Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/726594
STARRINKS.COM SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER.2016 / 17 able to add extra traveling teams, so kids that are only playing in-house hockey now are able to play on traveling teams, so the in-house program grew. The traveling teams actually grew," Colborn says. "The numbers went up across the board. "The thing we're most proud of is that the community made this happen." ICONic Support Kyle Kvamme of the ICON Architectural Group estimates as many as 500 locals helped fund the $13 million arena, without help from city or state government. That's impressive for a town just short of 55,000. Some gave $100; others gave tens of thousands. In fact, both ice sheets get their names from families who were especially generous—the RydellCars Rink and the Jed. Millions in contributions from business donors, including the Blue Line Club and architectural group, and a 40-acre land donation to the Grand Forks Park District also helped. "The people in Grand Forks, when they want something, they kind of rally behind it," Colborn says. "We've got Choice Health & Fitness. It's on the same 40 acres as the ICON Sports Center. We didn't ask for any tax dollars to build either facility." Before building the youth area, the ICON Architectural Group built the nearby $104 million Ralph Engelstad Arena, which some consider one of the best in the world, alongside many others. Kvamme says the group itched to bring its expertise to a smaller project when it teamed with the Parks District. "We've worked on the Staples Center; we've worked on the Toyota [Sports] Center," says Kvamme. "We've learned from huge, hundred-million-dollar projects and scale[d] it down. I guess we're just proud of seeing how far it's come and seeing what we could do." What they've done continues to impress. The ICON Center boasts two sheets of ice, with enough infrastructure to expand to four sheets when the community's ready in a decade or so. A giant community room with viewing decks overlooks both rinks, where families can stay warm while watching their kids skate. Holes in the glass let them hear the sounds of competition. They can even watch two games at once. Players can also build strength and agility at an in-house training center which overlooks the RydellCars Rink. Even through the summer, Colborn sees kids up at 6 a.m. working on their dryland with a personal trainer, hoping their efforts will transfer to improvement on the ice. Youth hockey rules the show at ICON, and the future looks promising for the Grand Forks community. FAMILIES TREKKED MILES OUT OF TOWN FOR TOURNAMENTS. LACK OF ICE TIME HAD LEAGUES TURNING HUNDREDS OF KIDS AWAY. THAT WAS, UNTIL THE COMMUNITY RAISED $11 MILLION TO BUILD THE ICON SPORTS CENTER.