Firland Management

Firland chosen to operate the new Harlem Meer Center

Shawna Romain — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 16:09:29 +0000

Firland Management is honored to have been selected as the management team for the ice rink operation at the new Harlem Meer Center in Central Park, New York, on behalf of the Central Park Conservancy.

The Harlem Meer Center is currently being redeveloped as part of the Central Park Conservancy’s efforts to restore the Park. The project, which is estimated to cost $160 million, is scheduled to be completed by mid-2024 and will l restore a north-south path and a stream that had been blocked by the old facility. The new facility boasts a stunning new design with a new pool and ice rink that aims to connect the north end of Central Park to the community.

Firland Management is committed to maintaining a high level of standards and professionalism as operators at the Harlem Meer. Our primary focus is to ensure the public’s best interests by providing necessary supervision and expertise to govern and maintain this state-of-the-art facility under the highest standards.

Our partnership with the Central Park Conservancy allows us to contribute to the preservation and accessibility of this renowned greenspace, a responsibility we are proud to undertake.

For more information on the development of the new Harlem Meer Center please click here:
https://www.centralparknyc.org/restoration/harlem-meer-pool-and-rink

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North Star Arena – Firland build underway in PEI, Canada

Shawna Romain — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 14:51:47 +0000

Since 1971, North Star Arena has served the residents of North Rustico and surrounding communities with a full range of ice sports and non-ice activities. After 48 years of operation, the arena was at the end of its useful life. Refrigeration and mechanical systems were obsolete, the ice surface was not regulation size at 85’ x 185’, and the rink board system was not standard.

Firland Management was asked to conduct a feasibility study and business plan with the goal of developing a sustainable operating model for a new facility. This facility would have a regulation ice surface of 85’ x 200’, large supporting dressing rooms, food and beverage service, walking track, fitness center and other supporting operating components.

The effective use of energy was critical to this model. Energy savings through the use of waste heat from a single source, will be used for refrigeration, heating, cooling, dehumidification and hot water. The operating plan and financial model showed that financial success would be achieved with growth of existing programs, new program development with the addition of a walking track, fitness, room rental and off-season programming.

Based on the feasibility of the study, Firland then became involved in the construction of the facility which is now underway. With a capital cost of the project of $6.8 million dollars, the project is funded through federal and provincial dollars and extensive fundraising in the community.

Progress is underway and as of the end of June 2022 concrete slabs have been poured, Drywall and Seam filling ongoing on the second floor and east wall, Masonry walls on north west corner are ongoing.

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Firland approved for ice arena feasibility study

Shawna Romain — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 16:50:26 +0000

By Michael Shine | Jefferson City News Tribune

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

The Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Commission is moving forward with research into the development of a new ice area and has chosen Firland Management to conduct a feasibility study into the proposed product.

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SportONE Parkview Icehouse featured Professional Skater Magazine

Shawna Romain — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 15:07:17 +0000

Hosting Competitions in the Time of COVID

By Kent McDill – Professional Skater Magazine

In Alena Lunin’s mind, it was time.

After cancelling competitions in March and August due to concerns over the spread of COVID- 19, Lunin decided it was time to give it a shot. Skaters needed to skate, competitors needed to compete, and the skating world in the United States needed to come together again.

So Lunin, the skating director for the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Skating Club, put all of her efforts into creating the Battle of the Blades, which was held Oct. 2-4 at the SportONE Parkview IceHouse. Despite only having two weeks for registration, 243 skaters participated in the event, making it the

largest skating competition in the country since March 1, 2020.

Lunin has conducted competitions in Fort Wayne in the past, but this one was different because she had to consider an entirely new set of needs and requirements in order to make the event safe from the threat of the coronavirus.

“I felt I know what needs to be done to have a safe environment,” Lunin said. “But I also know how important it was for all level skaters to have an opportunity to be able to skate and show their programs and to give them all something to look forward to.”

Lunin has worked as a member of U.S. Figure Skating committees to determine how to proceed with competitions amid continuing co

ronavirus flares. She also found herself cancelling events in March and in August in Fort Wayne because the threat of spreading the virus was too great.

