In the interview, Rico Lehwald, chairman of the operating association, talks about the operation of the Heinz Schneider ice rink during the lockdown, the outstanding construction work and what ideas he has for the coming year.
The ice rink in Geretsried has been inactive since November 1st.
In October, in addition to ice hockey, school sports and the public run took place in the renovated hall.
In consultation with the city, a small layer of ice will be maintained during the lockdown.
Geretsried
- As great as the joy of Geretsried ice sports fans is about the successful renovation and roofing of the Heinz Schneider Stadium, which has been open for many years, the balance so far is sobering: First the opening was delayed due to a technical defect, now the " Lockdown Light “all sporting ambitions for at least four weeks on hold.
An unsatisfactory situation, especially for the chairman of the stadium club, Rico Lehwald.
Sports editor Thomas Wenzel spoke to the 49-year-old, who works part-time as a clerk in a leasing company and takes care of the ice rink in the afternoons and evenings.
Mr. Lehwald, how are you? Have you been to the stadium today?
Yes, of course, I'm here right now - just like every day.
It turned out that it makes sense for someone from the association to be here as a contact person on the construction site.
And of course it is also a matter close to my heart to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
The construction work should actually already be completed?
Right, we're nine months ahead of schedule at the moment.
People always say: “Nothing is progressing.” But it doesn't get any easier as time goes on.
Because many companies that still have work to do, of course, have long since had other jobs that they are busy with.
With the help of many volunteers, ESC Geretsried put a lot of work into making sure that everything is ready on time for the start of the ice hockey season. Then the ventilation system broke ...
I agree.
This created too much humidity in the hall and under the roof, so that we had to stop the ice operation in the meantime.
But that has now all been fixed.
What else is up?
At the moment mainly painting work in the hall.
In addition, a construction company takes care of the outdoor facilities.
And we are in the process of optimizing the energy sector.
The ice rink is connected to the wood chip plant at the school center.
From there we get district heating.
And now we're trying to increase the power a little so that it gets warmer.
What about the ice cream: will it defrost during the lockdown?
No, we have agreed with the city to leave a certain layer of ice on the concrete and to run the cooling system on minimum.
In the end, this is cheaper than if we had defrosted everything.
Why?
Simply switching off the aggregates is not enough.
You would have had to mill off the remaining ice, then separate out the added lime powder, which makes the surface particularly beautiful, white.
In addition, the lines would then also be gone, and the face-off circles would have to be removed.
These are reusable pieces of fleece.
What if the lockdown lasts longer than four weeks?
Then we have to discuss the subject again.
What was actually offered in the few weeks when the ice cream business was possible?
Actually everything.
Ice hockey anyway, but the school sport took place as well as the public run and the so-called racket run.
And how was the response?
Let me put it this way: We haven't had full capacity yet.
According to our hygiene certificate, 200 people could enter the stadium, taking into account all the requirements and rules, of course.
But people still approach things carefully.
But you have to understand that.
So is it currently rather good or bad that nobody is allowed into the stadium?
That certainly plays into our cards because we can do outstanding work undisturbed.
But of course it is not in the interests of ice athletes and all friends of ice sports if such a beautiful hall cannot be used.
What do you think the prospects are like?
I hope that at some point we will get back to normal.
The ice rink itself is ready for normal operation, but unfortunately we are not allowed to do so at the moment.
But we can already think about how this event room can be used beyond the ice season.
Because the hall should of course be available to all Geretsriedern.
In the new series “How are you?” We ask people from the district how they experience the unusual Corona times.
Also read: Ice rink: games seem possible again