Alexandra's ice rink has been taken over - by the town's figure skaters.
These include coach and skater Andrew Wiseman (left), of Canada, Macey McLeod (12), Kylie Wilson (14), Ashley Wilson (16), Caitlin Lowe (17), Beth McLeod (10), Emily Downey (12), Nikita Chapman (11) and Lotte Rayner (front, 10), all of Alexandra.
The rink officially closed for the season on Sunday but the figure skating team has taken over paying the rink's expenses so members can keep training for the South Island championships in Gore from August 31 to September 2.
Alexandra Ice Skating Club committee member Mary Tritt said the team would normally travel to Queenstown or Gore to practise once the local rink closed but that was getting too expensive.
Instead, the team decided to pay the bills for the IceInline rink, estimated to be $150-$400 a day. To help cover the cost, the team will open the rink to the public on Friday night and sell raffles.
The squad of 13, whose members are aged between 10 and the mid-20s, will compete in Gore in individual free skating routines and dance pairs against more than 60 people from as far away as Christchurch.
The Alexandra members were seasoned competitors and won the Otago-Southland Cup in Queenstown last month, the first time the club had won it in at least 12 years, Ms Tritt said.
"It's amazing because our rink is open for just 10 weeks, so they have done really, really well to win that cup."
