The outdoor tennis courts at Johns Hopkins University get little use in the winter, so administrators have decided to put them to another use.
From Jan. 14 to Feb. 27, the Homewood Tennis Courts near Charles Street and University Parkway will become a “pop-up ice rink,” free to JHU students and employees, according to the JHU Hub website. There will be free hot chocolate, free skate rentals and “special weekend hours for the community,” the Hub said.
“We are thrilled to bring this experience to Homewood this winter,” said Kevin Shollenberger, vice provost for student health and well-being and interim vice provost for student affairs, in a statement to the Hub. “The ice rink will give our community the chance to create memories and share together in a fun, festive activity.”
The temporary rink will have a 6,000-square-foot skating surface. It will be created, maintained and staffed by Ice America, a company that specializes in the design and installation of temporary ice rinks. According to Hopkins, advance registration will be required for 90-minute sessions, and an online pre-registration system will be available in early January.
A Hopkins spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for more information. The Hopkins website says more details about the pop-up rink “will be shared in the weeks ahead.”
