Join us on Sunday, January 14, for President Lahey’s annual skating party at the Halifax Oval!
This tradition of recent years continues a much older tradition established when King’s was located on its original campus in Windsor, Nova Scotia. In those days, a favourite student pastime was skating (and playing hockey) on Long Pond, which was directly behind the original College building where students lived and went to classes. The event is free – just register and then prepare for some gliding, sliding and to become part of this fun King’s tradition. And afterwards, President Lahey invites everyone to the Lodge to warm up by the fire with some hot chocolate and cookies.
Registration is now closed.
If you have any questions, please reach out to president.office@ukings.ca.
Preparing for the Skating Party
If you have your own skates, you are good to go! But if you need skates and would like to wear a helmet (highly encouraged) you can “rent” both at the Oval, free of charge. You will need a government issued photo ID to rent equipment, or your student card presented with your health card.
Travelling to the Oval
UPDATE: The bus is now full – there is a waitlist
There will be a charter bus leaving the King’s Quad at 1:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to travel to the Oval in that way. When completing the registration form above, please indicate whether you wish to take the bus. There is room on the bus for up to 55 people. If you have registered to be on the bus, please be in the King’s Quad at 1:15 p.m. so the bus can leave promptly at 1:30 p.m.
We will gather as a King’s group as we arrive at the Oval. If you would like to be sure to be on the ice at 2 p.m. when the ice is at its best, plan to be there between 1:30 and 2 p.m., especially if you are renting skates. Those of us who arrive early will do our best to stake out a King’s gathering space on the benches people use to put on their skates so that we can all say hello and take our breaks together.
The bus will return to the Quad close to 3:30 p.m.
Waivers
All participants in the Skating Party must complete a waiver or have a waiver filled out for them by a parent or guardian if they are under 19. After you complete the registration form above, we will email you or your parent or guardian the waiver, and it must be completed and submitted by 5 p.m., Thursday, January 11. Waivers will be sent to your university email inbox, or to the email address of your parent or guardian if you are under 19.
Hot drinks and cookies in the President’s Lodge after skating
After the bus has returned to the Quad, all skaters, whether or not they have taken the bus, are invited to the President’s Lodge for hot drinks and cookies. Please join us!
In the event of bad weather: as long as the Oval is open, our party is on, no matter how bad the weather is! However, if the weather is bad on January 14, you can check to see if the Oval is open by calling 902-490-2347 or going to the Oval’s website. Also, if the Oval is closed on the 14th, we will send out an email advising skaters of that as quickly as we can. We will also do our best to post the news on King’s social media channels. If the Oval is closed, we will postpone our Skating Party to January 28.
Dressing warmly: the “feels like” temperature at the Oval is often colder than the temperature in the Quad or surrounding neighbourhoods due to the strong prevailing winds. If it is a cold day on January 14, please come to the Oval dressed warmly!
Safety: safety is always our priority. Come to the Oval prepared to be safe and to think of the safety of others—and to follow all the Oval rules, including the rule that urges slow or learning skaters to skate in the outside lane, away from the fast and experienced skaters to whom the inside lanes are dedicated.
