LU Ice Center: Now Open

[El Scorcho]

The LaHaye Ice Center opened today and the first public skating hours have appeared on the University Calendar. (1pm-4pm today) Just thought I'd make a note of it.

[PAmedic]

cool (literally). anyone who hasn't seen them- pix are up on the hockey thread. Very nice job on the ice surface by the looks of things.

[bigsmooth]

it is big time. medic do you have your permission slip signed?

[PAmedic]

weelllllll, there's a slight childcare issue. Right now I'm lobbying to bring the lad along- never too early to start cultivating a hockey fan.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed- if SHE says its up to me and the boy, I think it may happen.

[PAmedic]

nice mention in this write up in the fishwrap about Winterfest. Also sounds like the Vines IS getting replaced w/ an 18,000 seat arena. Maybe we can give the old one to Winthrop! LOL

Winterfest hits Hill City

Ron Brown
[e-mail]
January 1, 2006

With two hours to go to Winterfest 2005 on Friday, Jennifer Stone was busy in her first attempt at ice-skating at the newly opened LaHaye Ice Center on the Liberty University campus.
"It was scary at first," she admitted.

Still, the 11-year-old North Carolina girl was determined to succeed. She clutched the rink's sideboards as she made her way around for the first time.

"I'm going to continue trying to do it," she said.

Stone was attending Winterfest with other members of the Salem Baptist Church's youth group from Sneads Ferry, N.C.

Winterfest, a high-energy Christian rock music festival that stretches over the New Year's holiday, was designed to introduce its attendees to the appealing features of the LU campus.

A portion of the activities will focus on the ice center - the only collegiate ice center this side of Delaware - and the LaHaye Student Center, which features five contiguous basketball floors and a NCAA regulation-sized swimming pool.

In the same building, LU has a state-of-the-art indoor running track.

LU chancellor, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, said the new facilities are an integral part of LU's recruiting plan.

"The indoor track has been explosive," he said. "It's unreal how excited regional high schools are about the indoor track."

High school groups are equally interested in using LU's pool.

"Liberty University is only as strong as its appeal to middle and high school students in the region," Falwell said.

Winterfest's primary focus is on middle and high school students who may be interested in attending a Christian college.

The annual event, which is in its fourth year, draws youngsters from several states and is LU's primary recruiting event of the year.

"When you are through high school, we hope you'll come be with us," Falwell told 4,500 youngsters gathered in LU's Vines Center on Friday evening.

The opening night included Christian music, a speaker and an extreme bicycling exhibition designed to portray LU as having a cutting-edge personality.

Saturday night's events, which would usher in the new year, were expected to draw 6,000 people.

Falwell said as LU's facilities continue to grow, Winterfest has the potential to grow.

He said he has plans to put an 18,000-seat facility on the campus in order to accommodate the school's growing residential population.

"I'm looking for a donor," he said.
LU requires its residential students to attend convocation services three times a week and will soon outgrow the Vines Center. Falwell has a stated goal of having 25,000 residential students in about 10 years.

Falwell said the new facility could be also be used for Thomas Road Baptist Church's annual Super Conference.

The number of available hotel rooms would limit the number of persons attending both Winterfest and Super Conference.

[jimflamesfan]

Well, if we expand William's stadium to hold 30,000...we could go back to having convo outside! How about that for an idea?

[PAmedic]

why not make it a dome while you're at it?

[PAmedic]

Liberty's Ice Center Ready for Action

by Scott LaPeer

Things have suddenly gotten a little bit cooler on Liberty's north campus and it's not just the chilling temperatures that's raising eyebrows.

"It's awesome! I can't believe what I'm doing. Ice skating.... in Lynchburg," said Chris Ferrier, a 16-year old Lynchburg resident public skating for the first time. "It totally brings something to the city that we've never had before. It's going to be huge around here."

After months of anxious planning and preparation, January 1 marked the opening of Liberty University's LaHaye Ice Center. The historical development (it's the first ice rink established in the city's lengthy history) is creating new opportunities at every stop, and perhaps none is bigger than that which Liberty has provided for its own personal purpose-- a long-awaited home for its men's ice hockey program.

