“Skating in the Portland area is really fun,” says West End resident Kelly Chase. “The rinks are well cared for.” Chase moved to Maine in January 2014 to take a job as online editor with Maine Media Collective. A native of Scituate, Massachusetts, Chase spent countless hours on the ice as a child. “My mom desperately wanted me to figure skate, but I was not having any of that. I wanted to play with the boys, so I chose hockey.”
Chase credits the influence of her three older brothers with her decision to join the boys’ ice hockey team at her high school. She was one of only three girls to do so. By the time she reached American University in Washington, D.C., she was playing on an all-women’s intramural team.
Portland has proven to be a perfect fit for Chase, who is now the managing editor at Maine magazine. “Although I also like to snowboard, the thing I get most excited for in winter is when the ponds freeze,” she says.
She suggests the following outdoor venues for those who want to take to the ice.