December 2025 / Issue 11

Holiday break is a great time to get out and SKATE! Whether you're looking for a spirited pick up game, a family outing, or a stick & puck session to keep the kids active over break, check our web site's Holiday Hours tab and our social media stories to be in the know about all of our added offerings. We invite you and yours to spend your ho-ho-holidays on the ice.

Our Group Lesson, ASPIRE, and competitive figure skaters kicked off the season at our Holiday Exhibition on Sunday, November 23rd. A link for professional photos was emailed to all participants - if you need the link again reach out to Kim Johnson.

The first performance of the Exhibition showcased the culmination of our first ever Learn Synchro class - look at them executing a pinwheel with ease in the photo above! Our Learn Synchro class is great for Group Lesson skaters who are interested in a team environment, and will be offered again in March to prepare a number for our Spring Ice Show.

We have been hearing local radio ads directing listeners to "find a Learn to Skate USA program near you" and feel a bit like Buddy the Elf... "Learn to Skate, WE KNOW it!"

As the only indoor ice arena in McHenry County, we are THE place to get a Learn to Skate USA foundation to your skating experience. The program - endorsed by U.S. Figure Skating and USA Hockey - offers valuable benefits to skaters of all ages, including:

Instruction from background-screened, certified instructors
A standardized curriculum founded in solid and enjoyable skills progression
Skill progression patches
A mission to provide a fun and positive experience that will instill a lifelong love of skating

Click here for more information on Learn to Skate USA at Crystal Ice House, and what your yearly membership includes.

And speaking of valuable resources, our unique VIP Skate Card that comes with every Group Lesson registration is a hidden gem. Every skater receives a card good for 12 sessions on our Public Skate, Stick & Puck, or VIP Practice Ice for figure skaters. That's a value of $84-$144 this session all because we know that practice is a key to success on the ice, no matter if you're gliding in figure or hockey skates.

Little Blackhawks is back at Crystal Ice House and registration is now OPEN. Get your future hockey star started on the ice:

February 8 - March 15

Ages 4-9

New head-to-toe equipment is included with registration. Spots are limited - spread the word!

Yellowjackets are excited to host their first ever Alumni Skate! Join YJ on Friday, January 9, 2026 for an unforgettable night on the ice. They will be hosting two alumni games:

7:20pm

Alumni 2024-2025 NIHL season / Current Jackets 18U

8:50pm

Open alumni game for all graduated Yellowjackets who played through their Bantam year

This exciting night will kick off Yellowjackets Weekend. Saturday and Sunday will be packed with YJ home games and the weekend will wrap up celebrating the 2025-2026 Seniors with Senior Night. Come out, cheer loud, and reconnect with your Yellowjackets family! For more information, please visit firewagonhockey.com.

Sticks & Stones Adult Rec League registration is OPEN for the Winter 2026 season. Whether you're new to the game or looking to get back on the ice, there's a spot for you. Sticks & Stones offers small rosters, balanced teams, and Sunday night games. Early bird discount is $425 until 12/31. Grab your spot before rosters fill - don't delay, sign up today!

Coach Brooke Gewalt is headed to the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships for a 3rd straight year! The event will take place in St. Louis, Missouri on January 4-11, 2026. Many coaches and skaters from Crystal Ice House will be in the stands live to cheer her on in person. Fun fact: two of the eighteen skaters in Senior Women started their skating careers at the Crystal Ice House - Brooke and Bradie Tennell. Be sure to tune in!

Brooke will also be a featured performer and special guest for the McHenry River Walk Shoppes' Heart of the Fox: On Ice event presented by the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce. The event is scheduled for Saturday, December 20 from 2:00pm-4:00pm. Come on out to support and shop the Riverwalk.

YJ's travel teams have been busy with league and tournament play near and far this fall. Below are a few big wins recorded in the 2025-26 season thus far.

Peewee 2 took home the hardware and earned the title of Louisville Slugger Champions this month (above).

Bantam 1 are on a roll, winning two tournament championships to date. First they took gold at the Fall Colours Tournament in Michigan (above). Then they went undefeated at the Thanksgiving Gobbler (below).

Squirt 2 Prospects have also been on a hot streak - first as runner-up in the Big Bear Fall Colours Tournament (above), followed by becoming the UHT Thanksgiving Gobbler Champions (below).

Peewee 1 were crowned Chicago Fall Classic Champions in October (above).

Bantam 2 took home the hardware at the Grinder Goblin in October (above).

And finally, YJ's 2016 Squirt Minor team became the CCM World Invite Runner Up in early November (above). The 2016s followed that up with being part of the winning country/division at CCM's Nations Cup over Thanksgiving Weekend in Detroit, MI (below).

Stingers 1 were crowned the 2025 North Woods Showdown Champions in the Dells this November.

Winter Session began the first week of December, but you're never too late to join the fun.

We prorate for missed classes, so you can even start in the New Year.

Give the gift of skating by stuffing skaters' stockings with Public Skate, Rat Ice, or Stick & Puck cards, or even by gifting Group Lessons to a loved one. Every gift certificate purchased through Christmas will come with a free Crystal Ice House 2025 photo snow globe ornament (while supplies last).

Stop by the Rink Office to grab a gift for the skater in your life today!

