At the second Free Skate Night of the semester held Friday, Oct. 7, more than 200 Nebraska students celebrated the end of the week with an evening of ice skating at the Breslow Center. Some attendees were Free Skate Night regulars and were familiar with ice skating; for others, it was their first experience on skates.

Campus Recreation has hosted Free Skate Nights since 1998, the year the majority of the freshman class was born. Though Free Skate Nights have changed throughout the years, its ability to provide students with the opportunity to spend time with friends while staying active remains.

“My friend is really into skating and he invites everyone in my dorm to go when he goes to Free Skate Nights,” said sophomore Sarah Kenny.

Planning for Free Skate Nights requires finding a Friday night each month where the majority of students will be on campus, then submitting the dates to the Breslow Center for approval. After the dates are decided, Campus Recreation promotes the event.

Moving the event from the Icebox to the Breslow Center allowed Campus Recreation to make improvements to Free Skate Nights and offer them more often.

“The Breslow is a great addition to the university and a very nice venue for this type of event,” said Campus Recreation Assistant Director for Member Services & Development Scott Wagner. “Moving to Breslow also afforded us the opportunity to expand the number of nights we can offer, as well as select the day and time of the event.”

“Overall the facilities are way nicer [than the Icebox],” said junior James Burdyny, an amateur hockey player who regularly attends Free Skate Nights. “The building as a whole is awesome.”

The first Free Skate Night this fall had 308 attendees. Campus Recreation has seven more Free Skate Nights on the schedule for the remainder of the academic year. Organizers look forward to seeing more students attend in the future.

“Anyone who has never skated or those who love to skate are welcome to participate,” said Wagner. “Free Skate Nights are a great way to spend a Friday night with fellow students.”