From its front face on Walnut Street, the Class of 1923 Ice Rink may appear to be just another nondescript urban building. But a quick walk to the building's back entrance reveals the true size and grandeur of the rink. Built in 1970 through a gift from the Class of 1923, the rink was originally built to house the men's varsity hockey team. Since then, however, the University has eliminated both its men's and women's varsity hockey team. And although the rink's 2,132 blue and red seats typically remain empty and no varsity pucks grace the ice, the facility does not go unused. In addition to Penn's men's and women's clubs, teams from other area colleges, such as La Salle University, use the rink for their hockey programs. But perhaps the most popular functions of the rink are free skating, open hockey and special events. "Last week we had events for freshmen, such as the free PennSkate on Thursday and the discounted skating hours on Friday and Saturday nights," noted Detlef Papenfuff, the rink's manager. The PennSkate event allowed freshmen to skate for free during a two-hour session. The Penn Band also performed at the event. And the discounted skating hours last weekend gave students a two-for-one skating special. With a paid admission for one student, another student could skate for free, Papenfuff explained. Future special events, he said, will include nighttime study break skating sessions during reading days and a Valentine's Day skating event. "We also have a lot of fraternities, houses, and dorm floors who rent ice time," Papenfuff continued. The rate for renting private ice time is $195 per hour. Public skating rates are $5.50 -- $4.50 with a PennCard -- and ice-skate rental is $1.50. Open hockey -- which takes place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and Saturday nights -- costs $10 per person, although goalies can play free. Group skating lessons are also offered. In the 1970s, however, such activities were far less frequent, as the University's varsity hockey program occupied most of the rink time. Until 1978, the Penn varsity hockey team played at the rink, which was largely built for that purpose. Citing budget cuts, however, the University cut the varsity program in 1978 -- ironically, the year that Penn won the Ivy League championship -- according to Papenfuff. Shortly after the alleged budget crisis, the Philadelphia Flyers began to use the rink for practices. But the facility's future remained in limbo as University officials considered turning it into a field house or a music hall. But the Athletic Department ultimately turned operation of the rink over to Business Services, making the rink more economically viable, Papenfuff said. Despite the turbulence with the rink and the hockey programs, the University's hockey tradition has survived through the men's and women's club teams. While they do not play other NCAA varsity teams, the hockey clubs are still highly competitive. But College senior Lisa Bard, captain of the women's team, said the organizations still retain their recreational aspect. "We have a range of players, from experienced veterans to novice players," Bard said. "We play other club-level schools such as M.I.T. and Boston University, and we also play private club teams in the area. Since the opposing teams differ in skill level, all of the players get ice time."
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