Ice skating ring at Lordi’s attracts amateur skaters

The ice skating ring built at the Lordi’s square in Rovaniemi city centre has created an opportunity for ice skaters, whether expert or amateur.

The skating ring attracts people, especially tourists and mostly amateur to practise skating.

A spot visit found a significant number of tourists from home and abroad enjoying the ice skating in the ring.

A Japanese couple, Yusuke Shimoura and Takako Shimoura, along with their five-year-old daughter Soma Shimoura, were found practising skating in the ring. The couple both of whom are schoolteachers told Daily Finland that they could do ice skating, although their child had no experience.

“We have skating facilities in Japan but not very wide. We are having fun while skating. But it still is difficult for us,” Yusuke Shimoura said.

Another elderly couple, David Janet and Phippard, along with their grandchildren Cooper Newman and Taylor Newman, reached Rovaniemi from Australia. They were skating in the ring. “This is for the first time I am skating. It is still hard to me. I think it will be easier after a few days’ practice. We will have fun,” said the 12-year-old Taylor Newman.

He said that he was very happy to see the skating ring, which is free and open to all. He also tried skiing.

The 14-year-old Cooper Newman said that she had a little experience of skating but still it was not an easy task for her. She, however, said that skiing was easier than skating.

An ice hockey player from Russia, Felix, his daughter Fedor and son Artem were also practising skating in the ring. “We think it is a great opportunity for us to enjoy skating here,” said Felix, adding that they also like other winter sports such as skiing, ice hockey, downhill skiing, etc.

FunOnIce built the ice skating ring here this time for the second consecutive year after building ice slide at Lordi’s Square in 2011–2016, the company’s co-owner Juha Eskelinen told Daily Finland.

FunOnIce, which has has been in operation from Vanhatori since 2007, has been renting out ice skates and teaching people to skate as part of its main service from the beginning.

“In 2011-2016, we built an ice slide at Lordi’s Square and, last year, an ice skating ring,” said Eskelinen, adding that he along with Pekka Makkonen own the company.

In reply to a question about the idea for the skating ring, he said that even though Vanhatori is very close to the city centre, they wanted to bring ice skating in front of Sampokeskus, because there was enough space for it and a lot of people would find it easier than going to Vanhatori.

“It makes the square alive. More people and whole family activities without pollution (gasoline). Of course, it’s also a business for us,” he added. Eskelinen said that people could take their won equipment to use the skating ring free. “Some local people also use it. But most of the people doing ice skating at Lordi’s Square are tourists,” he said.

He also said that there are a number of ice skating rings in Rovaniemi, offering many options to choose from.

“So I think we have enough rings to do ice skating, but a track on the river or on the Kirkkolampi would be great — a longer one, where the track is made simply by clearing a path from the snow,” he added.