Skating’s Popularity Rises, Yet Local Rink Faces a Meltdown : Pickwick: Plan to shut down the Burbank institution at the end of September follows a string of closures of Southern California arenas.

A skater swinging through the turnstiles at Pickwick Ice Arena in Burbank enters another world, one in which limbs become wings and flights of fancy sometimes alight on a loftier reality--an ice show, the Big Game, even the Olympics.

There a figure skater, racer or hockey player can attain speeds possible for few other self-propelled humans, a dynamic grace envied by dancers.

But now, like a puck dropped in a hockey face-off, word that Pickwick faces closure has ignited a vigorous scramble to fight the move.

On Monday, a committee spearheaded by John Halebian--a Burbank podiatrist and hockey player--and representing various figure skaters, speed skaters and hockey players met to devise an agenda for blocking the shutdown. They will try to meet Thursday with Pickwick’s owners, Walter and Edward Stavert, and get support from the city of Burbank and/or Los Angeles County. They are planning a rally July 21 in one of the city’s parks.

Earlier, a statewide board meeting of the California Amateur Hockey Assn. formed a new committee to study ways to underwrite development of new rinks.

An institution that has served thousands of skaters, their families and fans for 29 years, Pickwick is scheduled to close at the end of September.

The announcement was made by Cary Adams, Pickwick’s general manager, who told a meeting of skaters that he had tried to explore with the owners all the possibilities for keeping the rink open, in the face of their concerns about repair costs, liability insurance and a changing market.

“I couldn’t in good conscience say anything to you sooner,” he explained, “because I didn’t want to set off a premature exodus that might persuade the owners to close earlier--thus jeopardizing several scheduled events and programs.” Chief among such events, he said, is the “Ice Extravaganza,” a benefit for United Cerebral Palsy set for Sept. 22.

“National and international stars will be participating,” he said. “David Levinson, the promoter, pays for it out of his own pocket.”

Adams said that these days a viable ice facility must have two surfaces and club-like amenities, including an attractive restaurant.

Burgeoning interest in organized skating programs, colliding with a succession of rink closures in Southern California, has resulted in hot competition for ice time. In fact, the size of Pickwick’s ice area and its seating capacity make it the only rink left in northern Los Angeles County that can stage a qualifying competition for regional and national figure skating championships.

“We’ll have to travel a long way to get to anything like it,” said Mary Roof, a past president of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club. “We’ve produced a lot of champions at Pickwick. The ‘Fabulous Forties,’ a revue that skates to the music of the 1940s, won national titles three times.”

The Ice Castle near Lake Arrowhead in San Bernardino County can seat 1,000 for its annual benefit show, but its owners have decided its niche is training. The only Southland facility with two ice surfaces, it has accommodations for serious skaters from all over the world who come for extended stays to take advantage of the big-name instructors, mile-high altitude and freedom from distractions. Carol Probst and her husband Walter built their first rink in the village center at Blue Jay and later opened another on the outskirts adjacent to a dormitory and cottages. They also acquired a lodge for food service and meetings. Both ice surfaces are 85 by 185 feet. The Probsts now are planning a building in which to offer off-ice dance instruction for figure skaters.

The head instructor is Robin Cousins, a former Olympic gold medalist from Britain. Also on the staff are Irina Rodnina, a Soviet pairs legend who won three Olympic golds, 10 world championships and 11 European titles; and Frank Carroll, a three-time U.S. champion who has coached many Olympic contestants.

“It’s all a labor of love,” said Carol Probst, a former Ice Follies star who originally moved to the Lake Arrowhead area to retire. “We haven’t turned a profit yet. We have developed recreational and hockey programs, but I think getting into the black will depend on our specialty, advanced instruction for figure skaters.”

Adams said Pickwick has an 85-by-200-foot ice surface and seating for 2,000, making it the area’s biggest facility next to the Forum and the Sports Arena. “Hockey participation has really grown,” he said. “In the 70s we had virtually no adult hockey. Now we’re running 1,500 players through here every week.”

Brad Berman, a principal in the California Senior Hockey League, said he had 400 players three years ago, and now there are 800 on the ice. “The rinks are making money,” he asserted. “The Pickwick people just aren’t interested in the skating operation, so they don’t want to keep it repaired. Our Memorial Day tournament was literally rained out; the roof leaked so bad we had to call it off. The owners are more interested in expanding their banquet activities.”

Despite the demand for ice time, rinks have closed in Santa Monica, West Covina, Brea, Topanga Plaza, Tarzana and Santa Barbara. They simply are not making enough money or operators believe they can make more money in other ways.

There also is talk of closing the rink at Laurel Plaza in North Hollywood as part of a mall expansion program. Joan Kradin of Forest Development Co. said current plans call for demolishing the one-story mall adjacent to the May Co. to make way for a larger structure that would house three new anchor stores and include space for movie theaters. “The skating rink now located in the mall is not included in current plans,” she said, “but we have talked to people concerned about it and are exploring options. We’re still working on an environmental impact report, so the mall won’t come down for years.”

