Atlanta Teen Brings Ice Skating Back to Disabled Community

Grey Altemeyer couldn't let Atlanta's disabled skating community lose their ice.

The 17-year-old grew up volunteering with Special Olympics Georgia Miracle Sk8trs at The Cooler Rink in Alpharetta. When the rink closed in 2025 after 28 years, families with disabled skaters lost their only local program.

Altemeyer now attends high school in Massachusetts, but Atlanta's tight hockey community still holds his heart. He created Fun on Ice, an annual adaptive skating event at The ICE Complex in Cumming.

"There were no chances for any kids with adaptive issues to go out and skate," Altemeyer said. He matches each skater one-on-one with volunteers to meet their specific needs.

Melody Forrest, a 27-year-old Atlanta resident with a disability, was one of the first to receive an invitation. "I love to ice skate. It makes me feel happy, excited, and calm," Forrest said.

Her mother, Stacey Johnson, started bringing Forrest to the rink during high school as a way to stay active and make friends. When Forrest's high school friends left for college, those opportunities disappeared.

"It's hard to make friends," Johnson said. The rink became more than exercise. It became community.

Sunny's Take

Altemeyer partnered with Miracle Sk8trs and Atlanta's ECHL team, the Atlanta Gladiators, to pull together volunteers. "Melody was here when there were only three to seven kids on the ice," he said. "She is truly the heart of what we're looking for."

The second Fun on Ice event happened on August 2. About 35 skaters from across metro Atlanta spent the day together on the ice, finding their footing in more ways than one.

For Forrest and others, the program restored something precious: a place where friendship and ice skating go hand in hand.