Experience the exciting hustle and
bustle of AdventHealth Center Ice
IBy Jen Wead
I had always imagined that an ice rink center would be all
-
ian and my limited rink experience was the mall in Pinellas
County, which was a lively spot for families to free skate and
can imagine my surprise when I went for a tour of Advent-
college aged boys and forty something moms all jamming
around the circle to a loud speaker blaring Pearl Jam. Simultaneously,
in an adjacent rink a team of young hockey play-
cuties were learning their way around the ice while pushing
adorable penguin shaped “skate aids,” encouraged by a cer-
The hustle and bustle of AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI)
is exciting to say the least. I knew I wanted to learn more than
my chosen brochures offered, so I surprised Matthew Sitmer,
who works at the front desk, by asking him for an impromptu
interview. Most people wouldn’t be happy about someone
coming into their work, unannounced, to ask a million questions,
but Michael lit up with a smile. He immediately volunteered
info about their many tournaments that AHCI had
coming up and beamed with pride as he shared about how
many Olympic athletes had trained there.
“The American Hockey Olympians practiced here until
the games in 2017 and 2018,” said Michael “and Emilia Drury,
who placed 10th in the Great Britain Nationals works here as
one of our trainers!”
Without missing a beat, he rattled off Olympian after
Olympian who trained or worked there and tournament after
tournament. His love for his place of employment was clear
and I was grateful to have had such a pleasant experience
discussing the center with him. The building is multi-level
There is a full scale restaurant and bar on the second level
appropriately called Top Shelf Sports Lounge that overlooks
the main ice rink. There are event spaces that also overlook
the rinks and hold from 35-55 people with food and beverage
available from Top Shelf.
Additionally, I learned of all of the Spring Break Camps
for athletes and beginners, as well as private lessons, pick-up
games and daily free skate hours. My favorite perk of all is
the birthday parties that they offer. They have all-inclusive
birthday parties that come with 2 hours of skating, your own
skate instructors, pizza and drinks, decorations, a party host
and more. I loved this because a family literally just needs to
book it and show up and everything else is completely taken
care of. Nothing goes unchecked, as they have dedicated, experienced
managers that run the parties and events. My eleven
year old son was with me for the tour and we are planning
on doing some of his future birthdays there. I was pleased to
see that he seemed genuinely interested in the kids skating
around and mentioned wanting to give it a try. This was music
to my ears, as his favorite activities are sedentary, and I am
so excited to see what this kid is going to do on the ice. We