Downtown Richmond's new ice-skating rink is pretty slick.
Just ask 9-year-old Zion Stallings, who declared his inaugural adventure on ice great fun despite flailing arms and a reminder of gravity's existence.
"But when I fell, it hurt," he said, estimating his number of tumbles at 14.
RVA on Ice, an 8,400-square-foot seasonal rink, debuted Wednesday night along East Broad Street at Sixth Street, behind the Carpenter Theatre.
Mayor Dwight C. Jones, who envisioned the rink last year, declined to skate for his constituents but welcomed the rink as a lively addition to the city — a miniature version of the celebrated rink at Rockefeller Center in New York.
South Side resident Judith Stallings, Zion's mother, recalled people skating on the frozen lake at Byrd Park when she was growing up, but she said having a rink in the heart of the city is better.
"I'm hoping it'll be like a tradition," she said.
After strapping on his skates, Michael Moseley helped a friend and said he was eager to hit the ice.
"Some people are going through some stressful times, so this will make them smile," he said.
The rink is being operated by SMG Richmond and was funded with $155,000 in donations. The sponsors were AECOM, Altria, Genworth, the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the Richmond Marriott, SMG, Union First Market Bank, Venture Richmond and Wachovia.
The rink, which will be open during the winter months, will be dismantled and reinstalled when the weather turns cold again.
In the meantime, Richmonders will be able to hone their skating skills — or see if they have any. The rink was open about 30 minutes before emergency workers were deployed with a stretcher to assist someone with an apparent ankle injury.
As piano music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" tinkled over loudspeakers, first-time ice skater Miriam Smith was eager to see if a few roller-skating birthday parties from her youth were going to be of much help.
"I'm really excited to have this downtown and to have a more-rounded holiday season here," she said.
wjones@timesdispatch.com
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