Poway Ice Arena

We had a Birthday Party for my daughter last weekend, it was a great experience, the party was well organized our host Sophia was awesome, she was very organized and was always with the kids, the decoration was wonderful, kids and parents enjoyed the skating too. they loved it and only got positive feedback. And of course my daughter was the happiest kid, she loved it, she loved it all, food, ice skating and Zamboni ride. It was awesome. Thank you to Connie and Sophia again.
Thank you, and we will be back.

Nice rink. It’s clean. The staff is all 14 year old kids but they are nice.
However,
Groupon Scam Alert
have bought two of these «$ 7 for $ 15 worth of ice skating» Groupons they are running. When I arrived to use they said it does not include skate rentals. It costs $ 12 for admission and $ 3 to rent skates. So that’s $ 15. One would assume that by purchasing this groupon to get «$ 15 worth of ice skating» that would include ice skates and admission. It doesn’t not say in the groupon that it has limitations. Also since it says «worth of ice skating» it is assumed that skates are included since you can not ice skate without them. By purchasing two of these I spent $ 14 for $ 30 in ice skating. When I arrived I said I need 2 admissions and one rental since we already had one pair of skates and they scanned my codes. This means my total should be $ 24 in admission and $ 3 for skates. Totaling $ 27. Since I had $ 30 in credit I figured I’d be able to go and still have $ 3 left over. However they scanned both coupons AND made me pay $ 3 cash for a rental. They told me whoever made the groupon messed up and forgot to put on there it does not include rentals. Since the price as mentioned above is $ 12 to get in and $ 3 for skates, $ 15 makes logically sense that everything is included. All in all, this groupon is misleading and we had to pay out of pocket even though our total «worth of ice skating» credit was more than our total. If anything we should have $ 3 left over. This is a scam coupon.

My kids love their ice academy lessons so when I asked my daughter if she wanted to have her birthday party there she was super excited. Everything from decorations in her favorite color to food and drinks were taken care off. I just had to bring the cake. There were instructors to help with some of her friends who’ve never been on the ice before. My daughter got to ride on the zamboni which was really cool! All her friends loved the party. Thanks Connie and Angela for making it fun for the kids and stress free for me!

We had our daughter’s eighth birthday party at Poway Ice this past weekend, and I have already told her I don’t think I can top it, ever! The planning was as simple as picking a date, choosing colors, and making selections from Olive Garden’s catering menu. We sent the invitations and brought cake. Connie and her staff took care of everything else. They provided us with a beautifully decorated room (complete with disco lights — my daughter wanted me to mention that), coordinating cups, plates, tablecloths, and utensils, took care of the food delivery, bottled water, serving, and cleanup as well as lessons, games, and assistance putting skates on and taking them off. We were given two dedicated staffers (Kayla and Sophia) to run the party and make sure everyone had fun, but everyone on staff took great care of us and our guests. With a group of eighteen kids and parents, many of them new skaters, not one person took a spill without someone on staff being there immediately to help them up, see that they were okay, and make sure they skated off smiling. The owners have assembled a terrfic staff of enthusiastic, friendly and responsible young people and it made for a great event. As if that were not enough, Connie taught my daughter a short routine she was able to perfom all by herself on open ice… plus a zamboni ride and a slide show of pictures on the jumbotron. There were two parties being held at the same time and everything was handled so well and scheduled so beautifully we barely noticed each other. Great event!

Fantastic environment. The owners and people who work there are extremely welcoming and they go out of their way to make sure everything runs smooth. I love this rink. My daughter was so happy skating here. I wish I could give hundreds of stars because they are top notch and deserve it.

