MIDDLETON, Wis. — Middleton High School seniors and hockey players Sean Ruhly, 17, and Spencer Kalscheur, 17, said being able to play hockey the past four years has been one of the best parts of their high school experience.
“A lot of things I’ve gained in my life have been through sports, especially hockey,” Ruhly said. “There’s been a lot of stuff I’ve had to overcome. Hockey has been a great de-stressor and a way to cope with those things and overall become a better person.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has cancelled a majority of their time on the ice this year. But the two took matters into their own hands when they decided to build an ice rink at Penni Park.
“Might as well go big or go home so we decided on two sheets. We are making them pretty big,” Kalscheur said. “This entire space is going to be filled up.”
Two Middleton High School Seniors are taking it upon themselves to build an outdoor ice rink for the community to enjoy. With unanimous approval from the City, the picture you see on the left will soon look like the picture on the right at Penni Klein Park!#Middleton #News3Now pic.twitter.com/gGoxR4VLTs
— Jamie Perez (@JamiePerezTV) November 11, 2020
The original intention was to build a makeshift ice rink for the hockey team to use, until they decided, “We are not always going to be on them so why not let other people join in and learn how to skate?”
With the help of the hockey team’s volunteer leader Steve Chafe, they set up a GoFundMe page to raise the money to build two ice rinks big enough for the community to enjoy.
“It’s been really fun to watch how much they want other people to enjoy the ice,” Chafe said.
They also needed the City’s approval to build it. When they presented their idea to the City in October, they got unanimous support.
“Any time we see an effort like this where the community has a great idea and is willing to put the work in, it makes it a lot easier for us from an approval standpoint and for us to get behind when there’s community support like this,” said Director of Public Lands, Recreation and Forestry Matt Amundson.
Ruhly, Kalscheur and members of their team have gone door to door, asking for donations to help turn their concept into reality.
“I’ve gained a lot of people skills through it,” Ruhly said. “I think I’ve learned a lot of things I wouldn’t have through school. Just real life situations that I’ve experienced. I’ve gained so much from it, it’s unbelievable.”
“I live just up the street here and we’ve been building outdoor rinks for five or six years now,” Kalscheur said. “Seeing it come together is going to be the best part of this project.”
They expect the supplies for the rink to arrive within the next two weeks. They said the Middleton Fire Department will help fill the rinks with water and they will wait for temperatures to drop down low enough to freeze over. They expect the rink to be ready for the community to use by mid-December.
“This will be an opportunity for everyone to get out, be socially distant, be within the COVID regulations, get some exercise and have some fun getting people together,” Kalscheur said.
If you would like to donate to their GoFundMe, click here.
They said any money they don’t use will be donated to the non-profit Middleton Youth Hockey Association. All materials will be donated to the City of Middleton. Amundson said he hopes to make more ice rinks in the years to come, even after Kalscheur and Ruhly graduate.
COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
