All Year Club to move its figure skating base to Great Park in Irvine

The All Year Figure Skating Club, which has sent many skaters to the Olympics and other prestigious international figure skating competitions, will move its base to the new Great Park Ice facility in Irvine this winter.

The club, which was formed in 1939, is the fifth-largest figure skating club in the country and the largest on the West Coast, with more than 600 members. It had been based in Culver City and, later, at Center Ice in Ontario.

About 50 competitive-track skaters are expected to train at Great Park Ice on a daily basis. Rafael Arutunian, who coached 2018 U.S. Olympians Nathan Chen and Adam Rippon — and guided Chen to the world championship after the Pyeongchang Olympics — is expected to coach elite skaters at the new facility. The $104-million complex will encompass 280,000 square feet.

“Having four surfaces and a seating capacity of about 2,500 creates the potential of bringing in international events, as well as domestic events,” said Doug Williams, the club’s president. “We can have regionals, sectionals and national events for synchro and for adult groups. This really gives us the ability to build on additional events.”

Another rink will have a seating capacity of 500, and Williams said the skating club will use that for smaller competitions.

“Great Park Ice is going to attract premier figure skating talent to Orange County and will become one of the top training centers in the nation,” said Art Trottier, vice president of the Rinks, which is run by the Ducks and operates development programs for ice and inline skating.

The All Year Figure Skating Club will host two competitions and two recitals annually. The Ducks will move their practices to the facility.