Ice Castle For Sale

[Dave Amorde]

ICE CASTLE NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Lynn Plage 303/716-9500, Marissa Peede 303/521-6484

EPIC FIGURE SKATING TRAINING FACILITY GOES ON THE MARKET
-Carol Probst Decides it's Time to Pass on the Legacy of
Ice Castle International Training Center-

Lake Arrowhead, CA-June 18, 2002-Carol Probst, owner of the Ice Castle
International Training Center, announced today that after much
deliberation
the facility will be put up for sale later this month. After twenty
years of
owning and managing the almost 12-acre training center with her late
husband
Walter, Probst hopes to pass the facility on to someone with the same
drive
and dedication to furthering the sport of figure skating.

"This was an extremely difficult decision for me to make," said Probst.
"However, I feel it is my duty to the skating world to pass this
magnificent
facility on to someone that can carry it on to future generations and
continue to add to the dreams and goals of potential champions."

The Ice Castle has hosted some the world's most legendary coaching names
in
skating: Robin Cousins, Frank Carroll, Carlo and Christa Fassi, and
Irina
Rodnina have all played an important role in establishing the Ice Castle
as a
premier training center. Additionally, skating sensations Michelle Kwan,

Sasha Cohen, Surya Bonaly, Nicole Bobek, Marina Klimova & Sergei
Ponomarenko
have also called Ice Castle their home.
Ice Castle assures the summer trainees that the facility will stay open
throughout the rest of the summer and that any sale will not affect
their
schedules.

Probst adds, "Not only has Ice Castle been a labor of love for me and my

employees, but the communities of Lake Arrowhead, Blue Jay and
surrounding
mountain towns have all provided ongoing support and commitment over the

years to make this the world class facility that it is, meanwhile
helping to
make the dreams of young skaters come true."

Once the sale is complete, Probst intends to stay active in the skating
industry by providing support to up and coming skaters. Additionally,
she
plans to reside in Southern California, travel and enjoy being a
grandmother.

The 11.4 acre facility complete with Olympic size skating rink, lodge,
dormitory, pool/Jacuzzi, dance pavilion, gymnasium and cottages will be
listed with Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty. If you are interested in
learning more about this real estate opportunity, please contact Deter
Heuser 909-336-2131 x328.

For more information on the Ice Castle International Training Center,
please
visit http://www.ice-castle.com.

[ChicaTica]

Unbelievable! I wonder if there is a story behind this story. Anyone know (of course with out breaking the rules and speculating)?

--CT

[purplecat]

I saw a small quip about this in today's L.A. Times. How sad. I'm guessing that the fire that took down one of the rinks last year must've taken its toll.

[olivia]

purplecat: What happened last year? You mentioned a fire. Hmmm. I guess I was living in a cave at about that time 8)

Interesting news. I know when Walter Probst passed away, many of the elite coaches and skaters left the facility. There was some concern at the time about how Carol Probst would run the place. Perhaps it has just been too much for her. I just hope that her successor keeps the facility up to par. It's so gorgeous and such a marvelous place to train.

O-

[Dave Amorde]

The fire at the Blue Jay rink may have had some impact. But the simple fact is that Carol isn't getting any younger, property values are at an all time high in Southern California, and skating is a highly visible sport right now. It would be nice to see a joint venture between Kwan and a benevolent businessperson to see that the operation continues. A lot of people relocated their lives to train there.

[FSWer]

WOW!!!!!! I can`t buy it. But I still would wonder what she wants for it?! It must be worth gold!!! Say, I`ve read that Miss Michelle Wing Kwan still skates there once in a while. I wonder how she feels?

[Vicki]

The Blue Jay rink collapsed from too much snow on the roof. I don't remember a fire being involved.

[purplecat]

Vicki...thanks for the reminder...for some reason I had fire in my head! :oops:

[Scott]

Well, I hope that someone will buy it and keep its tradition going as a premier figure skating facility. Managing one of these babies isn't that easy and its hard to make a profit so I can't blame the owners, particularly if they are nearing retirement age. I wish them the best of luck!

[md2be]

I worked there for a summer as a camp counselor in 1992. It is sad to hear that it is being sold, but Mrs. Probst has held on as long as she could, it seems. It was a wonderful place to work and skate, and I have fond memories of all my kids (some of who are national and world champions now!).

I do not think the collapse at Blue Jay would have affected Mrs. Probst's decision for the mere fact that she is a multigazillionaire and would have either enough personal wealth or insurance money to cover the cost of rebuilding it.

Mrs. Probst has dedicated so much of her life to skating. Her home on the lake is decorated with statues and art works of skaters/skating. She was at the camp everyday just about, and donated her personal home and boats for many lavish parties for the skaters. She also used her connections to get all the kids and counselors tickets and backstage passes to a COI show at the LA Forum. She has skating in her heart and a passion that has not subsided over time. She is to be commended for her efforts to aid children of all abilities financially and emotionally. and for promoting the sport of figure skating in general.

[Schmeck]

OK, step one of my dream has just happened, now I only need to win a mega-lottery to be able to pay for it...

All joking aside, I hope that the new owner(s) respect the history and heritage of this wonderful facility! It would be pretty cool if MK bought at least a share of it!

Schmeck