46 | Winter
•
2009
Sports
T
here are places in this country where kids grow up ice skating. These
are cold places, places where hockey sticks are propped up in the
corners of bedrooms and parents with large backyards buy do-it-
yourself ice rink kits to entertain their kids all winter. Fayetteville, NC
is not one of those places.
There are some chilly days here each winter and even some
snowball fights. But, often as not, the days that drop below freezing are book-ended
by days of bizarre temperatures that climb into the 60's. A backyard ice rink wouldn't
last long here. People here who want to test their skills on the ice have to find an
indoor place to do it and there's only one place within 50 miles of Fayetteville with
an ice rink:
Cleland Multi-Purpose Sports Complex on Fort Bragg.
Fortunately, it's open to the public and it's a year-round facility,
which means that even in the summer, when your shirt is
soaked through with sweat and it feels like your shoes will melt
to the pavement, you can duck into Cleland for a dash around
the ice. It's cold enough inside that you'll be thankful that you
remembered to bring a sweatshirt.
THERE'S FUN TO BE HAD ON THE ICE
By Rebekah Sanderlin
SOUTH
SUNNY
IN THE
EVEN
Hockey lessons are available
at Cleland Ice Rink
