Moody Gardens offers ice skating in summer

GALVESTON — Don Jones did his best to keep his balance.

Jones held onto the rail for as long as he could at the ice skating rink at Moody Gardens. He even skated at a slower pace than others, but nothing seemed to work.

Jones, a 68-year old retired football coach, tumbled onto the ice on three separate occasions. But somehow his eyeglasses and hat remained in place.

“I guess my hat and glasses were on pretty good,” Jones, a Stephenville resident, said. “Falling on the ice is not so bad. It’s getting back up that’s the hard part.”

Jones, along with many others, passed on a day at the beach to skate around a man-made ice rink at the Moody Gardens Convention Center.

The ice skating rink is opened to the public daily from noon to 8 p.m. until Aug. 15.

“We usually offer ice skating during the Festival of Lights,” Moody Gardens evening hotel manager Patrick Shields said.

“But we decided to move the rink inside and give families some other things to choose from.”

There always are two skate monitors on duty for safety. Entry fee is $5.95 per person with a $5 skate rental fee. Groups of 20 or more get a discount rate of $5 a person with free skate rental. Moody members receive free entry with a $4 skate rental.

“The ice skating rink is for the entire family,” Shields said. “It’s a great way to beat the heat while having fun.”

Jones’ daughter-in-law, Tammy Jones, thought it was a great way to get out of the heat.

An ankle injury ruined the opportunity for her to skate with her family.

“It feels really good in here,” Tammy said. “Ice skating in the summer is a really good idea. My son, Tylan (Jones), and sister-in-law, Pam (Jones), have gone ice skating before, but this is everyone else’s first time.”

Jones’ daughter, Leissa, sat with her mother once she grew tired of skating. She never could master the technique. The 11-year-old never got the nerve to let go of the rail.

“I was really scared,” she said. “I roller blade all the time, but I never have been ice skating before. I guess I need to do it a few more times to get the hang of it.”

Troy Jones, who is Tammy’s brother-in-law, caught on quickly.

But he never let his speed get out of hand. He remained at a slow and steady pace.

“Ice skating is a lot of fun,” Troy, the assistant athletic director at Tarleton State University, said.

“I didn’t fall, so I guess my technique worked for me. It’s harder than it looks.”