Olympic Oval — Attraction in Calgary

UPDATE: Finally made it to the Oval on ice in October. Got to ice skate with the spirits of champions. What a great facility in this most livable city. There are multiple venues under one roof. The day I was there, they simultaneously had a hockey practice, a speed skating championship, a track for indoor running, and public skating. There is a lounge upstairs with a complete overview. There's also a pro-shop where I had them sharpen my hockey skates. Entrance was inexpensive and I have the required helmet. It was the highlight of my trip up from California. EARLIER: I went in June when visiting from California to Calgary. I ice skate, but I saw and photographed the place in "ice-out" condition, just being prepared for new ice. They use the place for car shows, etc. for a time in the summer. When I do my upcoming trips in Fall and Winter, I definitely plan to skate there with the spirits of champions! The public use price is reasonable, and I bought a certified helmet just for that purpose. Ice skates, helmet, and misc. winter stuff took up most of my luggage. Last January I used an Adopt-A-Rink in SW plus skated across Lake Windermere in BC. Unlike some other Calgary ice skating venues, the Oval takes credit cards for admission. I never convert my US cash, so this is convenient. Very convenient to use the C-Train to get there, so no parking cost and hassle. It's a bit of a walk from the platform, but I always like to do a movement...

It's aging and needs updating or upgrading. My review is only for the ice hockey rink inside the oval as that's what I was there for. Stairs to get to the ice kind of sucks but I understand. CoVID-19 is a respiratory virus, please open the water fountains again as touching things doesn't matter much for CoVID-19. Not touching things will help reduce transmission of normal colds and flu so it's up to the management if you want to bring back water fountains. I thought before there was a water fountain inside the oval ice. If there was it would be nice to see it's return. The arena clock could be mounted better, but I understand why it's in that position. Gates need serious repairs and adjusting. Time bench layout is aweful and too small. I heard upgrades are going to happen. Will review later once I see construction changes the items covered. Hope somebody reads this. Referees sharing a change room with faculty members is unacceptable practice and we've been putting up with it for way too long. This needs to change and we deserve a private, safe, designated room. 5a (I think) I remember was amazing. It's isolated and can be locked and no one else will have access to the room once we are using it.

The oval sheet is immaculate, the workers I encountered were super nice and helpful. My review is not a reflection of employees but management of the building.

Sorry...

We LOVE the oval. We spent a weekend here for a kids' speed skating event. The facility is massive and allows our family to both easily access seated viewing areas as well as open space for our youngest to run around in between races. There are many banners, posters, and memorabilia across the oval showcasing the history and successes of the speed skating program. Our kids enjoyed looking at the pictures of past Olympic championships and champions and hearing their stories. We recommend parking in lot 9 for easiest access to the oval. It is small so if you want this outdoor lot you need to arrive early or be lucky. Otherwise, lot 10 is a block and half walk from the entrance. Regarding accessibility: The bathrooms are utilitarian, and you need to look for signage for change tables (on the ice level one side has them and the other doesn't). I didn't notice if male facilities also had change tables. Further, while I did notice accessible ticket lines, the elevator to different levels was...