Berkeley Iceland's Place in Skating - National Championships and Beyond
The US Figure Skating Championships are back in the Bay Area. Saturday was the rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony, which takes place on Thursday, 25 January. It was fun to watch dozens of skaters of all ages going through the program with Rudy Galindo. The theme of the program honors history-making skaters with links to the Bay Area - Rudy, Kristi Yamaguchi (represented by her extremely cute daughter, Emma), Brian Boitano, Debi Thomas, and Peggy Fleming. All deserve to be honored for their accomplishments, both as athletes and beyond. It would be good to also remember the historic place which played a big role in developing skating on the West Coast - Berkeley Iceland.
Sixty five years ago Berkeley Iceland hosted the first US Figure Skating Championship west of the Mississippi River. National Championships were hosted here two more times over the next twenty years - three times in total. It was a place where these USFS honorees and other local champions worked on their skills, displayed their talent, and shared their passion for skating with the community. Rather than being honored for its place in history and the decades of healthy fun it hosted, it stands empty and neglected. It deserves recognition for its contribution to the skating community.
No recognition is given by the owners, East Bay Iceland (Richard Zamboni, president), who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a (thankfully) unsuccessful fight for the right to tear it down. The City of Berkeley, which seems to prefer a store to an active recreation center, makes no recognition of the fact Berkeley Iceland was made eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 or its role in the Berkeley community. Even those of us who support the return of Berkeley Iceland as the community hub it once was have not been active enough in garnering acknowledgment of our rink’s special place in the skating world. That needs to change.
It is great to honor all the amazing athletes with Bay Area connections who have achieved top recognition in their sport; they often use their fame to give back to their communities, both skating and beyond. They are the first to acknowledge the support they got from their family, friends, and community. Often it is a special place which brings this all together. Berkeley Iceland was and can again be one of those special places with connections to Brian and Peggy and Kristi and Rudy and thousands more - something that should be recognized.
Berkeley Iceland is acknowledged to be an historic place which made major contributions to the development of figure skating on the West Coast. For over 67 years it was a uniquely Berkeley institution where millions of people with a wide variety of skills and backgrounds shared the joy of skating. A few of them rose to greatness in the sport, but everyone had fun. Berkeley Iceland should be recognized for both sides - its high profile history and contribution to our community.
Save Berkeley Iceland