Peaks Ice Arena facts for kids
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Looking east at the Peaks Ice Arena, June 2017
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| Location | 100 North Seven Peaks Boulevard Provo, Utah, United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°14′5″N 111°38′17″W / 40.23472°N 111.63806°W |
| Owner | Provo City/Utah County Ice Sheet Authority |
| Capacity | 2,300 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 17, 1997 |
| Built | 1997–1998 |
| Opened | November 20, 1998 |
| Construction cost | $12.4 million USD |
| Architect | Valentiner, Crane, Brunjes, Onyon (VCBO) Architecture |
| General contractor | Hogan and Associates |
| Tenants | |
| BYU Men's Ice Hockey (1999-present) Peaks Youth Hockey Association (2000-present) XIX Olympic Winter Games (February 2002) |
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The Peaks Ice Arena is a cool indoor place in Provo, Utah, United States. It's about 43 miles (69 km) south of Salt Lake City. This arena is used for exciting sports like Ice hockey and Figure skating.
It was built to help with the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was a practice spot for Olympic ice hockey and figure skating teams. Today, it's the home rink for the BYU Cougars men's ice hockey team. Many other teams also use it, including the Peaks Youth Hockey Association and local high school teams. You can also find the Peaks Figure Skating Club here. Plus, there's a "Learn-to-Skate USA" program for anyone who wants to learn how to skate!
Contents
History of Peaks Ice Arena
How the Arena Came to Be
Provo was chosen to host an Olympic venue because local leaders wanted an Olympic event in their area. They first thought about a speed skating oval or even holding the Closing Ceremony at a football stadium. After Salt Lake City won the bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995, plans for a venue in Provo started again.
It was decided that Provo would get a practice ice facility. This first plan was for a smaller building. Later, the owners of Seven Peaks Waterpark suggested building a larger arena on their property. They even offered to pay for a second ice sheet! This new plan was approved in 1996. Provo City, Utah County, and the Olympic organizers all helped pay for it.
Building the Arena
Construction for the Peaks Ice Arena began on September 17, 1997. It was designed to be a big building with two ice rinks side by side. One rink would have seats for about 2,000 people, and the other for 300.
Soon after building started, the Olympic organizers decided to use the arena for actual Olympic hockey games, not just practice. This meant the arena needed to be bigger and better. They added more locker rooms and extra seating. This made the building cost more, but it also made it ready for the Olympics!
The arena officially opened on November 20, 1998. It was a "soft opening" at first. A bigger celebration happened on September 29, 1999. The first big event was a hockey game between the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Calgary. The finished arena cost $12.4 million. It had two ice rinks and seats for over 2,000 fans. It was also very large, about 110,000 square feet (10,000 m²).
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In 2008, Provo City took over running the arena. Now, the Parks and Recreation Department of Provo manages it.
Peaks Ice Arena at the 2002 Winter Olympics
During the 2002 Winter Olympics, both men's and women's ice hockey games were played at the Peaks Ice Arena. Many teams also used it for practice.
To hold all the Olympic fans, over 6,000 temporary seats were added. This made the arena's total capacity about 8,400 people. A lot of tickets were sold, with over 131,000 people watching events there during the Games!
The Arena Today
Today, the Peaks Ice Arena is a busy place for ice sports. It is the home of the Peaks Figure Skating Club. It's also where the ACHA college hockey team from Brigham Young University plays.
Many high school hockey teams also use the arena. These include teams from Timpanogos, Lehi, Payson, Spanish Fork, and Springville. The Peaks Youth Hockey Association also calls this arena home.
Besides team sports, the arena is open to everyone! You can go ice skating for fun, take skating lessons, or even use the space for indoor soccer games. It's a great place for the community to enjoy ice sports and other activities.
Images for kids
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Looking east at the Peaks Ice Arena, June 2017
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The additional ice sheet at the Peaks Ice Arena, June 2017
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February 2002 Olympic ice hockey game between Austria and Lavia inside the arena