But her work on those two earlier events allowed her to come up with a plan for the October event.

The details

There is one element all skating competitions include: a sea of humanity. There are skaters and coaches and judges and parents and grandparents and chaperones and skating fans, and they are all indoors. Lunin’s task was to limit the number of people who came within six feet of each other, and to limit the time any participant, coach or attendee spent inside the facility.

So she started with the most difficult chore: limiting spectators. Unlike other competitions, where a skater

performs in front of everyone who has ever been invited to Thanksgiving dinner, the Battle of the Blades limited attendance to one chaperone and three spectators per skater. And that limitation prompted one of the more difficult phone calls Lunin experienced in hosting the event.

“I got a call from a grandmother,” Lunin said. “She said ‘I am dying, and if you do not allow me in, I won’t be able to see my granddaughter skate one last time’. That, of course, was not my decision. I had to put a limit on spectators for everybody.”

In order to limit the exposure of people inside the facility, Lunin set up tents outside as staging areas, where skaters and coaches could wait for their turn to enter the building under very tight time frames.

The facility has three rinks, and Lunin used all available entryways, including emergency exits, to separate spectators based on which rink their skater was competing in. Spectators were required to use outside stairs to get to their seats rather than battle their way through crowds ind

oors, and were required to leave once their skater had competed. Coaches and skaters had their own entrance to the facility, and judges were required to enter through a different door.

Everyone who entered the building had their temperature taken, and they were told that if they registered a temperature of 100.4 or above, they would not be allowed to enter.

Skaters were put onto a very tight time schedule. Their check-in was 25 minutes before their competition, and they had only 10 minutes in the “ready room” to make sure their costume and makeup were properly prepared. Competitors were encouraged to do as much as they could in terms of preparation in their hotel rooms prior to going to the facility.

Everyone was required to wear a mask at all times, with the exception of skaters when they were on the ice.

A special physical arrangement was created in order to allow for interaction between skaters and coaches during warmups and just before the competition began. Every other plexiglass shield that surrounded the rink was raised approximately eight inches so skaters could hear their coaching instructions.

“One of the coaches asked if we could raise the plexiglass a little bit higher so he did not have to bend down to speak to his skaters,” Lunin said. “But raising the glass would allow coaches to put their faces into the skater’s face, and we were not going to allow that. So it stayed at eight inches.”

A coach’s view

PSA Executive Director Jimmie Santee was coaching at the event. He was impressed by virtually every change that was made in order to keep participants and spectators in proper social distance. “There was no loitering inside the building at all, and no contact with anyone other than the people you were traveling with,’’ Santee said. “There was no coach’s room. There was a little more flexibility for the coaches, but they took our temperature every day when you showed up, and you got a wristband that indicated you had been tested.

“In the rinks, where they had lifted the plexiglass, they had signs for every skater: Skater No. 1, Skater No. 2, Skater No. 3, so we each had our own specific spot to talk to the skaters,” he said. “We were never on top of anybody else.”

Santee noted that there was an employee at each rink with a towel and disinfectant and “he just circled the rink, wiping the boards down continually. He never stopped going in circles.”

And then, it rained

The phrase is Yiddish in origin: “Man plans, and God laughs”.

Everything was going swimmingly until, ironically, it rained on Sunday. The tents, which were so hospitable on Friday and Saturday, became a bit more hectic, and spectators who were gathered outside in anticipation of entering were required to spend more time in their cars. But, the athletes were not as willing to wait endlessly out in inclement weather before competing.

“The athletes could not be out in the rain,” Santee said. “The parents wanted to be underneath the tent. That is a factor for competi

tions moving forward. I don’t know how they can overcome that without having 20 tents. It is going to be dependent on good weather, and if it is somewhere like Minnesota, we already have snow, we are already into winter. That is something they are going to have to overcome and I’m not sure how they are going to do that.”

Was the competition affected by COVID?

There were fewer spectators in the stands, and there was a lot less confusion in the facility hallways. Skaters who were accustomed to certain pre-skate rituals had their schedules impacted. Everything prior to actually competing was a little bit different.

