night, and our first ever Sponsor Night, recognizing local Barrington businesses who provided generous donations in support of the Broncos' 2023-2024 season. This was Barrington’s first full season with new Hockey Director John Lenzi. |  | Northwest Gold High School Figure Skating Team is based at the Crystal Ice House and was formed in 2022. The team has grown to include 16 student-athletes from 10 public, private, and homeschool high schools in the Northwest suburbs. Coached by our own Renee Tesmer-Brainerd, the team participated in the Illinois Skating Council's 2024 High School Figure Skating Series, an event consisting of three separate competitions that culminated with the last one on home ice on March 10. Northwest Gold's High Team finished 1st; Intermediate Team finished 6th; and Low Team finished 6th in the series. The High Team's trophy is proudly displayed in Crystal Ice House's entrance case. Northwest Gold will close out the 2024 season at the Midwest & Pacific Coast High School Sectional Final to be held April 6-7 at Robert Crown Community Ice Center in Evanston. |  |
Inaugural In-House Competition
March 3, 2024 was a day to remember for 30 of our Winter Group Lesson Skaters. It was their first time performing solo to music in front of a U.S. Figure Skating judge.
Skaters learned one-minute choreographed programs during Winter Group Lesson "Free Time". The routines highlighted level-specific skills skaters have been taught in class. When the music stopped, competitors skated to Wagon Wheel Figure Skating Club President and U.S. Figure Skating official, Lynn Lightfoot, and received a card outlining what Judge Lightfoot thought they did well and what they should keep improving. Every skater received a trophy for their efforts.
"The In-House Competition let aspiring figure skaters experience what it's like to take the ice at a competition," said Lynn. "The skaters made great efforts and should be proud of their accomplishments. Hopefully they all had fun and perhaps I will see them at future local competitions," Lynn added.
For a list of Crystal Ice House coaches who can lead interested skaters on the competitive path, contact Skating Director Kim Johnson.
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Hockey Wraps With Skills Showcase
Yellowjackets closed out the 2023-2024 season with their annual Super Skills Competition on March 16. The event - attended by 100 players ranging from Mite through Bantam - was a great success. Skills competitions players participated in included: hardest shot, quick hands, agility course, fastest skater, and most goalie saves. It was a day of friendly competition that celebrated the close of the fall season and created excitement for Spring Tryouts the next day. Congratulations to all of the award recipients!
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The Remarkable Run Of Stingers 1
Congratulations to Crystal Lake Stingers Team 1 for their exceptional achievements in the 2023-2024 fall mite travel hockey season! Not only did they clinch second place in the regular season going undefeated in all their 2024 games, Stingers 1 also showcased their skill and teamwork by winning the CCM Mite Madness Invitational, setting the stage for their post season run. Their journey continued, going undefeated in CUHL playoff action, and culminated in a dominating 7-1 victory in the league championship, securing the CUHL D1-B league title. Their performance this season is a testament to their hard work, determination, and unparalleled teamwork.
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When Brooke Gewalt learned that she was an alternate for the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she and Coach Lars Jensen were determined to keep training her programs daily "just in case". With a week to go, Team USA skater Ava Zeigler withdrew from Nationals, and Brooke received the call of a lifetime. A U.S. Figure Skating Double Gold Medalist in Skating Skills and Singles, Brooke became a hometown hero overnight. Brooke placed 15th in her short program and 17th in her free skate, earning her 16th overall amongst the top 18 women in the United States. You can read more about Brooke's path from the Crystal Ice House to the U.S. Championships in this article in the Northwest Herald. |  | Cindy Crouse placed 3rd in Championship Gold Women at the 2024 Midwestern Adult Figure Skating Sectional Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. "I was only half a point (.5) out of 1st place!" shared Cindy. The Championship Gold event qualified Cindy for the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio on April 3-6, 2024. In addition to her qualifying skate, Cindy also placed 1st in Adult Gold Women 2-5 and 1st in Adult Gold Comedy Showcase. "I began attending Adult Nationals in 2004, making this my 21st nationals," explained Cindy. "I've qualified for 17 of the 20 championship events over the years, which is always a great honor and challenge, especially since the competitors range in age from 21 to myself at 66." Cindy, your Crystal Ice House family wishes you good luck and a great skate! | |
Facility Update
Top of mind as we enter spring is our effort to replace our aging ice-making fleet. Last month Fire Wagon Hockey kicked-off the Ice Resurfacer Fund Benefiting the Crystal Ice House with an e-appeal and donations are arriving both online and in person. Every gift gets us closer to our goal to #cleantheice with three NEW Olympia machines. To read more about the case for new ice resurfacers, click on the logo above. We hope all families who have enjoyed gliding on our ice - past and present - will consider personally significant gifts to Phase 1 of this effort. Donations are tax deductable, subject to IRS tax laws.
David Lichterman
General Manager
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Since our last newsletter The Joint Chiropractic - Crystal Lake and Raising Cane's joined Summer Moon Coffee, Wagon Wheel Figure Skating Club, Illinois Bone & Joint, Stingers Hockey Club, and Rookies Sports Bar & Grill on our growing list of rink advertisers.
When you advertise with us, it's more than a billboard. You're supporting a nonprofit-owned recreation destination. We aim to treat our advertisers like family, offering our support with social media, newsletter, and in-rink shoutouts.
We also encourage in-person opportunities! Summer Moon graciously provided free coffee with their signature Moon Milk at the Illinois High School Figure Skating Competition on March 10. Dr. Curtis Kempel from The Joint Chiropractic attended Yellowjackets Super Skills Day on March 16 to share his services for free. Raising Cane's will host a swag table during the CCM Chi-Town Shuffle in April.
Interested in getting on our dasher boards and walls - or know a local business that would be a perfect fit? Act fast! Dasher board availability is limited to the line of sight from our stands. Reach out today!
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The Joint Chiropractic
Dr. Kempel shared his services on Yellowjackets Super Skills Day
| Crystal Lake Stingers with their dasher board | We're cooking up many local "Dine & Share" events this spring and summer. Stay tuned to our socials for opportunities to take dinner duty off your plate and support your favorite ice arena! |
"Try It" Tip!
We encourage scout troops to take advantage of our Try Skating / Try Hockey for Free events! Simply direct troop parents to sign up their child(ren) and meet at the rink for a fun, free active learning experience!
| The Crystal Ice House Apparel Shop is always open! The shop also will have Ice Show t-shirts in the month ahead. Don't see what you're looking for? Make a Crystal Ice House spirit wear request here. | Save 10% with promo-code 050d-330d | Got YJ apparel? Squadlocker does. Stock up today and sport fresh black and yellow at spring tournaments! |
Adults Learn to Play Hockey, Too!
An adult-focused learn-to-play hockey class is launching this summer. Created by Rec League player Shaun Kildare and coached by Wil Dausman (hockey skills) and Caryn Silver (skating skills), the class is for current, new, and returning adult players seeking to learn the basics of hockey skating and skills in a friendly environment. The ten 1.5 hour sessions (strategically placed on Wednesdays to keep summer weekends free!) will include skating skills and scrimmages. The class needs twenty registrations minimum to operate. Express your interest here or use the QR code in the graphic above.
| Sign up for Herbster Hockey's Spring Break Skills Clinic at Crystal Ice House and sharpen those skills for Spring Hockey! | |
