Olympic Skater's Rink Started as a Bold City Bet on Joy

Thirty years ago, Oakland turned a vacant downtown lot into something unusual: an ice skating rink. That decision just helped produce Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu, who still trains there today.

In 1995, Oakland's city leaders saw an opportunity. The Bay Area was buzzing with ice sports fever after local skaters Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi won Olympic gold, and the new San Jose Sharks packed arenas.

Eight ice rinks across the Bay Area were overbooked with hockey players and figure skaters. Oakland's downtown needed revitalization, and city leaders thought an ice center could be the answer.

They took a gamble on parcel 8-641-8-5, a vacant lot just north of downtown. The city financed $11 million in bonds and signed a lease with private developers to build the Oakland Ice Center.

The grand plan nearly collapsed immediately. Projections promised 500,000 annual visitors and $5 million in local business revenue, but the original developer went bankrupt just three months after opening in March 1996.

For over a decade, the ice center struggled through three different operators. The facility seemed destined to become another failed downtown revitalization project, maybe torn down for condos or offices.

Then in October 2007, the parent company of the San Jose Sharks took over management. The rink finally stabilized, becoming the community anchor the city had envisioned.

Among the young skaters who found their home on that ice was Alysa Liu, just 26 months old when the Sharks organization took over. She grew up training at the Oakland Ice Center, learning triple axels and quadruple jumps on the same ice that nearly disappeared.

The Ripple Effect

Liu's recent Olympic gold medal validates what Oakland leaders bet on three decades ago: communities need spaces where people can grow, compete, and dream. The rink serves thousands of Bay Area families annually, hosting youth hockey leagues, figure skating competitions, and public skating sessions.

That vacant lot could have become luxury condos, offices, or a parking garage. Instead, it became a launchpad for an Olympic champion and a gathering place for a community.