John Torres, left, helps his daughter, Sawyer Torres, 4, skate Thursday at the Greeley Ice Haus, 900 8th Ave. (Sara Knuth/sknuth@greeleytribune.com)
Sophia Torres fell down at least twice.The 6-year-old, though, popped right back up both times and continued to skate with about 100 others on Thursday afternoon at the Greeley IceHaus.Winter break is in full swing, and maybe it’s even dragging a little bit for some area parents and kids, who have another 10 days of vacation before Greeley-Evans School District 6 schools reopen Jan. 7.So, to soothe post-Christmas blues and unleash stir crazy kids, John Torres, Sophia’s dad, brought his daughters to Greeley from their home in Eaton to take advantage of the city’s public skating hours at the IceHaus, 900 8th Ave.Torres, a Town of Eaton police officer, held 4-year-old daughter, Sawyer, off ice as Sophia skated with friends.”We like to keep them active so they’re not sitting at home playing on an iPad,” Torres said of he and his wife, Erin, who missed the family fun while at work. “I think it’s great.”On Wednesday, the Torres’ spent time swimming at the Eaton Recreation Center. The same option exists in Greeley, where, as at the IceHaus, there are open swim hours at the Family FunPlex to accommodate families looking for something to do during winter break.Scott Schuttenberg, recreation superintendent for the City of Greeley, said the city owned and operated facilities have hosted these holiday-time open events since 2006 to make sure the general public has a chance to use the ice rink and pool that were funded with taxpayer dollars.Memberships are available at both the IceHaus and FunPlex, but Schuttenberg said the city also wants the infrequent users to feel welcome, too.”We wanted to make sure that there were times when the general, Greeley community could come in and utilize the facilities,” Schuttenberg said. “They can skate one time if they want to, or go swimming one time, or they can come in on a regular basis and that’s really up to them.”
Lee Kozak, left, helps his daughter, Raelynn Kozak, 5, skate Thursday at the Greeley Ice Haus, 900 8th Ave. (Sara Knuth/sknuth@greeleytribune.com)
Schuttenberg said during the 2017 winter, the facilities averaged 249 people per day. So far this year, 188 have visited the FunPlex and IceHaus for a swim or a skate, and Schuttenberg said he expects that number to increase closer to 2017 totals as visits usually pick up during the first week of January.”I look at the demographics of the Greeley community, and I don’t think a lot of these kids are going over to the mountain and going skiing,” he said. “They’re wanting something to do close to home.”Torres and his daughters visited the IceHaus with about 10 friends. Among those in the party were Eaton residents Matt and Alicia Pierce and their two children, son Beckett, 10, and daughter, Lillian, 7. The Pierces moved to the area from Louisiana in June.”It’s very kid friendly,” Matt Pierce said. “Look at all the kids. It’s a great place for them to come.”
More information
Greeley Family FunPlex
The following are the winter break hours for swimming at Family FunPlex, located at 1501 65th Ave. in Greeley: Friday, Dec. 28, 1-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday, Dec. 31, 1-5 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 1, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday-Thursday, Jan. 2-3, 1-5 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 4, 1-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 5-6, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Monday, Jan. 7, 1-5 p.m.The cost of open swim at Family FunPlex through Dec. 1 is $1.50 for children ages 5 and under, $4.50 for youths ages 6-15, and $5.00 for adults. On Jan. 1, he price will increase to $2 for children ages 5 and under, $5.00 for youths ages 6-15 and $6.00 for adults.
Greeley IceHaus
The following are the winter break hours for ice skating at the Greeley IceHaus, located at 900 8th Ave. in Greeley: Friday,-Saturday, Dec. 28-29, Noon-1:30 p.m. and 6:30-8:00 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 30-Tuesday, Jan. 1, Noon-1:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 2, Noon-1:30 p.m. and 6:30-8:00 p.m.; Thursday, Jan. 3, Noon-1:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, Jan. 4-5, Noon-1:30 p.m. and 6:30-8:00 p.m.; Sunday-Monday, Jan. 6-7, Noon-1:30 p.m.The cost of public skate at the IceHaus through Dec. 31 will be $5 per person with a $2 skate rental charge. On Jan. 1, the price will increase to $5.50 per person for public and $2.50 for skate rental.
Windsor Community Recreation Center
The center will continue its daylong winter break camps for children in kindergarten through 5th grades. The camps will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Jan. 2-4 and will include arts and crafts and swimming. The cost is $102. The community center is located at 250 N. 11th St. Phone number is 970-674-3500.From Jan. 2-8, the center will offer its New Year, New You program, with $100 off an annual family membership of $600 or $50 off an individual annual membership of $360 for an adult. Also with the program, there is a bonus childcare discount. Buy 10 tokens and get five free.
Evans Recreation Center
Located at 1100 37th St., the center is open from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31. The center is closed on New Year’s Day. For additional information and hours of operation, call 970-475-1125.– Anne Delaney covers high school and recreational sports for The Greeley Tribune. Contact Anne at adelaney@greeleytribune.com, (970) 392-5647 or on Twitter @AnneGDelaney.
