Ice Folly of 1951

It is now cold enough in Cambridge to begin breaking out ice skates. But would-be skaters will have a hard time finding any suitable ice in this area. Since the Charles rarely becomes hard enough to support a crow of skaters, Harvard students must either drive out to some country pond or pay 90 cents to use the Boston Skating Club. This situation is especially regrettable, because the HAA can easily and inexpensively save students a lot of trouble and build its own skating rink on Soldiers Field.

The varsity football practice field is the ideal place for a temporary rink, and it has lights which makes it suitable for skating in the evening when the ice stays frozen. If the HAA digs a shallow trench around the rink to produce a barricade and then floods the area at night, a hard, thick layer of ice is sure to form.

This rink will not cost much. After the initial outlay needed to finance digging a trench in the winter and replacing the ground in the spring, the only expenses will be electricity and snow removal. The HAA can cover all its expenses by charging a small admission fee to anyone without a participation ticket.

Unfortunately the ground may have hardened too much already to construct a rink this term. In that case the HAA should start early next year, right after the football season, so the area will be ready for flooding as soon as the cold weather arrives.