Area residents play hockey on frozen pond at Fenimore Woods
One upside of brutal cold? Ponds freeze over for skating
RADNOR » The recent cold spell has been a boon for one group in Delaware County and the Main Line – outdoor ice hockey players.
With temperatures below freezing, area ponds are frozen over and that has brought skaters out to at least two township parks. The ponds at Fenimore Woods and the Willows were packed with hockey playing ice skaters over the long holiday weekend.
On Sunday at Fenimore Woods skaters had cleared snow from the pond to form six small rinks that were filled with children and adults chasing the puck around the ice. Over at the Willows three other rinks were also full of skaters.
“Obviously, it’s at your own risk,” said Radnor Parks and Recreation Director Tammy Cohen. “That type of recreational use of the pond requires the proper weather conditions. We want people to use commonsense and act accordingly.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources allows skating at many of its parks, including Marsh Creek State Park. The department recommends 4 inches of solid ice as the minimum thickness for a single person, 7 inches of solid ice minimum for small group.
“It’s great,” said Ted Gramiak, of Wayne, who was at Fenimore Woods with friends. “We’ve been coming here since 2003. As soon as it gets cold we come out. We’ve been out the whole weekend.”
One family brought benches and a portable fireplace and was enjoying a day at the rink Though declining to speak for the record, they said they had spent the better part of two days on the ice with family and friends.
“We used to skate on a pond by the Renaissance Hotel in Essington,” said Laura Gramiak of Tinicum as she took a break from a game on the ice. “The police closed that down. I learned of this place from my cousin.”
“Everyone can play,” said Jim Gruber as he put on his skates along the edge of the pond. “There is no crashing into boards.”
“Saturday was the best,” said Jim Leroux of Gladwyne. “Skating on the black ice before the snow fell. The freedom and the fresh air are great.”
For Leroux, Fenimore Woods pond is also a labor of love. He skates regularly at the Skatium in Havertown and he used to skate outdoors at Dove Lake in Gladwyne and the Haverford Collge duck pond but both of those spots have been closed. For the past 17 years when the weather gets cold Leroux monitors the ice on his way to work in Wayne. Once the ice is thick enough, which doesn’t happen every year, he sends out an e-mail blast to friends to come out and skate.
On Sunday, Leroux could be seen filling cracks in the ice with water, which will quickly freeze. He hoped the action could continue into next week with the cold weather expected to stick around.
Leroux was also hoping not to have snow, which he said is difficult to move and can ruin the surface if it turns to slush and then refreezes.
Local pond hockey even appeals to the greats. On a cold day in 2010, Flyers’ great John LeClair was spotted at the Willows with his two sons who were skating.
“Pond hockey is probably the most pure fun of playing hockey,” said LeClair at the time. “You just go out there, no rules, no refs, no coaches … probably the best memories of playing hockey.”