Yes, Singapore! Yet another first for Global Synthetic Ice was the opening of a new Super-Glide synthetic ice rink, the first of its kind in Singapore. Hosting this new synthetic ice rink is Stamford American International School (SAIS), a private American-style school in Lorong Chuan Singapore, serving children aged 2 and up. The rink was built and is managed by the Singapore Ice Hockey Association (SIHA), the non-profit organization that runs the National Ice Hockey League of Singapore (NIHL).
The SAIS school is making use of the new synthetic ice rink for recreational activity, as well as teaching students to skate and play hockey. The kids are very excited about the new rink and the school has plans for an afterschool "learn to skate" program.
SIHA built the synthetic ice rink out of necessity to give their Singapore hockey team a place to practice. There are a very limited number of ice rinks available in Singapore, and their primary training facility closed in 2008. This left them with no viable ice to train on. Until this Super-Glide rink was completed, they had been training on concrete! The estimated cost of a synthetic ice rink in Singapore is about 1/5 the cost of a traditional ice rink.
SIHA also hopes to use Super-Glide synthetic ice to generate interest in youth hockey to revitalize the sport in Singapore. This rink was big news in Singapore recently, we felt that RedSports.sg had the most complete and insightful article if you want to read more.