After months of hunting for a new home, a local sports league is turning a scar left by Helene into a community skate hub. At 99 Riverside Dr., the former site of Second Gear, the Asheville Hockey League teamed up with the landowner to convert the concrete pad into a rink where its youth teams can play this fall season.

Helene destroyed the Carrier Park rink where the Asheville Hockey League had played for more than 20 years, relegating the league to play its fall 2024 and spring 2025 sessions in Greenville, SC. But through plenty of collaboration and support, the Riverside Drive location lended itself as Asheville's new home for youth hockey.

Upfitting the concrete area into a rink was a true community effort, made possible through many donations — IPEX donated PVC piping to put up netting, local muralist Ishmael Leaver gifted a pop art superhero mural using paint donated by Sherwin-Williams, and players offered their time to bring the new space to life.

Skating, events, and future plans

The AHL's Youth Commissioner Justin Kaiser shared that the league plans to host free community skate nights at the rink in the future. More than just a space for skating, Kaiser explained that the rink will also serve as an event space, complete with electric, water, and amperage for food trucks. "We're really going to try to bring to life that corner," Kaiser said. Just next door is Cotton Mill Studios, which has plans to rebuild.

The new Riverside Drive rink is one of two projects bringing skating spaces back to Asheville after Helene. Development plans show that the City of Asheville is looking to transform the municipal parking lot next to the ART Station at 50 Asheland Ave. into a temporary skating rink.

To keep up with the Asheville Hockey League and future events, follow along on social media. If you want to practice your skating skills before the community skate nights start, you can rent skates at FishBrains, an inline skate shop in the bottom level of The Radical Hotel.