But the competition went off without a hitch.

“The stuff that went down on the ice, it was like there was nothing different,” Santee said. “Skaters are resilient. When they came into the b

uilding, they put their skates on, they had an opportunity to warm up. It was well scheduled that way. It really did not affect the competitors.”

“There was more structure,” Lunin said. “Everybody knew where to go and what to do. It was better that way.”

And there was an unexpected (and possibly humorous) virtue to competing at the time of COVID. “I think it was less stressful for the skaters because the parents weren’t there,” Lunin said. “Coaches weren’t by them every minute.”

“In some ways, it probably had less pressure,” Santee said. “They were just thankful to be there and to be able to skate and compete. Yes, everybody was concerned about passing COVID around, but within my group, everybody was doing what they were supposed to do, staying masked, keeping social distance. I think that was very successful.”

Lessons learned

Santee said the precautions necessary to have a successful competition in the time of COVID reminded him of the precautions made when the federal Safe Sport program was instituted to protect athletes from bullying, harassment, hazing, or abuse of any kind.

“When Safe Sport came about, that set up a whole new set of issues, and you had to have all these protections limiting people into certain areas,” Santee said. “COVID is like that. I don’t think it is as big of a leap to make some of the other additional changes. Most clubs that do competitions are pretty adept at adapting.”

Santee noted that Skate America was about to be conducted in Las Vegas using the “bubble” system the NBA, WNBA, and NHL used to conduct their truncated seasons, keeping all athletes, coaches and judges in one area with no permitted access outside of that area.

While Lunin noted the extra time required to prepare a facility to host a major competition, Santee said he was not as concerned about cost for events going forward as he is about revenues.

“The issue is more the number of skaters the event can draw or accommodate, which might lower the revenue,” he said. “That is more of the trick. It is probably going to be reflected more on the revenue side than the expense side.”

That was, in fact, a concern for Lunin and the Fort Wayne Skating Club because there was only a two-week window for registration. Future events will be able to plan for more time to attract competitors.

Lunin said skating needed to move forward in order to survive.

“You want to prove it is possible, but we have to be smart, make sure we take the correct steps and precautions,” Lunin said. “Our work will die if we are not allowed to have competitions.”

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Firland Management takes over Management of Montclair State University Ice Arena

Shawna Romain — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 18:32:29 +0000

Montclair State University has bought Floyd Hall Arena and will assume ownership starting on April 1. At the same time Firland Management will take over day to day management of the Facility.

The popular Little Falls ice arena will be renamed Montclair State University Ice Arena. The arena is a staple of Montclair State’s campus that houses many hockey teams and clubs, including the Montclair State men’s and women’s ice hockey teams. It is also home to many figure skaters and the Montclair Blues Hockey Club.

With two professional sized rinks, rooms for parties and camps, as well as parabolic sports training and physical therapy upstairs, the arena is always packed with people of all ages, whether it be parents bringing their children to hockey practice or college students going ice skating. The Metropolitan Riveters, a National Women’s Hockey League team, also practice there two times a week.

Erika Bleiberg, Director of Media Relations at Montclair State, explained why the deal will be beneficial for all involved.

“The arena and the stadium are popular venues for students, faculty, staff and community members,” Bleiberg said. “The ice arena, in particular, generates revenues that over time will offset the cost of acquiring the facilities.”

Bleiberg also explained how the university in particular will profit from this.

“After covering the acquisition cost, the facilities will produce additional revenue that the university can use to maintain the facilities in good condition and to support programs and services that benefit students and the community,” Bleiberg said.

The change is especially exciting for the Red Hawks ice hockey teams. Having a rink on campus is already a huge plus for teams that play at the club level. The purchase will only create more opportunities for the teams.

Although this process is still in the early stages, the teams look to see changes within the next few years, starting with creating more of a presence within the Montclair State campus community. In the future, the teams hope to secure their own locker rooms, something they have never had.

Both the university and the Red Hawks ice hockey teams plan to keep their relationship with the arena strong. The arena will still remain open to the public in order to house the rest of the teams that call Floyd Hall home.

