Sarah Buchholtz
Features Editor
On Friday, Feb. 13, CoWs on Ice hosted a Valentine’s Day-themed free skate at Alice Noble Arena from 9:10-11:10 p.m. Students gathered at the rink to spend the evening with friends, enjoy music and skate.
Transportation was provided at Babcock Circle, allowing students easy access to the rink. The treasurer of CoWs on Ice, A.J. Johnson ’27, emphasized the accessibility of the event. “I just really love that this opportunity exists for college students,” they said. “I remember when I was a freshman and I came on one of these trips. I had a ton of fun because it is free and very easy to access for all students since transportation is provided.”
CoWs on Ice President Emme Buckle ’26, joined the club after transferring to Wooster. “I skated competitively for about eight years when I was a kid,” Buckle said. “I stopped when I was 15, but I’ve still enjoyed skating. When I found out [Wooster] had a club, I wanted to join.”
Vice President Sofia Wolken ’27 has also been involved with the club since her freshman year. “I’ve been a figure skater since I was in fourth grade,” Wolken said. “When I was looking at the list of clubs at Wooster, this was listed as one of them. I showed up at the first meeting and really wanted to get involved … My first year is when we kind of got things started and started having these events.”
Buckle highlighted what she believes makes the club especially valuable to campus. “[Well], it’s free with free transport. The free rental, transportation and ice time has been really nice for the College. I love to skate, but if I had to pay for it every time I went, it would probably dissuade me, especially if I were a beginner.”
The skate event welcomed students of all experience levels, opening the rink for people to learn or show off their skills. While some circled the rink confidently, others learned alongside friends. Doug Slovenkay ’27 attended the event after hearing about it from friends. “I’ve not skated very often in my life,” he said. “I was excited to come out and learn with my pals.” Having attended previous events, he added, “I think it’s always fun seeing the community come together.”
Johnson noted that attendance typically reaches around 150 students per event. “[We] host at minimum twice a semester … I think it brings people together,” they added. “I see international students. I see people who don’t go out to do anything else. It’s really exciting that a ton of people from all corners of campus come out and do this.”
Buckle emphasized that the event is open to everyone. “It’s a fun, new thing to try. A lot of people come and haven’t skated before, and I think it’s a friendly environment to learn.”
In past sessions, the club offered lessons for beginner students interested in learning how to skate. “We had a few private lessons that I taught for the past few CoWs on Ice sessions,” Wolken said. “I get to bring my figure skating experience into [the lessons] and bring what I love to the Wooster community.”
Wolken became vice president her first year and has helped grow the club’s programming. She emphasized what makes CoWs on Ice distinct. “CoWs on Ice is really special because I think it’s a really unique thing that we have. We have the funding for it, which is amazing, and we’re able to host these free public skates for all students and bus them here. Not a lot of schools can say that they do that.”
CoWs on Ice will host its final session of the semester in April, providing students with one last opportunity to spend time together off campus and on the ice.