The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Pandemic is pushing ice rinks to the brink
Scotland’s ice rinks are in the grip of a fight for survival as curlers struggle with being frozen out of their sport.
After a brief return to the ice, stricter coronavirus controls have put the future of some rinks in jeopardy.
The biggest names in the spor t are rallying behind a campaign to highlight the desperate financial situation facing facilities across the country.
Forfar Indoor Sports has suspended curling and indoor bowling, with owner Mike Ferguson fearing a bleak time ahead.
Mr Ferguson is chairman of the Scottish Ice Rink Association, which has seen suppor t from top-flight curlers including Olympian and world gold medallist Eve Muirhead in its fight to bring the industry’s plight to the attention of government.
He said: “Without ice rinks we have no ice sports and the threat of long-term closure is a real one for many rinks around the country.
“We are currently not operating either curling or indoor bowling.
“We managed to ge t around three weeks of curling before we had to stop again.
“But we are probably in a slightly better position than some, in that we are able to run ice skating sessions on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.
“Those are on vastly reduced numbers and our stewards have to police them very tightly to ensure all the requirements are met.
“Every single session is sold out, which tells you how desperate people are to get out and enjoy activities like skating.”
Scottish rinks in Tier 4 areas have already taken the costly decision to lift their ice.
Mr Ferguson said: “The surface takes two to three weeks to make and you are looking at a cost of perhaps £10 ,000 to £15,000.
“Our ice is still down but running the plant and equipment at Forfar is around £500 to £1,000 per week and we have received very little support.”
The shutdown could also impact on mental wellbeing of elderly players.
Mr Ferguson said: “Many of our curlers and bowlers are elderly and I also worry about the mental health impact of this whole situation on them.
“They enjoy coming here to meet friends and I fear that we may just lose the elderly players.
“They were literally in tears when they were able to come back through the doors.
“We will be making decisions depending on how the situation changes, but it is a nightmare situation for the industry and the sport. We may be forced into the decision of having to lift our ice.”
The national association predicts revenues will be slashed by at least 50% this season.
Olympic bronze medallist Muirhead said: “Curling is my life.
“I’ve been a top level curl er for many years now and I’m hoping to carry that on for many years.
“But I would like to see the sport grow in Scotland and with rinks closing the prospect of allowing the sport to grow is very, very slim.”
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The threat of long-term closure is a real one for many rinks around the country