Year-round Skating Fun at the Roseville Skating Center in Roseville, Minnesota

Do you enjoy skating, hockey, rollerblading, skateboarding, or BMX biking? The Roseville Skating Center/John Rose Oval might be the right place for you! This local recreation center boasts seasonal offerings, as well as year-round facilities. Located just north of Highway 36 and Lexington, across from Roseville City Hall, the facility is easy to find and conveniently located for those near St. Paul and surrounding suburbs.

in the winter, the John Rose Oval boasts the world's largest sheet of refrigerated ice (110,000 square feet) cooled by 84 miles of piping. Once the home of the world's largest Olympia ice resurfacer, the outdoor ice is now resurfaced using the largest possible Zamboni resurfacer. Two local youth hockey leagues use the Oval for practice ice (four rinks can be set up on the infield), as well as several speedskating clubs, bandy teams, and many parks and recreation programs. Typically, open ice sessions last about two hours and participants can play open hockey (if there's no youth hockey practice) or skate the 400-meter track. Skate rentals and sharpening are available, and the competent staff is able to offer assistance in the case of questions or emergencies.

In the summer, the ice is melted, and the concrete surface becomes a platform for inline skating, one of the area's largest BMX/skateboard/skate parks, a basketball court, and a roller hockey rink. The local parks and recreation department sponsors lessons in BMX biking and skateboarding, and weekly inline races are held. Skate rental is available, and pads are provided for free.

Year-round facilities include the banquet center and the indoor ice arena. The arena is home to Roseville High School's hockey team, and sees steady business through a variety of hockey leagues and figure skating clubs. The annual ice show in April is a huge draw for area families, and the ice arena provides year-round opportunities for open skating and open hockey. Locker rooms and a weight room are available for use by the various groups that utilize the arena and Oval. The banquet center houses rooms with capacity from 25 to 300, and can be used for a variety of purposes, including birthday parties, weddings, business meetings, and more.

The Oval has hosted big-name events, such as the 1995 Bandy World Championships for men and the 2006 Bandy World Championships for women. They have also held many long-track speedskating events. The importance of the facility to the region can be shown by the financial supporters: Boston Scientific provided a great deal of financial support to repair the refrigeration system when leaks were discovered in 2004, many area businesses sponsor the skating center, and the facilities are also sponsored by funding from the city, county, and state.

More information (including schedules and current admission rates) can be found at the official City of Roseville website - www.cityofroseville.com/parks/skatingcenter/index.php - or at the site sponsored by the Roseville Visitors Association - www.skatetheoval.com/