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Skating through a Winter Wonderland in Lake Hallie

Valley Sports Academy opens its first outdoor skating complex

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January 20, 2025

LAKE HALLIE – The team at Valley Sports Academy (VSA) is taking full advantage of Mother Nature this winter season with the opening of its Winter Wonderland.

“It’s pretty impressive, it’s pretty special,” Chase Hoople, general manager of Valley Sports Academy said.

Hoople said this is the first time the multi-sport training facility has offered Winter Wonderland – which opened on the grounds of its Lake Hallie property (1855 125th St.) in January.

“We have plenty of land here at VSA, so we thought, ‘we have this land just sitting, how can we utilize it?’” he said.

The result, Hoople said, is VSA’s Winter Wonderland – an outdoor recreation complex complete with six skating ponds, skating trails and fire pits.

“We have a figure eight skating trail and then an elevated trail, which will go uphill and downhill,” he said.

Hoople said Winter Wonderland has 55,000 square feet of rink footage and 1,982 feet of trails.

Gliding on ice

Once the decision was made to create Winter Wonderland at VSA, Hoople said things moved pretty quickly.

“The idea spurred in November, grading started Dec. 3 and finished roughly Dec. 11,” he said.

As the VSA team began flooding the area, however, Hoople said the project hit a bit of a snag.

“We were trying to get it flooded, and then we had a warm patch, so that kind of delayed us,” he said.

When temperatures dropped again, Hoople said work resumed and the six skating ponds and the uphill and downhill trails 

“Thanks to some key partners of ours, we were able to start up this Winter Wonderland,” he said.

Chase Hoople said VSA’s Winter Wonderland has 55,000 square feet of rink footage and 1,982 feet of trails. Submitted Photo

Though skating rinks are not a new concept for VSA – having an indoor hockey rink at the facility – Hoople said the uphill and downhill skating trails are new for the team.

“We figured, ‘hey, we might as well try it if we have the people on board to help,’” he said.

Day passes for the rinks/trails, Hoople said, are $10, with a 2025 year pass at $75.

“Skate rental is $10 a pair,” he said.

Hoople said folks are able to skate whenever they want and for however long, noting there are no time limits on skating.

“Payment (for skating) can be taken by scanning the QR code on our Winter Wonderland signs,” he said. “Skate rental will be purchased at the VSA front desk.”

More than rinks, trails

Hoople said Winter Wonderland is about more than just the rinks and trails – “it’s about providing an outdoor recreation experience for the community.”

“It’s different than just a pond to skate on – having the trails, having the fire pits, the experience, people seem really excited about it,” he said.

Hoople said the rinks and trails will be open all day, as well as in the evening – “we’ll have it lit at night.”

In addition to open skate opportunities, Hoople said Winter Wonderland will host a handful of different events, including candlelit skates and tournaments for pond hockey, broom ball and boot hockey.

“We will have an igloo for people to rent out for get-togethers, skating parties – fun stuff like that,” he said.

Information about upcoming events at Winter Wonderland, Hoople said, can be found on VSA’s social media platforms.

At the mercy of Mother Nature

Hoople said the plan is for Winter Wonderland to be open through the end of February, if not longer – weather permitting, of course.

“As soon as it gets warm and it starts to melt, then we’ll close it down,” he said.

Though Winter Wonderland’s operation is only in the opening weeks of its first year, Hoople said the VSA team plans to open it again next winter.

“We plan to open it again next year – pending how it goes this year,” he said. “It’s all about usage. If no one comes out and enjoys it and skates on it, we probably won’t (open it again) in the future. But our plan is to get this open, get the public enjoying it, get our community enjoying it, and then keep it going forward – figuring out how we can make it better every year.”

If the interest from the community is there, Hoople said the six skating rinks and trails are just the beginning of Winter Wonderland.

General Manager Chase Hoople said payment for skating is done by scanning the QR code on the Winter Wonderland signs. Submitted Photo

“If it’s a success, we’re looking to potentially do trails through the woods in the back (of our facility),” he said. “Right now, the trails are just open-concept, but (the plan is to create) more of like a nature skate concept in the future.”

More on VSA

Valley Sports Academy was founded in 2020 by Brian and Liz Seubert – long-time Chippewa Valley community members.

According to the VSA website (valleysports.academy), the Seuberts opened VSA because they saw a need for a multi-sport training facility dedicated to giving athletes new opportunities.

As general manager of the 116,000-square-foot facility, Hoople said his goal is to help all athletes who walk through VSA’s door to have all the tools they need to find success on and off the field.

Hoople said VSA provides athletes with customized coaching, training experiences and unique opportunities on the field, while practicing core life values at the same time.

VSA has hockey, soccer, baseball, softball and performance facilities all under one roof.

Some of the tools within the facility, Hoople said, include:

  • Hockey – studio ice rink, synthetic ice rink, skating treadmill and rapid shot/hands
  • Soccer – a 6,000-square-foot, fully turfed field space
  • Baseball/softball – a 38,000-square foot-baseball/softball facility, complete with a major league dimensioned infield

The facility also has batting cages and pitching lanes, complete with Hittrax (a technology-based training aid); a 6,000-square-foot weight room, two golf simulators, a community room and a pickleball court.

TBN
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