Winnipeg community club hopes to remake rink one last time following melt

The recent turn in weather that's broken records has left some skating rinks looking more like mini swimming pools than sheets of ice.

"It has made a very difficult skating season for all the community centres that have outdoor rinks this year," said Tracy Ball, the president of Sinclair Park Community Centre in Winnipeg's North End.

Ball said the unusually high temperatures in Winnipeg have led to the cancellation of scheduled speedskating at the rink tomorrow.

"Unless they are bringing snorkel and fins, they're not going to be skating on it tomorrow, which is unfortunate because these kids have worked hard and practiced hard. I wish we could have helped a little further."

Ball said the community centre's satellite skating rink, which is located about six blocks away near Robertson School, has also melted.

"The rink at Robertson has grass showing through it."

River trail likely closed for season

The recent warm weather also closed Winnipeg's popular river skating trail on Saturday. On Monday, David Pancoe, manager of special projects at The Forks, said it is unlikely the trail would reopen to the public this year.

"We would need a serious deep freeze for that to happen and honestly it's unlikely. Even though the air temperature is cold, the sun's actually quite intense," Pancoe said.

Ball said she's never seen the rink at Sinclair Park in such dire shape before. "We have gone from one extreme to the other this year," she said.

"And you know you're in trouble when you can hear the drains draining it all."

Bell said the warm weather has done more than ruin the fun for some — it's putting a financial strain on community clubs like Sinclair Park.

She said as money dries up at community centres with multiple rinks, clubs have to choose which rink they'd like to keep open.

"It's hard and it's frustrating. I know we're not the only centre going through it. There's a lot of community centres that are saying they are done."