As a breeding ground for winter Olympians, Steamboat has produced more world class winter sports athletes than any town in the United States in a wide cross section of disciplines. That’s why it’s surprising there has never been a Steamboat Olympian who has competed on ice, but that could change in the future.
The problem? Steamboat has a top-rated Olympic-sized ice rink, the Howelsen Ice Arena, and outstanding offerings in both youth hockey and figure skating. The fact is the town has outgrown its current facility and there simply isn’t enough ice time to go around.
According to Kelli Standekar, Director of the Steamboat Skating Club, it’s not so much about breeding top notch athletes as it is providing a much-needed resource to kids in the community. “All the programs that are currently run out of the facility are really successful and very popular,” she says. “Hockey and figure skating have both seen huge growth year after year. it’s a good problem to have, that so many kids and their families want to be a part of these sports, but it’s not just about performance, it’s the opportunity to grow, learn and offer support. We all work so hard to provide the best experience we possibly can for all the kids who come out to try skating, whether it’s hockey or figure skating. We are here to pick them up with they fall, and we have a real team approach. It’s as much about mental health as physical fitness and sport.”
Over the past five decades, the Howelsen Ice Arena has been a cornerstone of the Steamboat community, but as the town has grown, the demand for ice time simply can’t be met. Standekar says with so many kids participating, there just isn’t enough ice time to go around. As of now, the 50 kids currently enrolled in the Steamboat Skating Club are only allotted 3.5 hours per week. The Steamboat Springs Youth Hockey Association (SSYHA) faces similar challenges. Their FREE Introduction to Hockey program offered in partnership with the Steamboat City and school district is maxed-out at 70 kids and regularly waitlisted. “We continually hear the desire for our programming, but we can’t meet the growing need because we don’t have available ice,” said Ryan Dingle, SSYHA’s Director. “Our youth practices are on shared ice, at 6:00am before school and as late as 9:00pm on school nights due to limited ice availability. We simply need more capacity at all levels.”
The need for expanding the current facilities was identified back in 2009, and plans for an expansion continued through the approvals process with starts and stops until the City of Steamboat Springs eventually approved $4.5 million in improvements between 2018 and 2022. But as community needs continued to expand, the need to reignite the campaign became abundantly clear. The completion of a second 30,000 square foot open air outdoor covered ice rink, dubbed the Howelsen Ice Pavilion (HIP) would double the winter capacity and provide a new home for expanded youth and adult programming, not just during winter months, but all year-round with after-school offerings, summer camps, art and special events. The covered facility would include an NHL-sized ice surface, practice ice sheet, locker rooms, dryland training and storage facilities.
The Yampa Valley Community Foundation helped launch the Howelsen Ice Complex Capital Fund in June 2023 to raise $6 million to complete the project, but fundraising efforts have fallen tragically short. According to Kerry Shea, president of the hockey association and chair of the fundraising committee, there are multiple challenges in the current fundraising climate. “It’s a city owned asset that is currently requiring private funding which is the biggest obstacle we’ve faced from potential donors. Our goal is trying to achieve a public/private partnership where we all participate as the entire Steamboat community is the benefactor of this expanded facility,” he says. One of the biggest strides the committee achieved last year was to qualify for an enterprise zone tax credit, which will enable donors to qualify for a 25 percent credit on their Colorado income tax return, and Shea is hopeful this will provide additional incentive for potential donors.
Standekar agrees the city’s involvement is a challenge for the private sector. “What I want people to wrap their heads around is that the true benefactor of this project is not the city, it’s the children of Steamboat Springs, and our community,” she says. “The value is for those kids who want to pursue their passion—you can’t put a price on that.”
To donate or learn more, visit https://yvcf.org/funds/howelsen-ice-pavilion/