One of the newest editions to the Hamline campus, the outdoor Mulkern Court, is getting a winter makeover. The newly constructed multipurpose court, located between the Law School and Manor Hall, is being transformed into Hamline’s own personal ice rink for the winter season.

The court is named after Richard Mulkern, who served as Hamline’s football coach from 1962-1973. After his time as a football coach, Mulkern stayed at Hamline to coach track and field for another 29 years. The new court was dedicated to him on Oct. 13 this past fall.

The court was designed to be a space that everyone could utilize and enjoy. In fact, full support of the project depended on the surface allowing for various recreational uses, including the capability for an ice surface in winter.

However, just because the court was constructed with a future campus ice rink in mind doesn’t mean the actual transformation has been seamless. According to Ken Dehkes, Hamline’s Director of Facilities Operations and Horticultural Services, the setup is really quite a process.

In an email interview, Dehkes explained what makes the transformation possible is that “the rink system is made up of a single, white engineered multilayered film wrapped over thermoformed plastic boards and brackets that are interlocking.” Sandbags are also set up around the rink to help support the side boards.

Thanks to a cold snap in mid-November, initial setup of the rink began on Nov. 18. It took six people to install the rink materials and then fill it with water. Unfortunately, the cold didn’t last. Only a few days after the flooding of the court the temperature rose and melted most of the ice. Because of the special liner used to transform the court into a rink, there have to be at least four inches of ice to protect the court and liner from damage.

As Dehkes put it, “mother nature is in control.”

The typical season for an outdoor ice rink is from late December to mid-February, so it’s estimated that the Hamline rink should be in use up until mid-February. According to Dehkes, “the rink will stay up as long as ice conditions are safe for users and the court.”

Being that this is the first year Hamline has had its own ice rink, those involved in the project are striving for it to be a success.

As Lamar Shingles, the Director of Campus Recreation stated, “there are a lot of things to consider with the new rink in terms of risk and liability, so we want to make sure they are addressed properly.”

The rink has not yet officially been opened to the Hamline public. However, now there have been enough consistently cold temperatures to generate the necessary amount of ice. The tentative opening for the rink has been scheduled for the third week of January, probably Tuesday the 20th. Hours of operation are soon to be announced.      

Cole Mayer