Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1313524
few months ago, I genuinely thought that as long as we all followed local government and health officials' guidelines, COVID-19 would be under control and ice rinks would be moving toward pre- pandemic business as usual. But with infection levels rising again, there are still many states that haven't allowed ice rinks to fully reopen. To make matters worse, the CDC posted a report on their website about an outbreak of COVID-19 associated with an adult hockey game held in June at an ice rink in Florida. Although the author stated "Cloth face masks for disease control were not used in the locker rooms or during the game." He came to the conclusion that "The ice rink provides a venue that is likely well suited to COVID-19 transmission as an indoor environment where deep breathing occurs, and persons are in close proximity to one another." Whether we agree or disagree with the author's conclusions, it appears that this report may have caught the attention of some state health officials. Since the report was released, a handful of Eastern states have made public health policy decisions specific to ice hockey and indoor ice rinks due to COVID-19 outbreaks in those states. I predict that it won't be long before more state health officials follow suit and choose to either keep their current limited capacity and participation restrictions in place for ice hockey and ice rinks, or worse yet decide to close ice rinks because they have been led to believe that ice sports are 'high risk' activities and indoor ice rinks are 'well suited' to COVID-19 transmission. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you put your COVID-19 safety protocols into writing and present them to your local health department officials as soon as possible. If you haven't done so already, you can use the 'Returning to the Rinks' document that we created in conjunction with USA Hockey and U.S. Figure Skating in the Spring to help guide you in creating your protocols. Your health department has the authority to close your business, so they need to know that you have implemented a comprehensive plan and you are doing everything within your power to ensure that your ice rink is following or exceeding their guidelines. In addition, I encourage you and your staff to continue to clearly communicate and strictly enforce the COVID-19 safety protocols that you have already put into place at your rink. I know that you have some customers that don't want to follow the rules and confronting those people is very uncomfortable. You do have the right to refuse service to anyone who chooses to not follow your rules. "No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service." I sincerely wish you and your loved one's safety and health. — Jeff Theiler, Chief Operating Officer, United States Ice Rink Association Opening ADDRESS Welcome from Jeff Theiler Proactive Policies Can Prevail No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service. THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED STATES ICE RINK ASSOCIATION NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 // VOL. 23, NO. 6 USICERINKS.COM // INFO@USICERINKS.COM C E O Steve Farbman P R E S I D E N T James McEwen S E N I O R V I C E P R E S I D E N T David Jensen C O N T R O L L E R Mike Schwarz C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R Rob Johnson A RT D I R E C T O R Mike DeArmond S E N I O R D E S I G N E R Brandon Favre D E S I G N E R S Kelsey Cherwinka, Melanie Schumacher A D S A L E S Bryan Nelson M A R K E T I N G & AC C O U N T M A NAG E R Jessica Disch E D I T O R S : Aaron Paitich, Jessi Pierce M A R K E T I N G C O O R D I NAT O R Elizabeth Boger RINK Magazine is the definitive business publication for professionals in the ice rink industry and is the leading source for information on facility management, operations and programming. PUBLISHING PARTNER 505 North Highway 169, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55441 P H : (763) 595-0808 FA X : (763) 595-0016 E - M A I L : info@touchpointmedia.com W E B S I T E : touchpointmedia.com Mission: "To advance the ice rink industry through membership, world-class education, training, resources and events." C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R Jeff Theiler D I R E C T O R , E D U CAT I O N John Monteleone O F F I C E A S S I S T A N T Tom Wacker P H : ( 719) 538-1149 FA X : (719) 538-7838 E - M A I L : info@usicerinks.com W E B S I T E : usicerinks.com A P R O G R A M O F E D I T O R Aaron Paitich M A NAG I N G E D I T O R Jessi Pierce C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R S Joshua R. Adams, Eric Dursin, John Monteleone, Jeff Theiler, H. Bernard Tisdale, Ryan Williamson E D I T O R I A L B OA R D T.C. Lewis, Craig Petersen D E S I G N E R S Mike DeArmond, Brandon Favre, Kelsey Cherwinka, Melanie Schumacher 14 / NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2020 USICERINKS.COM A