My son, 11, wants to play ice hockey so we contacted people at the other place (Mira Mesa) and it was a nightmare. Their clinics had a student: coach ratio of at least 25:1. Kids were skating circles around my son and he just stood there in the middle. Why they would have recommended this for a kid who had been on skates only once before was beyond me. I even started the conversation by saying, «I think a private lesson might make the most sense» but they directed me to that clinic. I asked for private lessons two or three times and no one ever got back to me. Same at Escondido. I called and emailed and asked for private lessons and no one got back to me. Neither place had programs set up for kids who want to get into ice hockey who need to learn to skate (it seems).
Then I hear a rumor that Poway Ice Arena is coming. We were there the first week they opened. We signed up for private lessons and got into some beginner skating clinics with low student: teacher ratios (I don’t know what numbers they publish but the largest class was 5:1. Most of the time it has been around 3:1). All of the staff are fantastic and friendly and my son is loving learning to skate. They were very clear that he needs to learn to skate before handing him a stick. And they created a program to handle this kind of customer. So we are not playing hockey just yet. But hopefully after another set of 12 weeks of clinics, he’ll be ready. Due to the great staff and teachers (Connie, Justin, Tanner, Smita, Smita’s kids who help during the public skate), my son doesn’t seem to care that he’s not playing hockey yet. Along with the 12-​week session comes free public skating sessions. You are free to skate whenever they have a public skate. It is free and makes a lot of sense since ice-​time is what beginners need. So we are spending at least 2 – 3 days a week there now. I set up my laptop in their café and have a clear view of the ice (you have to ask for the password, it is not posted but there is one). It’s in a heated room and I’d prefer that over sitting in any stands (if they had them). Or I run to Costco for my weekly shopping trip which is right around the corner.
There have been some small bumps along the way, but you’d expect that at any new facility, and the owners and staff have handled them professionally and in a way that makes me happy to support their business.

Newest rink in San Diego County and official practice facility of the AHL San Diego Gulls. Our son has one hockey practice a week here. We really have no interaction with staff during a public skate or skate & shoot as we show up, practice, go home. However, from what we can tell, the rink is still work in progress. The locker rooms have no permanent benches and have plastic stackable chairs, there’s no spectator seating around the rink (although you can stand around ¾’s to watch). This rink is more user friendly, and less spectator friendly due to space restrictions around the rink. Staff appear to be nice, the rink is very clean & well kept but they’ve only opened a few months ago. There is a warm room with coffee, snacks, TV’s, chairs, and windows facing one corner of the rink to view a portion of the ice. For those who live in the Poway or North San Diego County area, I know they’re happy this rink opened up. I definitely would be if I lived closeby.

Brand new facility has only been open since November 2015. The ice and restrooms are clean. $ 10 for all day skating and includes skate rentals. They have a little over priced café in the back in what they call a warm room. Haha! $ 4.25 for a vanilla latte?
It is pretty cool that kids can skate in the Gulls practice facility and there are plenty of ice skating attendants ready to help the first timers. Great experience, one I am sure that will be repeated several times over the summer!

Good location, decent ice. Very little seating around rink but I figure it’s going to take time to evolve.

Such a fun place! We got several $ 7 groupons for a bunch of friends/​family to meet up during open skate on a Sunday afternoon. We had about 20+ people. There was a good amount of people skating. It’s only $ 10/​pp if you have at least 10 in your group, including skates. They turned the lights off around 5 and the kids loooved that! We had all ages with us, kids, teens, adults. All had fun.
The Wired Café serves up yummy coffee for decent prices. It’s a little warmer in the café than the arena area. Tip: bring warm clothes!!! It is cooold! As to be expected.
I give it a 4 instead of 5 because they still have a few kinks to work out. No complaints, but the café could use an extra person on the busy days. But I know they are new so still gauging when to expect more people. Waited about 10 – 15 min for my mocha because only one person was working. No biggie because I was just sitting around anyway. They also ran out of some supplies, because I don’t think they expected so many people that day.
I will absolutely come again. We stayed almost 4 hours! We plan to organize a private party next holiday season.

great ice surface
staff are great, seems to be well run and managed
glad to have another great rink to skate at!

When I told my son he received birthday party invite to the Poway Ice Arena he said, «There’s an ice rink there?» Exactly. Apparently they opened in stealth mode (or my head was in the sand), but what a nice surprise and welcome option compared to the usuals nearby (at UTC and in Mira Mesa).
Before I go on, let me just lay it down for the record… I’m not exactly an ice rink mom. I once sent one of my kids for ice skating lessons (at another rink), I regretted it within 10 min… shivering on the sidelines as my appendages went numb. Thankfully, my kiddo didn’t take to ice skating so it was a one-​and-​done experience… yay.
If, by chance, they receive an invite to an ice rink, it’s usually me dragging them to the party because «it’s not about you not liking the venue; it’s about celebrating your friend,» …and I’m convincing myself of the same the entire time. Point is, if I’m walking into an ice arena, it’s with a slight I-don’t-want-to-be-here attitude.
When we arrived, I was pretty adamant when I told my son, «We’re leaving as soon as the party is over… in 2 hours.» The sooner I can get out of the freezer, the better. My son, also not a fan of ice skating, replied, «Yea, no problem.»
Well, Poway Ice Area changed all that because we left 4 hours later. We had an awesome time and it’s largely due to the fantastic people working there. Shout out to Connie and Tanner who really created a great experience for the birthday boy and ALL of his friends.
I was even compelled to strap on a pair of skates and join in on the fun. I had to tell a little white lie to get my son out of there, «They’re about to close.» We left around 10:45pm…they close at 11:30pm. Shhhh! Don’t tell him I sacrificed 45 min of skating fun… but I was tired!
Anyway, it’s a great facility and once again, I can’t tell say enough about the fantastic staff. I even tried convincing my son to try hockey there, so you know they made a good impression on me! Oh, and for those who know me and my near-​OCD need for cleanliness… this place passes the test. :)

