Educational Field Trips

Learn something new and have some fun at the Pavilion!

A field trip at the Pavilion is unlike any ice skating trip you’ve ever experienced; it’s an interactive educational opportunity that gives students the chance to tour our facility while learning all about ice rinks, refrigeration, and important components of ice skating and hockey. After the tour, students have the opportunity to take an ice skating and ice hockey lesson taught by the Pavilion’s professional staff, and the field trip ends with ice skating. Lunch packages are available at an additional fee.

Field Trips Include

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Rink Logistics

Students learn about the dimensions of the skating rink surface and how rinks are constructed. This will include:

  • Instruction on the types of glass that are allowed for the upper part of the barrier
  • Instruction on the types of plastic used for the lower boards
  • How the paint is applied for distinguishing marks underneath the ice
  • Other logistical components.
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Ice and Floor Refrigeration

Due to the warm conditions of the Upstate, many people in our area wonder how we make and develop the ice for our rink. Students learn how the ice is formed with thousands of gallons of water.

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The Zamboni

Everyone loves watching this machine resurface the ice. In this section of the tour, students are instructed on how the Zamboni functions to maintain the ice. The Pavilion instructor demonstrates how the ice surface is maintained by checking the temperature of the ice, the depth of the ice in various areas, and resurfacing the ice.

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Skate Sharpening

As the tour continues, students learn about different components of ice skating. They learn about the steel blade construction of skates and how the blades are maintained through sharpening. Our expert Sharpener explains how the thin blades have hollows, rockers, and edges which allow skaters to balance and turn on the ice. He will also demonstrate how the grinding wheel precisely cuts into the blade to create a fresh hollow for sharpening.

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Ice Skating

Students are invited to lace up a pair of our rental skates and join us on the ice as we demonstrate hockey and figure skating techniques. During this section, our skating professionals will teach a brief skating lesson relating to hockey and figure skating.

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Ice Skating Time

This educational field trip ends with some fun! We provide students with free skating time to enjoy gliding around the arena and practicing their new-learned skills.

Reserve Your Field Trip

Field trips are available to students in elementary and middle school during the school year, Monday – Friday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Reservations must be made for groups of at least 10 persons.

Cost:

  • $11 plus tax per person without meal package
  • $14.50 plus tax per person with meal package, which includes pizza and a drink. Please note that meals must be reserved with your trip; walk-in meal requests will not be honored.

For more information on what you’ll learn during the field trip, download the How Ice Rinks Work brochure. To inquire for more information or book your field trip, call 864-467-3698 or email Will Maddox.

Information Visitors Need to Know

Please arrive promptly for your reserved trip time, as the tour will run on a tight schedule. Most tours last approximately two hours, including free-skate time. A tour guide will meet your group and guide you through your tour. Each group will receive informational brochures about the tour to share with their friends and family.

Persons who elect not to participate in the ice skating portion of the trip may do so, and are invited to participate from the rink-side

What to bring:

  • Socks
  • Gloves
  • Light jacket
  • A camera!