Winter is almost here and with it comes the excitement of skating in Champlain Park!

A small core group of volunteers work hard to build and maintain the ice rink, but we need more volunteers to make it a successful season! In particular, we need volunteers to supervise the rink and change room facilities during “open” hours.

Kids over 14 years old can earn valuable high-school volunteer hours supervising at the ODR. Volunteers also get the added bonus of being outside, gaining some fitness and taking pride in helping make Champlain Park the best ODR in the city.

Please send me an email to be added to the volunteer list. Thank you!
Paul O’Blenes 25/26 ODR Coordinator
Email oblenesp@gmail.com

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References:

ODR City rules:
https://ottawa.ca/en/recreation-and-parks/skating/safety-regulations#section-be0901ba-2754-4e46-b30e-ea7f0fd94ba8

CP ODR Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2537978573169546

Changeroom hours:
Mon-Fri 6-9 PM
Saturday 10 AM – 2 PM
Sunday 12-4 PM

Paul O’Blenes
oblenesp@gmail.com

Sign of the fall season – hockey boards being reinstalled by an Ottawa city crew, from morning to afternoon October 15, 2025. Incidentally, these were new boards in 2017. Photos by Kelly Egan.

There’s a new signup form for volunteers (14+) who want to help supervise the rink:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScRrw1GpMisR1YgtqF7pmjvBecp_4vyMB09KnnfgZGV_JKY0w/viewform
And for more rink information, please see https://champlainpark.org/the-rink/

And here are a few photos of our winter playground, while I’m procrastinating about reading some new bylaws…

Well, it is a playground, in winter. But not much wading is going on in this pool! You can tell by the footprints 🙂

A fairly busy rink on a Saturday afternoon. There was a large cluster of skaters doing the laps around the outer rink, but I missed them in this shot.

Also pretty busy at night, with the sound of pucks hitting the boards.

– Alex

Paul B. writes in the Champlain Park Outdoor Rink Facebook group for rink notifications:

Hello friends and neighbors. The Champlain ODR crew has been working very hard over the holidays and after a few false starts we are pleased to announce the ice – rink, oval and pad are open. Be aware the surface is still bumpy and there might be a few cracks or holes still.

Photo by Derek F, 2024.

See our rink page for more background info on how to use the rink and volunteer opportunities. Contact the rink people at ChamplainParkRink@gmail.com or use the Facebook group if you have questions.

From Paul O’Blenes in the Champlain Park Outdoor Rink group on Facebook this morning:

ODR, outfield and oval are open, however, it’s still a work in progress – there are bumps and there are some holes. Temporarily the north end of the rink is closed for repairs, otherwise there is lots of decent skateable ice.

Please use caution today and tomorrow. With the current cooler temperatures we hope to get the rink in better shape for the weekend.

Thanks Champlain Hoseheads and your hardwork!

See the rink page for more info. Photo by Derek F.

The rink crew has been doing a great job of adding ice whenever it’s possible. Now’s your chance to enjoy it, until Thursday when it starts warming up above freezing and Friday when it starts raining.

See the rink page for more info. Photo by Derek F.

From Paul O’Blenes via Facebook:

Hi all,

After a rough start the recent cold temperatures have allowed us to make some ice, finally! The boarded rink and much of the oval are open for use starting today, Monday Jan. 15. Conditions are very rough so do take care as we continue to work on improving conditions each day.

Thanks to the volunteer crew for all their hard work.

-paul

via Gabe on Facebook… Hey Everyone!

If the weather cooperates, there will soon be skating at Champlain Park Rink! Once the rink is open, the fieldhouse will also be available during supervised rink hours for warming up, skate changing, washroom use, and access to the first aid kit. Rink supervisors oversee the use of the changerooms and the rink during these hours. We always need more rink supervisors to make the skating season a success! Supervisors must be a min. of 14 yrs old. If you’re a student, you can also count your hours towards your required high school volunteer hours.

Sign-up is easy with our Google form: https://forms.gle/9sgp7DAGw4mysaKi7

Contact us at ChamplainParkRink@gmail.com if you have any questions.

It looks like we’re finished with the rink (despite -10C nights and snow squalls, the +5C days and sun are melting the ice and snow), and now it’s time for cleanup. Here, many of the Christmas trees have been moved to the road for collection. Thanks to the rink team for a good season!