We love this Ice Arena!
From the brand new facility, amenities and the extremely welcoming staff the Poway Ice Arena is off to a GREAT start! We love that Poway Ice is providing so many offerings to everybody in our community.
Our daughter is enrolled in the Poway Ice Academy and loves it. The arena is becoming her new best place away from home.
Connie Turner is by far the BEST!
As parents, we can only hope to give our children the best opportunities to explore their interests and give them all the support they need. Our daughter started skating a year and half ago. And it was then, that we were blessed to have met Connie. She has been our daughter’s skating coach /​instructor ever since and has been instrumental in developing our daughter’s love for skating. She is not only an exceptional instructor but she is more importantly a perfect role model. Connie values the personal relationships she has for those she knows and works with. She genuinely cares about our daughter and has earned the respect our daughter has for her.
Connie has always lent herself to our daughter on and off the ice. She went out of her way to go with us to buy our daughter’s first pair of skates, help support our daughter’s Girl Scout’s activities, and even attended a school talent show our daughter was participating in. For all of Connie’s accomplishments, it’s nice to hear from our daughter that she might want to be just like Ms. Connie someday.
We want to commend Poway Ice for bringing in the type of caliber and talent that Connie possesses. She will without a doubt help Poway Ice achieve the highest degree of excellence. Continued success.

We moved to San Diego a few months ago. UTC Ice seemed to be the one decent choice that is not too far from where we live. However, the traffic usually was unpleasant. I also didn’t find the coaching for the students to be as productive. AS I was dreading how awful the Holiday traffic will be at UTC, I learned that there is a brand new arena so much closer to home! We decided to give Poway Ice a try. We are so glad that we did. They have truly structured their academies and programs to be students and parents centric! You can tell, the owners opened Poway Ice for ALL THE RIGHT REASONS. The coaches are great with creative approach to help elevate the students. We immediately knew… this is home. Please give them a try, I know you will be glad! BTW, the coffee shop is awesome too! If you are looking for a coach for private lessons, coach Bobbi is wonderful!

Poway’s brand new ice rink is definitely off to a great start. This family-​friendly arena offers:
–fantastic ice conditions
–youth and adult hockey leagues
–figure skating programs for all levels
–a state-​of-​the-​art entertainment (audio visual) system
–thoughtful and friendly customer service
While other San Diego rinks may have some of the attributes mentioned above, what really differentiates Poway Ice is the last item — customer service. Every employee I met (from the owners to the guys driving the Zamboni) is focused on providing a warm, family-​friendly experience.
I took my 7-​year old for her first figure skating lesson. Connie was awesome — very knowledgeable, upbeat and patient. My daughter can’t wait to go back!
Keep in mind that this is a brand new facility, so the pro shop is still under construction and the Gulls have yet to move in. However, once they’re done with the finishing touches I expect Poway Ice to be viewed as the best ice arena in San Diego.

A brand new ice rink? GREAT!!! I’ve been waiting for a place like this to open up. I came in for a public skate session last Friday for their teen night and holy cow!!!
Firstly, this place is CLEAN! I’m used to being in old dark and dirty ice rinks and I can’t begin to describe how well maintained and clean this place is, I don’t have to bring my kids to a filthy ice rink anymore! Woohoo!
Secondly, their music system and their megatron, YES I SAID MEGATRON, Is out of this world! I feel like I’m in a movie theater. What genius came up with that idea? I love it! Disney night skate and a Disney cartoon on the screen? My kids couldn’t wait to come back
Thirdly, the aura in the place is the best. Everybody is so nice and accommodating, they have a warm room AND a CAFE!!? Definitely try the hot chocolate, no more powder hot chocolate, this is the real deal with whipped cream and all the fixins.
I can keep going on and on. Thank you for having such a great ice rink, finally someone built a rink suited for humans. Wooo!