Across Metro Atlanta, figure skaters and hockey players are juggling alarms set for before sunrise and practices that wrap up near midnight as available ice time shrinks. Coaches say teams are stitching together practice schedules across multiple rinks and odd-hour slots just to stay on track. The squeeze is reshaping routines for youth programs, adult leagues and competitive skaters all over the region.
Part of the crunch comes from lost local ice. Alpharetta’s longtime rink The Cooler ended its ice operations last spring and is being converted into a large pickleball complex, taking at least two sheets of ice out of circulation, according to reporting from FOX 5 Atlanta. At the same time, established facilities such as the Atlanta IceForum in Duluth are booked tight most days. The two-sheet club hosts youth hockey, adult leagues and figure skating programs, and The IceForum lists two full rinks and a dense schedule that helps explain why teams are fighting for hours.
Skaters Are Squeezing Into Odd Windows
Skaters and coaches say they are grabbing whatever ice they can find, whether it is a predawn freestyle session or a late-night practice brushing up against midnight. As reported by 11Alive, local coaches recall that metro Atlanta once had roughly six sheets of ice, and recent closures and conversions have tightened the calendar considerably. "There are not enough ice rinks around, so they take whatever ice time they can get," coach David Bak told that outlet.
Clubs Are Adapting, But Pressure Is Real
Area clubs are shuffling teams among Cumming, Duluth and other rinks to make practice slots work. The Atlanta Figure Skating Club lists The ICE in Cumming and the IceForum in Duluth among its regular practice sites. Atlanta FSC notes that multiple nearby venues are used for lessons and freestyle sessions, which adds a logistical puzzle for families already crisscrossing the suburbs.
National schedules only add to the pressure. U.S. Figure Skating has qualifying events on the regional calendar that increase tournament-related ice demand as the season progresses. U.S. Figure Skating listings show regional competitions that require blocks of practice time on sheets that were already busy before the qualifying season kicked in.
New Arena Helps, But It’s Not A Cure
Some help has arrived a bit farther away. Akins Ford Arena in Athens opened in December 2024 and brought pro hockey, concerts and a modern ice floor to northeast Georgia, according to local government project notes and coverage of the venue. Athens-Clarke County officials and local reporting document the arena’s December 2024 opening and its early lineup of events.
Coaches, however, point out that the arena is geared primarily toward Athens-area ticketed events and is not a practical daily solution for most Metro Atlanta skaters. Travel time and limited freestyle windows still leave many teams short of the regular practice hours they want. WSB-TV coverage of the new arena highlights its busy event calendar while underscoring that it is not a neighborhood practice rink for most families in the metro.
Coaches say expansions or new rink construction in places like Forsyth or Cumming could ease the bottleneck if those projects move forward, and some locals have even speculated that a pro-club arrival could spur more investment in ice facilities. Those possibilities remain tentative, and for now skaters and parents say they will keep rearranging schedules, driving farther and setting alarms for odd hours so practice still happens.
