The good, the bad and ugly of Kyiv skating rinks are covered in this week's feature; and there is a smattering of all three varieties in the capital.
c, yet shaky, 4‑year‑old 24 winters ago.
Though Suita is one of the best sports schools in Ukraine, known for producing world‑class athletes, Dmytrenko shines brighter than the others: The slim young man has been skating at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Dmytrenko, 28, earned that right at a national trial held at Sports Palace on Dec. 24‑26. While the majority of his countrymen were getting in the mood for the Christmas and New Year holidays, Dmytrenko was competing for a spot on the Olympic team.
He studied under the tutelage of coach Halyna Kukhar and school director Olha Petrova. Prior to earning a spot on the Olympic team, Dmytrenko had already racked up several awards, including the 1992 World Junior Championship title and a bronze medal at the 2000 European Championships in Vienna.
Now he’s hoping to build on the success of his first Olympic appearance at the 1998 Nagano Games, where he placed 14th.
Skating in the individual men’s category at the December trials, Dmytrenko competed in both the long and the short free program, where a skater must demonstrate technical proficiency as well as artistic ability.
Dressed in a beige‑and‑black costume with silver trim, Dmytrenko was fortunate enough to pull off a nearly flawless performance over the two‑day trial.
“Being on the ice is like being alive,” he said.
For budding young Ukrainian skaters who are inspired by watching the Olympics, Kyiv offers a host of training sites for figure skating and ice hockey.
Suita Skating School at Olympic Stadium
Suita operates from September through June and admits children between 4 and 6. Skates can be rented for Hr 2 per session. Students don’t pay for coaching, but they do have to pay for ice time.
How to get there
Located behind Olympic Stadium, Suita is in the large building behind the stadium and up the hill to the left. The school entrance is at the end of the building. Suita Skating School at Olympic Stadium. 55A Chervonoarmiyska. Tel: 246‑7425.
Sokil Hockey School at the Avant Guard Ice Palace
Soccer‑mad Ukraine lags far behind Russia, Belarus, the Baltics and even Kazakhstan when it comes to interest in ice hockey. And the situation isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
“The future of youth hockey in our country is rather problematic; these days there are only three schools in Ukraine,” said Valentyn Utkin, director of Sokil, the only hockey school in Kyiv.
But Ukraine does have its hockey heroes, like 30‑year‑old Kyiv‑born defenseman Oleksy Zhitnyk, currently playing for the Buffalo Sabers of the National Hockey League. And there is Sokil’s own team in the East European Hockey League to inspire further enthusiasm for what the NHL describes as “the coolest game on ice.”
Sokil school operates between August and April and admits children between age 6 and 10. Students can stay with the school until they are 17. Those who enter get free instruction and ice time. Students must pay for their own equipment, which can be as high as Hr 2,500 for the young children and up to double that for older players.
If you’re more of a hockey fan than hockey player, the Ice Palace, as Avant Guard is popularly known, also hosts Sokil’s home games.
How to get there
Exit Dorogozhychy metro station to the left. Take any trolley or marshrutka one stop. Cross Melnykova and find the arena on the opposite side. Sokil Hockey Club at the Avant Guard Ice Palace. 46 Melnykova. Tel: 213‑1141.
Kryzhynka Arena
Given the chance, Nina Solntseva, director of the arena, will tell you all about the benefits of ice‑skating.
“Skating isn’t only a simple pleasure,” she says with conviction, “but it’s also great for your health – and even asthmatics who practice it regularly find they breath easier and feel better.”
The reasonable prices must also be part of the reason. Admission to the open skates costs Hr 6 for adults, Hr 5 for students, Hr 4 for schoolchildren and Hr 3 for preschoolers. Skate rental costs Hr 2.50 plus passport as deposit.
Looking for a little space to call your own. It is possible to rent out the ice surface at Kryzhynka to throw your own skating party or hold your own hockey game – though the ice surface is smaller than regulation – at a rate of Hr 90 per hour for schoolchildren and Hr 150 per hour for adults.
How to get there
Exit the Darnytsya metro station north toward the Bratislava Hotel. Walk past the hotel and into Peremohy Park, where you’ll find the large white arena on your left. Kryzhynka Arena. 7 Znachenko. Tel: 543‑9849. Free‑skate hours: Wednesdays 7:30 p.m.‑8:30 p.m., Fridays 7 p.m.‑9:15p.m., Saturdays 4 p.m.‑9:10 p.m., Sundays 1:45 p.m.‑9:20p.m.
ATEK
ATEK has several advantages. The rental skates are newer than at other arenas and the quality of the ice at ATEK is much better than Kryzhynka. You pay for it, though. Admission costs Hr 6 while skate rental goes for Hr 7.
The ice can be rented by the hour, but all the time slots have been booked until the end of the season. If you’re an eager beaver, reserve a slot for next year.
ATEK’s big disadvantage is the deposit renters must leave – Hr 500 or an item of value, such as your driver’s license, cell phone or even fur coat (better skate fast to get warm).
How to get there
Exit Svyatoshyno metro and take two turns to the left to reach the street. Proceed straight and turn right at the first corner. The arena is located about a 15‑minute walk along Chystyakivska. ATEK. 20 Chystyakivska. Tel: 442‑7117. Free‑skate hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m.‑9p.m.; Wednesday and Fridays, 7:45‑8:45p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 p.m.‑6:30 p.m.
Ice Stadium
The largest outdoor rink in Kyiv, the Ice Stadium operates on weekends when temperatures fall below freezing. Keep you fingers crossed, and that may happen again this winter. The rink is certainly worth a look since can accommodate a whopping 3,000 skaters at one time.
Admission at the Ice Stadium costs Hr 5, and skaters can stay as long as they want, and children under 6 skate for free. The rink stocks around 1,000 pairs of skates, and rents them out at a rate of Hr 5 plus passport deposit per pair for a two‑hour session. The nearby sports baza has a training room, sauna, tennis and ping‑pong.
How to get there
From Lybidska metro station, take trolleybus Nos. 2 or 11 or marshrutka Nos. 61, 63 or 80 about 10 to 20 minutes around Holoseyevsky Park and across from the Hippodrome. Ice Stadium. 9 Akad. Hlushkova Prospekt. Tel: 260‑6066. Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m.‑7 p.m.
