Holiday On Ice! (Sort of)

   Guess I've taken a bit of liberty with the
title of this one. But, after all, we could
include the weekend as part of the Martin
Luther King Holiday......right?
   And we did head off to an ice rink!
   Well, we sort of did.
   In this case, though, the former ice rink,
in Endicott, New York, has been converted
to a BMX Bicycle racing track.
   It is billed as the only "indoor"  BMX track
in the northeast.
   I think the term "indoor" might be just a bit
 misleading. It is under a roof.  I'll give them
that.
   But the roof is built over what must have
been a very nice ice skating rink at one time.
   The sides are basically open although
canvass sheets hang over them as a
substitute for actual walls.
   Race time temperature....inside....was 21
degrees!
   Spectators were as prepared as possible with
heavy coats and hats, blankets, and, in at least
one case, a small portable heater powered by
those small gas bottles you might find on a
Coleman camping grill.
   While most folks came from nearby New
York communities, our Pennsylvania group
was joined by other racers and racer families
from New Jersey, Massachusetts, and even
Canada!
    I think most everyone enjoyed the race.
    My son fought his way into the main race
by a come from behind victory in one of the
qualifying motos while my grand son was
lucky enough to have a three "man" moto
and automatically made the main race even
with a rear tire that was a bit low on air!
    And, of course,both on them and the rest
of us, were trying to stay as warm as we
could under the circumstances!
    Near by several sophisticated gas
heaters were set up in the snack
bar where you could take a break, grab a
burger, and use the modern restroom
facilities.
    I was a little curious as to how this one
time ice skating venue had surrendered
to what is usually considered a summer
time sport.
   The score boards, one dedicated to
a name none of us visitors knew, still
hang as both ends of the rink as does a
"Period" indicator. A huge array of
speakers hang over what would be
center ice and some team logos can still
be seen on the walls.
   One gentleman told me the nearby
Susquehanna had flooded several times
(in fact the BMX track was actually
wrecked in September and had to be
rebuilt). He said the refrigeration units
used to make the ice were destroyed by
the river some time ago.
   I'm glad to see so many people come
to the place now to enjoy BMX racing
all year long.
   But I had to wonder, standing there in
those 21 degree temperatures, why you'd
need any refrigeration to make ice!
   I thank my wife for the leather Bomber
jacket she bought me for Christmas
several years ago!
   Anyhow a good, though sometimes
chilly, time was had by all and we'll
probably revisit this "indoor" track again
if just to get a head start on those wimpy
racers who are waiting for "room
temperatures" to return!
   Hope you're somewhere above 21
degrees and that all your NEWS is good!