With Head coach Kirk Handy's team (10-5 before the winter break) holding their first ever on-campus practice January 9, the facility readies for its official christening with a pair of weekend games pitting the Flames against George Mason University. Just two weeks after the ice center's opening, and 35 years of institutional operation, Liberty University will host an ice hockey game on its campus, and members of the Flames hockey team are already feeling the home-ice advantage.

"It's amazing to get on the ice and look around and know that you're right on campus and actually representing Liberty in its community" said sophomore defenseman Kevin Dykstra. "I think that's the biggest thing now for all of us, that we're actually supporting a hockey program in the city of Lynchburg itself."

Liberty looks forward to Lynchburg reciprocating support as the ice center will facilitate a standing-room crowd of about 3,500 once all seating fixtures have been put in and already has a total of 850 pair of rental skates from children's to men's size 13 laced up and shelved for daily rental.

With great excitement and high expectations for 2006, Liberty hockey is inspired to become a figuration of the large, blue-and-red "LU" letters at the new arena's center circle, hoping to grow as a central attraction on campus for many years to come.

"It's a great feeling knowing that a lot of fans will be here watching a hockey game for the first time. We're going to get out to the community and to students as well. We had a lot of dedicated fans who would drive to Roanoke to watch us play, so now I think our fan base among the students is only going to get better and better over the years, starting with this semester," said Dykstra.

History will be made this Friday Night at 8:00 PM as the LU Flames take on George Mason for the first time ever in Lynchburg, VA at the LaHaye Ice Center. Tickets are $5 here at the LaHaye Ice Center, and at the Ticket Office at the Vines Center. Tickets are $6 at the door the night of the game.

[LUconn]

That'd be my dream: A Carrier Dome-esque building on campus. Of course that situaion up at SU in completely unique of all of the country and is not likely anywhere else. Maybe if the local businesses would get involved with donating, even though they hate us. Is the carrier dome named after carrier air conditioners or is carrier just a regional thing? I know that's where that company hails from. Lynchburg is known for shoe factories I think. We could call it the Shoe Dome. Or better yet the Sole Dome. A little play on words.

[PAmedic]

how 'bout the Scarborough Dome.

theres a play on words for ya

[bigsmooth]

yes the carrier corporation was the sole donor for that facility. i believe they have donated a lot to SU in other areas. it is a truly loud place and a great home court advantage. something like that at LU would be very interesting indeed.

[Sly Fox]

Actually, they aren't the only one with a dome like that. Northern Iowa has one as does one of the Dakota schools, I believe. But they aren't generally the most practical facilities from a financial standpoint.

As for the Carrierdome ... I still can't believe it doesn't have air conditioning. Unbelievable.

[PittLU]

I have attended a football game in the Carrier Dome and it is one heck of a facility! It is intimate even though it looks expansive on TV. Plus it gets really loud and hot. Oh, and they serve beer which I thought was odd since it is on a college campus (there are no beer sales at Heinz Field for Pitt games except in the luxury suites).

Not a bad idea for LU. Don't underestimate Jerry and the power of his fundraising skills. A facility like that would be practical from on operations standpoint because of convocation. It would be an albatrose - just like Carrier Dome. All that seating in the middle of small time Lynchburg. Oh and Lynchburg is known for Liberty so it would be the Liberty Dome.

[El Scorcho]

lupitt said:

Not a bad idea for LU.

Wait. Are we talking about the beer or the dome? ;D

I kid! I kid!

[jimflamesfan]

PittLU - what you are saying makes perfect sense...at least way more sense than building a new 30,000 seat basketball facility.

Even if we only had a 30,000 indoor dome football facility like East Tennesee State had, it could be used for convocation, and for football...

But here's even another idea...since the new Thomas Road is going to be on campus...isn't it supposed to seat 12,000 at first and be expandable to 28,000 or something like that...and the reasoning behind the "new basketball" center was to have space for 20-30 thousand student convocation, why not have convocation at the new church when the campus get's that large.

Save the money and don't build an unnecessary stadium. I think a better investment would be a parking garage behind the Vines center...more student parking is always needed, and the community might become more involved if they could park closer to the Vines.

THe current Vines is more than fine for our basketball...