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Wichita's newest ice rink not made of ice

August 13, 2011|By Melody Pettit | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — It's an ice skating rink with no ice, in fact, there's no water at all frozen or otherwise. It's called synthetic ice. It's basically just plastic panels covered in oil.

"There's no water involved and no energy consumption," said Glide Plaza owner Salvador Marroquin.

But that doesn't mean it's no fun.

"It's fun, it's my first time and I haven't fallen yet," said skater Kaitlin Grines.

You wear regular ice skates and while it is a bit slower than the real deal, the slippery surface takes some time to get used to

"It's pretty cool, I'm ready to try it myself," said Grines' mother Amanda Patterson.

The Glide Plaza is in Towne West Mall. A Hutchinson man bought the rink after he saw similar ones in malls out of state.

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"It's something different and new," Marroquin said.

Saturday was the grand opening. Kids from Wichita's Big Brothers Big Sisters program were specially invited to be the first ones to try it out.

"For a lot of these kids this is their first time ever ice skating so it's really exciting for them," said Cara Kliewer with Wichita’s Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Officials say the rink will provide another option for the kids to have critical one-on-one time with mentors.

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