When I think of the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion, I always think of the hockey games! But when the hockey teams aren’t practicing or playing games, Tennity has a variety of different activities for the entire student body (and Syracuse community!) to enjoy. Just some of Tennity’s highlights include a fully stocked pro shop, skate rentals, skate sharpening and a regulation-sized rink!
Located on South Campus at 511 Skytop Road, the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion is open Sunday through Thursday from noon until 10 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays you get an extra hour of late-night skating, as the facility is open from noon until 11 p.m. When trying to decide what to do on a Friday night or wanting to get involved in a new sport or activity, Tennity might just have the answer for you!
Open Skate
Open Skate is a great way to meet new people or enjoy time with your friends. Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) students are able to skate for free! There are several open skate events throughout the semester that you can attend.
Late Night Ice
Tennity has several late-night activities throughout the year for students to enjoy. Grab some friends and head over to South Campus for a chance to win prizes, listen to music and participate in themed nights like Glow Skate and Glow Curling! Late Night Ice occurs every Friday and Saturday night of the academic year, and admission and skate rental is free for Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF students!
Try Something New!
If you were thinking of starting up a new hobby or just want to learn something new, the Curling Club is hosting Learn-to-Curl sessions on a few Saturdays throughout October (Oct. 1 at 6 p.m., Oct. 8 at 6 p.m., Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. and Oct. 29 at 2 p.m.). Throw some stones and learn more about the Syracuse Curling Club! These events are free for students and you are welcome to stay as long as you’d like.
Intramural Sports
There are several intramural sports you can participate in at Tennity: Ice Hockey, Curling, Broomball and Sled Hockey. If you’re eager to try out a new sport with a group of friends, Broomball is a great game to pick up! Two teams play against each other while using a stick to get the ball in the opposing team’s net. The game’s rules are very similar to hockey, but players do not wear skates. Instead, they wear broomball-specific shoes or just plain old sneakers! Broomball is a fun, approachable ice sport, especially if you’re not super confident on skates! The season kicks off Sept. 28 and runs until Nov. 2.
Sled Hockey is an adaptive form of hockey; all the same rules apply, but some of the equipment is different. Instead of using ice skates to glide around on the ice, players sit in sleds that lay on top of two blades, and each player has two sticks instead of one! Sled Hockey provides opportunities for people with disabilities to play at a recreational level as well as others who just prefer to play this way. The Sled Hockey season begins Sept. 23 and goes until Nov. 8.
Whether you want to try something new with Broomball or Sled Hockey, or you want to stick to the classics and play Ice Hockey or Curling, you can get a group together or join an intramural team by registering through IMLeagues!
Syracuse Skating School
Are you interested in touching up your skating skills before a group hang-out at Late Night Ice or before you sign up for an intramural sport? Every semester, Tennity offers several instructional classes that are open to the entire campus community as well as the general public. These lessons are free for University students.
Play Hockey
On top of attending the University hockey teams’ games, you can try taking up hockey yourself! Tennity offers a Play Hockey class! These classes are geared towards beginners and intermediates, and you must be 18 to sign up. The sessions focus on edge work, basic hockey skills and imitates small games. Full pads are required to play!
Learn-to-Skate
If you’ve never ice skated before, or just want to get better at it, Tennity offers small-group ice skating lessons for all ages and abilities.
Orange Sleds
Interested in creating or joining an Intramural Sled Hockey team but want to learn the basics of the sport first? Orange Sleds introduces participants to the basics of sled hockey, with a focus on skating and movement on the ice. Tennity provides all necessary sled hockey equipment and absolutely no experience is required to take the class.
Private Lessons
If you’d rather work on your ice skating skills in a more private setting, Tennity offers private skating lessons to Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF students, faculty and staff at varying costs. You can register by emailing the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion or calling 315.443.4254.
I hope one of these activities sparked your interest, because they definitely sparked mine! I’ll see you on the ice!
Written By Tessa Hodinger G’23, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications