Three frosts and there is already a lot of skating in the center of Den Helder. After two years of absence, there is finally an artificial ice rink again in the Beatrixstraat. It seems like a prelude to skating on natural ice. Many ice clubs have flooded the fields and most of them are already closed, although the ice is not yet thick enough. So first practice on the artificial ice. And it doesn’t matter that it’s artificial ice: “It’s great that it’s possible again. We’re a real skating country, so we love that.”
“I’ve made countless laps and I can already do a few pirouettes,” says Syenna. She is at the skating rink with her little brother Landis and Beata. Beata has no skates on. “I used to skate a lot on natural ice, but now I don’t dare anymore.” And Landis is already happy that he is still standing. He is just learning to skate. “It goes well.”
It is certainly going well, says Jan Mooij of the local business association that once again took care of the ice rink. “It’s a resounding start and incredibly busy. We hesitated for a long time because of energy prices and corona. But everything is open; the theater, the swimming pools, so we said: exercise and enjoy sports.”
Thick and safe
Mooij doesn’t mind at all that it also freezes nicely for the natural ice rinks. “It is only getting busier as a result, we have noticed in previous years. And it is always safe here anyway, because you cannot sink through the ice.”
Still, Syenna likes the natural ice a little more than the artificial ice rink: “Last year we skated at Queelderduijn and then we also went sledding. Natural ice is more fun, because it’s bigger there, but then the ice has to be thick enough and safe.”
In between the fast skaters, Jesse comes along with a large orange helper ‘seal’. That way he stays upright. “It’s going well, but I haven’t done it for a long time, because the skating rink was there.” Jesse hopes to be able to make laps without help within an hour. And soon on natural ice. “We have a ditch behind the house and then we can skate there. But also nice when it’s warm, because then you can swim.”
Irene, Jesse’s mother, later ties the skates on the artificial ice rink. “First Jesse has to be able to skate himself. Two years ago he skated without help. Great, I used to skate a lot. I can only skate on Norwegians. That’s not allowed here, but we live in the Boatex district on the water hopefully soon we will be able to skate from the jetty. It is already starting to freeze over.”
The artificial ice rink in Beatrixstraat is still open until 8 January. All primary schools in Den Helder can skate for free for an hour and secondary school students can use the ice rink at a discount. “We just want a lot of children to come skating. It’s great skating weather. This is really part of Dutch life.”