Facility Update

If your team has been assigned to Locker Rooms 5 and 6 on East Rink recently, you know that things are steadily improving here at the Ice House. The ongoing Locker Room renovations (paint, new ceilings, lighting, and refreshed benches) have been a labor of love for some of our YJ families and board, and we are appreciative of their hard work to make tangible, positive changes.

Locker Room 6's fresh new look

Our Party Room is also looking great inside and out, with new privacy glass, tables, and chairs. We've also updated HOW we orchestrate parties, bringing the entire booking process online, and allowing customers to interact directly with caterers or to opt for a simpler party without food if they so choose.

Party Room ready for guests

This fall the Yellowjackets Fall Mum Fundraiser helped purchase new Bluetooth sound systems for West and East Rinks, bringing our technology up-to-date and benefiting both our hockey and figure skating communities.

Thank you to all who have kept our Ice Resurfacer Fund top of mind in your 2025 giving plans. December is often a time when families make end-of-year contributions, and we hope you see our forward progress and a sign that a gift to the Ice Resurfacer Fund is a good investment. We are grateful for your generosity and kindness.

As we look to 2026, please spread the word about our in-rink advertising opportunities. At their heart, advertising purchases help us keep improving, while providing great visibility for businesses to local and visiting families.

Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!

David Lichterman

General Manager

Make A Gift

Hockey Standing & Score Links

Your favorite black and yellow team standings are just a click away. League icons link to scores and standings. Bookmark them to follow all season long.

Hockey skaters taking private lessons with a Coach can now pay for their ice time ONLINE and ahead of time.

Simply visit our web site and click REGISTER and choose "Private Hockey Ice Working with a Coach" for the specific date needed.

Private hockey ice is available in half hour increments at $14 per half hour. Contact the Rink Office for information on pros who give private hockey lessons.

Live Barn allows you to watch events at the Crystal Ice House and many other facilities throughout the country. Save 10% when you sign up with code: 050d-330d

Thank You To Our Advertisers!

Every advertising spot at Crystal Ice House helps us keep ice affordable in our community. Please show our advertisers support around town!

Portillo's

Raising Cane's

Crystal Lake Stingers

Rookies

Wagon Wheel FSC

The Woodstock Independent

Encore Memory Care

Mabel Hanson CLTC, Registered Representative and Insurance Agent with New York Life

Sticks & Stones Hockey League

Welcome Sticks & Stones to our dasher boards! We are thrilled that you have chosen to partner with us and are confident that your adult recreational program will continue to flourish here.

At Crystal Ice House, advertising is more than a billboard. We offer lobby table set-ups, social media shoutouts, and opportunities for advertisers to be a part of our community events. When you advertise with us, you're part of the family. Reach out today to get started!

Spirit Wear Shops

You can order Crystal Ice House gear to be shipped direct to your home - great on the ice AND around town! Limited edition "Olympic Dreams" items allow you to display your favorite CIH ice sports (hockey, figure, or BOTH!).

YJ apparel can be shipped direct from Squadlocker 24-7.

Figure skaters! Mark your calendars, set the date in your phone, and make a plan to compete (and volunteer!) here at Crystal Ice House the weekend of May 8-9, 2026. Wagon Wheel FSC is bringing their Excel Series competition back for a second year, and we are thrilled to offer the ability to compete on home ice to our Group Lesson, ASPIRE, and Unlimited Ice skaters.

New to the idea of competing? Talk to Skating Director Kim Johnson about the path from Group Lessons to competitive ice. There are opportunities to compete throughout Chicagoland for skaters Snow Plow Sam and up.

Have the "Inside Edge" on a skating story? Click here to send us an email!

12/1/25 - 3/7/26 - Winter Group Lesson Session (we prorate for missed classes)

12/21/25 - 1/4/26 - Holiday Extended Schedule (check web site)

12/24/25 - 12/25/25 - Closed for Christmas

12/31/25 - Herbster Hockey 3v3 Tournament

1/1/26 - Closed for New Years

1/9/26 - Yellowjackets 1st Annual Alumni Skate

1/9/26 - 1/11/26 - Yellowjackets Weekend

1/11/26 - Yellowjackets Senior Night

2/16/26 - WWFSC Test Session

2/18/26 - Ice Show Tryout

3/9/26 - 5/16/26 - Spring Group Lesson Session (we prorate for missed classes)

3/15/26 - Illinois High School Figure Skating Competition

4/5/26 - Closed for Easter

4/8/26 - 4/12/26 - Bonnie Vonder Haar Memorial Tournament

4/17/26 - 4/19/26 - CCM Chi-Town Shuffle Tournament

5/15/26 - 5/17/26 - Spring Ice Show

5/25/26 - Closed for Memorial Day

6/1/26 - 8/12/26 - Summer Group Lesson Session (we prorate for missed classes)

We’re not your average ice arena! Most rinks in our area are owned by corporations or park districts. Crystal Ice House is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fire Wagon Hockey, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Fire Wagon purchased the Crystal Ice House in 2011 from its original owner to further our mission to make ice sports accessible in our community. As the only ice arena in McHenry County, we hope you feel welcome every time you set foot inside our facility. You’re part of the family!

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