Students 'ice-skated' on campus at CUAB hosted event

UNC students had the opportunity to "ice skate" on Friday on a synthetic rink in the middle of campus.

Heels on Ice, hosted by the Carolina Union Activities Board, allowed students to skate in Fetzer Hall. The event was a new take on the annual Heels on Wheels event, which allowed students to roller-skate in a glow-in-the-dark setting on campus.

Guests reserved free tickets in the days prior, swiped in with a One Card and could skate for 30-minute time slots. The event was mostly in the dark, and Carolina Dining Services provided cupcakes.

Neon Entertainment — an entertainment company focused on events for college and corporate clients — worked with CUAB to install the ice-skating rink on campus.

Katelyn Shadowens, a junior majoring in Chinese and communication studies, serves as the CUAB special events chairperson. She said CUAB has worked with the company before for their Heels on Wheels event. But she said that Friday was the first time the ice-skating rink was used at UNC.

"The rink is made up of synthetic plastic panels that have a lubricant built in that allows the rink to react like ice," Danny Mackey, the North Carolina representative of the company, said in an email. "Over 40 panels make up the rink, and it can be installed in about 90 minutes."

The event registered about 170 students to ice skate from 5 to 9 p.m.

Shadowens said CUAB might go back to hosting the Heels on Wheels next year.

“I actually thought we were going to have a block of ice in here, like pour water on the ground and all," Shadowens said. "While I’m glad we did it, glad we figured it out."

Grace Angelino, a sophomore majoring in political science and public policy, attended the event. She said she had heard of the synthetic rink before, and came in expecting such, though having never tried it.

“I had heard about those plastic surfaces that you can skate on before so that’s what I expected," Angelino said. "But the music and lights were a lot of fun and I really liked the cupcakes, and everyone who was working there was really sweet too.”

Louisa Yuziuk, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she signed up for the event uncertain of what it would actually look like.

She said she attended the event with a friend and was surprised at the setup, but found it to be fun and different from normal ice-skating.

“It was fake so that was kind of was a little disappointing, but when we actually put on our skates and tried it out, it felt like real ice, which was so cool," Yuziuk said. "By the end, I felt like I was a natural.”

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