indirect brine system, a sport shop, a party hall, two dance rooms, bleachers that seat 1,000 and a skate rental area with 1,500 pairs of skates. SDIA employs an average of 80 people

— 10 full-time positions plus professional and junior figure skating coaches, hockey coaches and 40 energetic “Skate Heroes” dedicated to delivering the SDIA mission: to WOW every customer with a remark- able experience. Open daily from 4:45 a.m. to midnight,

363 days a year, SDIA maintains a full pro- gramming schedule serving all facets of its customer base.

SDIA’s recreational skating school pro-

gram is among the largest in the country, with 12-week semesters for skaters of all ages and skill levels. Its well-attended public session pro-

gram includes consistently scheduled daily skates and themed weekend ses- sions. Family Party sessions are designed for families with children ages 5 to 12. Birthday party, group and fundraiser pro- grams take the ice with group lessons, with entertainment provided by a live DJ in center ice, disco lights, snow machines and legendary SDIA mascot Ice Qub lead- ing fun games and activities.

“We consider public sessions to be a marketing tool for the rest of our programs.” —Gaston Larios

Teenage Meltdown provides a safe and

healthy environment for teens to have fun with their friends. Disco lights set the stage for the live DJ, and skate themes range from fast skate to the infamous snowball fight.

Adult Night is for those 16 and older

who wish to meet new people while enjoying skating to ’80s and ’90s tunes. “We consider public sessions to be a

marketing tool for the rest of our pro- grams,” notes Larios. “Tis is where an ice arena can focus on sustainable busi- ness — making sure a first-time skater has a wonderful experience and wants to come back to learn more. We track every learn-to-skate and learn-to-play enroll- ment daily to find out how they heard about us, and 80 percent of them had a previous experience at a public session, birthday party or summer camp. Teaching employees to take five minutes of their time for a first-time skater could result in a future figure skating competitor and a skater for life. It takes a lot of effort, but it is well worth it.”

The SDIA Oilers hockey program includes youth and adult leagues as well as tournament and travel team options.

14 ISI EDGE WINTER 2014