“Both teams have had positive and long lasting relationship with the Floyd Hall Arena staff and management and they have been extremely kind to both teams over the last 22 years,” Martinez said. “We are looking forward to the next chapter under university ownership and Firland Management’s operation.”

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Skylands Skating Academy 2018-19 figure skating season has recorded its best ever results

Shawna Romain — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 15:55:25 +0000

Skylands Ice World, in Stockholm, NJ, is home to the Skylands Skating Academy where the 2018-19 figure skating season has recorded its best ever results, with largest number of competitive skaters, coming from the Sussex County area.

Skaters that begin in Skylands Ice World’s Learn to Skate Program, governed by the United States Figure Skating Association, come in as beginners, often at the Basic 1 level, or Snowplow Sam, and continue on through the various levels to achieve their goals. Skaters can begin to compete in the very basic levels, and continue through to nationals, as well as, what we all watch on TV, the Olympics.

Skylands Skating Academy has seen, this season, major break throughs on the competitive scene, in both synchronized skating, as well as singles skating. All of the skaters that have represented Skylands Skating Academy this season have started in the Learn to Skate Program right here at home. The Skylands Skating Academy currently has 30 singles competitive skaters that hit the circuit annually.

The 2018-19 Skating Season marked the largest group of competitive skaters from the Skylands Skating Academy qualifying for the 2019 North Atlantic Regional Championships in Lake Placid. All of these skaters are home grown, right here at Skylands Ice World.

Skylands Skating Academy’s Intermediate Skater, Maliah Utley, of Hewitt, NJ, placed 3^rd, (out of 60), at regionals, earning her a spot at the 2019 Eastern Sectionals in North Carolina. Malia placed 5^th at Sectionals, making the first alternate for 2019 National Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, MI, which feeds the United States Olympic Team.

In addition to competing individually, Skylands Skating Academy also offers pairs skating, Theatre on Ice, and Synchronized Skating. The Synchronized Skating Teams, of which there are three, are called the NJ Black Diamonds. The NJ Black Diamonds began in 2011, with one team of eight skaters. In the 2018-19 Skating Season, the NJ Black Diamonds have three teams of skaters, ranging in age from 5 to 15 years old, beginners to advanced, for a total of 41 skaters!

Every year the NJ Black Diamonds, as well as the Single Competitive Skaters have finished higher and higher in the standings. In the 2018-19 Season, all around, the Skylands Skating Academy has seen the best results yet! The NJ Black Diamonds’ highest skilled team has placed 3^rd out of 32 teams in the entire east coast at the 2019 Eastern Sectional Synchronized Skating Championships. This Pre-Juvenile team is coached by Brielle Freda and Tori Mueller, who are both former Synchro World Junior Team USA Members. The NJ Black Diamonds, Learn to Skate, Pairs and Singles Skating are overseen by Skylands Ice World’s Skating Director, Kim Sutton.

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Skylands Junior Kings Announce Commitment of Forward to Towson University.

Shawna Romain — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 16:01:50 +0000

Towson, MD – The Skylands Junior Kings are delighted to announce the commitment of forward, Jake Lissy, to Towson University.

Towson University Tigers men’s ice hockey competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) in the highest division; men’s division 1. The Tigers also compete in the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (ECHA) for league play against, Drexel, Lehigh, Navy, Penn State Berks, Temple,Villanova, West Chester, and William Patterson.

The 18-year-old Rockaway, NJ native is in his first season with the Kings of the NA3HL.

“We are really excited to welcome Jake into our program! He is a great kid both on and off the ice. His experience playing in an older league this season with the Skylands Kings will be very beneficial to his success here at Towson”, remarked Jeremy Snyder – Assistant Coach and Head of Recruiting.

“We are very proud of the growth we have seen from Jake this season both on and off the ice. Jake has a knack for scoring in big moments, he has three game winning goals for us this season in our 12 wins so far. He is a great teammate who always comes to the rink with a smile on his face. We are excited to continue to watch him progress as he moves onto the college level with Towson University!” – Kings Coaching staff

During to his time with the Junior Kings, in the NA3HL, the 5’10-foot forward has played in 31 games, scoring three goals and adding four assists.