Rumors have circulated that even the Culver City Ice Rink is doomed, although it is used for practice by the Los Angeles Kings and the building belongs to former Kings owner Jerry Buss. The structure sits on leased land, however, the owners of which are reportedly looking at other uses.

Jim Fox, a former Kings player who does public relations for the club, said the Kings are considering a new rink and sought his opinion on designs a few months ago, but he has heard nothing since.

Rob Moore, the Kings’ director of administration, said: “We’re not initiating anything at present. Some persons have approached us, and we’re always open to suggestions about new rinks--we’d love to have as many as possible. We’d support hockey in any form; the future of our franchise depends on increasing the Southland’s understanding of the game.”

Efforts to get new rink projects under way have been stalled or stymied by a combination of factors, including land cost and availability, building costs, zoning snags and homeowners’ objections.

All those obstacles seemed to have been hurdled at San Dimas, where a redevelopment site was obtained for a rink and two office buildings, and the objections of neighbors have been resolved. Originally, the rink was to be built before the rest of the project, according to Bea Gallant, an investor who formerly managed the West Covina rink.

“Then we learned banks wouldn’t finance a one-purpose building,” she said, “so we’ll have to either start the office buildings first or do everything at the same time. It’s delayed the rink considerably, and I got so depressed I opened another business just to take my mind off it. I have things for the rink stored all over and told people I’d take them back in six months. It’s gonna be years.”

Berman is working on a new rink with Larry Bruyere of Glendale and a silent partner, but they have had problems finding a site. They ultimately ran out of leads in Simi Valley, the area first targeted, and now are expecting a realtors’ report July 15 that will cover possible sites from Santa Clara and the San Fernando Valley to Glendale and Pasadena.

Even before he got wind of the Pickwick closure, Berman had made plans to expand the senior hockey league to Nevada, and he already has scheduled some major tournaments at a new ice arena under construction in the Las Vegas area.

The new manager for the Nevada rink is Arnie Sagarsky, who left the helm at Iceland in Paramount on May 21. Contradicting the assertion that ice rinks don’t pay, he said he tripled the gross at Paramount in five years. “I came there without any experience in ice arenas,” he said, “but I knew a lot about promotion, advertising and positive attitudes.

“When I took over, Paramount opened at 6:30 a.m., closed from 11 to 2 and closed for the day at 7:30 p.m. The gross was $300,000 a year. Five years later we were open from 5 in the morning until 2 the next morning, with no dark time in between. The gross had climbed to almost $1 million.”

He attributes his success to the positive effect of aggressive promotion and the elimination of negative attitudes among Paramount personnel. “I only changed 10% of the staff,” he said, “but I let the rest of them know I didn’t want to hear another discouraging word. I set up promotions with the schools, got a new director for the skating school, installed a hockey program--even offered free ice time to little kids.”

Sagarsky said 50% of the ice time is already sold at the Nevada rink, scheduled to open Nov. 1, “and that’s the hard part. Selling the rest will be easy. There’s a substantial figure-skating group here, which used the former rink at Henderson (Nev.), but I think hockey will be our bread and butter. I told the owners the rink will not run in the red--ever.” Part of a hotel-casino-recreation complex in Painted Desert, the rink will have an 85-by-200-foot ice surface and seating for 3,000.

Another group considering a new rink in the western San Fernando Valley is headed by Sean McGillivray, who operates the Conejo Valley Ice Skating Center. He headed a successful effort to stave off closure at Conejo but is convinced that ice rinks are not money-making enterprises and is attempting to establish one on a nonprofit basis.

“We hope to interest a well-known institution in supporting the venture,” he said. “Rinks often have municipal support in Canada and back east, where they recognize the recreational value to the community.”

A new rink has been approved in Brea, where a strong skating community lost its ice in recent years and had been agitating for a replacement. Ret Wixted, the city’s director of community services, said the rink will be part of a community center, recreational and commercial complex near the civic center.

“The project and site have been approved by the City Council,” she said, “and it’s in the design process. Construction should start early next year, with completion by the end of 1991 or early ’92.” The multipurpose complex will include a gym, art studio, classroom, condos and outdoor sculpture garden.

Wixted said revolving revenue is expected to cover total costs, and the city is looking into private management of all components, including the community center. “We’ve talked to the Ice Capades Chalet people, as well as others, about managing the ice rink.”

Ice Capades owns or manages 18 ice arenas, seven of them in California--including North Hollywood, Palos Verdes, Costa Mesa, Palm Desert and La Jolla in the Southland. The parent company in Minneapolis, International Broadcasting Corp., also owns the Ice Capades revue, Harlem Globetrotters, and some dinner theaters and amusement parks. It used to be in broadcasting and may return to that field, according to Thomas K. Scallen, IBC president.

“Our ice rinks are very successful, very profitable,” he said, “because we know how to run them. The bottom line is management.” Just what ingredients are the key to that management success, however, Scallen declined to say.