Page 6 - MidWeek Leeward - Feb 16, 2022

6 FEBRUARY 16, 2022
‘Aiea Heights Resident Helped Break Ground For Hawai‘i’s Ice Palace In 1981
FROM PAGE 1
Summerfield met his wife, Lynn, while living in Dallas, and forged a connection to Hawai‘i when Lynn’s moth- er, who lived in the islands, let the couple know that there was an ice skating rink in the works. With Summerfield’s credentials, developer Doug Taylor hired him. Upon arriv- ing in 1981, the building per- mits were not yet in place, so Summerfield remained busy by managing a roller rink in Kāne‘ohe, an experience that gave him “a great introduction to the Hawaiian culture.”
1967 (seventh place).”
In 1968, when Summer-
field was 22 years old, he turned professional and was recruited by the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. While com- peting and showcasing his skills six months of the year when there was ice, Summer- field also began training his first pupil in 1970.
Ice Palace hosted shows Peter Pan (1984) (above ) and Tour of the Islands (April 1983) (right) seven months after it first opened. PHOTOS COURTESY JOE SUMMERFIELD
Paul Wylie was just 4-years- old when Summerfield started coaching him, and through eight years of tutelage, Wylie developed a solid foundation within the sport and was able to tackle some of the sports more difficult moves. After moving to Colorado Springs to train to be an elite skater, Wylie went on to compete in the Albertville (France) 1992 Olympic Games and claimed the silver medal.
Ice Palace opened in Sep- tember 1982 in Hālawa, and, in addition to offering lessons for kids and recre- ational opportunities for the general public including free skating and ice hockey, the venue hosted an ice show that featured Lynn’s mother as a
participant and led to the for- mation of the successful Ha- waiian Figure Skating Club.
a coaching position at Ho- bart Arena in Troy, Ohio. He mentored 4-year-old Sam Milby who developed a stage presence and penchant for performing, and went on to become a popular movie actor and singer in the Philippines.
then moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and used an advanced training method to grow the skating program from 50 to 250 students.
with pairs skating, and after meeting Ashley Cain, the duo continued to train and are rep- resenting the U.S. in the 2022 Winter Olympic pairs events.
Ice Palace became one of the highest revenue-produc- ing rinks in the country. Sum- merfield explains that the rink would consistently see 500- 600 local skaters enjoying the public sessions.
The next coaching stop for Summerfield took him to Lexington, Kentucky, where he worked for 17 years. He
During his stint in Iowa, he was introduced to 12-year- old Tim LeDuc, who was a skating prodigy capable of landing maneuvers such as a double axel and triple sal- chow. LeDuc got involved
Summerfield and his wife returned to Hawai‘i in 2013, and continue to enjoy the “ideal Hawaiian weather,” while “many of us here in Hawai‘i look forward to the reopening of the Ice Palace.”
Summerfield returned to the continent in 1987 to take
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