Of Jake, Kings General Manager, Rita Mitchell, has said, “Jake will be a great addition to the Towson program. He works his tail off, listens, is coachable, and does anything that is asked of him to the best of his ability. He is a great kid, with a great attitude, that becomes quite infectious. We are very happy for him!”

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Skylands Junior Kings Alum, Craig Garrigan, nets his first professional goal of this season with the Dundee Stars

Shawna Romain — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 14:10:54 +0000

Craig Garrigan post match interview

Skylands Junior Kings Alum, Craig Garrigan, nets his first professional goal of this season with the Dundee Stars. Garrigan, was a player for the Skylands Junior Kings, of the NA3HL, for two seasons prior to his professional career.

The 20-year-old Dundonian brings international experience to the Stars after leading the GB U20 side in the role of assistant captain during the World Junior Championships.

Stars general manager Omar Pacha is delighted to add Craig to the 2018/19 roster commenting, “Craig is a very fast and skillful player that has a lot of potential. He works extremely hard all over the ice and brings a strong asset in his hard shot. I think Craig is a perfect fit for this club. We are looking forward to working together”.

During to his two seasons with the Junior Kings, in the NA3HL, the 5’11’’ foot forward tallied in 131 points in 87 games, scoring 67 goals and adding 64 assists, Craig was the team captain in the 2017-18 season leading his team to the playoffs.

“Garrigan brought so much to the Kings as a player, a captain and an all around great person.” Head Coach, Adam Mitchell said, “It was great to watch Craig’s progress on and off the ice for the two seasons. He has grown as a leader and shows a lot of passion in his work ethic, in the gym, in skills sessions and practices. Craig’s offensive skill and hard shot should set him up well for this next level, as well as his speed and competitive attitude. I was impressed with his willingness to learn and coachability, and it is serving him well at the pro level.“

“We are very proud of the way Craig represented our Skylands Kings organization both locally and internationally and so happy for his success and commitment to the Dundee Stars!” said Rita Mitchell, General Manager for the Kings. “He is a great athlete and team-mate, and the Stars are not disappointed in the acquisition of Garrigan. We wish him the best of luck!”.

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Skyland Kings Hockey Helps Foster Children

Shawna Romain — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:07:33 +0000

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

For the second consecutive year, Skyland Kings hockey teams participated in the Sussex County Foster Child gift drive. The Pee Wee Black, Gold, Navy, Bantam White and Squirt White teams sponsored nine children who provided their Christmas wish lists. The teams collected four bicycles, a big screen TV for two children who recently moved from a homeless shelter into their own apartment, an Xbox, games, toys, clothes and gift cards. The Kings hockey families are honored to help foster children in Sussex County celebrate Christmas.

Article and picture by Kristin McCabe

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Skylands Ice World Holds Hockey Fights Cancer Events

Shawna Romain — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 13:05:17 +0000

Original Article from TAPinto – Sparta

By TAPINTO SPARTA STAFF

October 27, 2018 at 12:46 PM

STOCKHOLM, NJ – November is Hockey Fights Cancer month. This month Skylands Ice World will be hosting a Skate-a-Thon presented by Northwell Health on November 17.

They are also hosting Hockey Fights Cancer night at Madison Square Garden on November 26 when the New York Rangers play the Ottawa Senators.

“We would love to see our Blueshirt fans and families at any or all of these events,” manager Rita Mitchell said.

The events of Hockey Fights Cancer month begin with Blueshirt fans and Rangers alumni of Saturday, November 17 for the Northwell Health Skate-a-Thon.

Top fundraisers will win two tickets to the event at the Garden on November 26,. They will also have the opportunity to skate on the ice at the Garden before the game. All net proceeds benefit the Garden of Dream Foundation.

The public is invited to attend Skylands Ice World for Rangers Alumni, music, giveaways and more. Any who would like to participate but is unable to attend on November 17 may still sign up to raise money through the general donation options. Register here

Click here for additional information.

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