> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Holiday ice rink given cold shoulder - URL: https://www.smdp.com/holiday-ice-rink-given-cold-shoulder/ - Published: 2004-11-09T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T05:26:51.000Z - Author: Carolyn Sackariason - Tags: Events, Pier, #archive-import *Icemen cometh? Rink organizers hopeful for ’05* SM PIER — For the second time in as many years, organizers’ hopes to build California’s largest outdoor ice rink in Santa Monica for the holiday season have been cooled. Plans to construct the world’s first fiber-optic rink on the Santa Monica Pier this month have been put on ice once again, as organizers couldn’t find a corporate sponsor to fund the project. “We got close, but our corporate dollars were left at the 11th hour,” said Todd Fraser, the rink’s lead organizer. “It’s been such a disappointment to us... we felt we had so much to offer in Santa Monica. “But corporations are being stingier with their events because their funds are drying up,” he added. Efforts to build the rink last year were abandoned for the same reason, although organizers at the time attributed the failure to an inadequate amount of time for planning. By the time the idea was formed and Santa Monica was the chosen site, it was too late to find a suitable sponsor on such short notice. Fraser told the Daily Press in October 2003 he was confident “Skate with the Stars” would come to Santa Monica in 2004. But even with a year of plan-ning, Fraser realized late last month that his dream — along with world champion figure skaters Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner — would be put on hold once again. When the time came to pay the contractors to start building the rink and the corporate dollars weren’t there, Fraser had to make the difficult decision to scrap his plans for a second time. “I personally sat and stared at the wall for two days,” Fraser said. “We did what we could and we send our apologies to the city of Santa Monica.” The idea was to provide downtown Santa Monica with a Rockefeller Center-style holiday feel and, hopefully, begin a new holiday tradition in Santa Monica. The proposed rink would have measured about 100 feet by 65 feet and be kept frozen by cooling pipes running beneath the ice surface. The plan was to host champion figure skaters, and sell seats in the bleachers surrounding the rink to spectators. A big-screen television was also envisioned to capture and broadcast what happened in the colorful, fiber-optic rink. Different celebrity skaters would skate with members of the public each Sunday, with all the proceeds going to charity. The rink was planned to be open for five weeks beginning Nov. 28 for $10 per hour, with skate rentals costing $3. The rink was first planned to be in a parking lot at Santa Monica Boulevard and Second Street. But organizers decided on the pier after city officials couldn’t guarantee a site downtown last year. The good news, however, is that months of planning have already gone into the rink, so next year is still a possibility. “Now that we’ve done so much preparatory work, we can renew the effort,” said Miriam Mack, the city’s economic development manager. Fraser said he’s already looking into other corporations for possible sponsorships next year. “Our marketing people are on the phone for next year and we are 100 percent committed to 2005,” he said. “We’ve created something they can use... it’s a 6-to-1 ratio on what they were going to get (from the sponsorship). “This year was bittersweet because we knew it was a winner,” Fraser added. Fraser wouldn’t say how much the rink’s construction and operation would cost, or what the amount would be for a sponsorship, except to say it’s in the six-figure range. Corporations being targeted for sponsorship include retailers, tech companies and product-based companies. For the time being, Fraser has switched his focus. He hopes to bring “Skate with the Stars” to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas this month. But Fraser can’t help but think of the missed opportunity in Santa Monica, especially with the performance of “Cavalia” set up at the beach parking lot north of the pier through the holiday season. “We did what we could,” he said. “We were looking forward to the smiles, it’s such a disappointment.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 9, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110904.pdf?ref=smdp.com)