Clear skies, sunshine and frigid temps bring together skaters, hockey players and families at Elm Park

WORCESTER — The ice was still carved up from the previous day when people began slowly showing up looking for a game of pond hockey or a casual skate at Elm Park Sunday.

Although the park was fairly empty in the morning with only a few pond hockey players and a couple pulling their two young kids on a small red sled on the ice, it was only a matter of time until people showed up for the clear skies, sunshine and frigid temperatures.

"We came yesterday and that was our first time all season," said Austin Alexander, 30. "It was a lot of fun."

Alexander, with a friend, Wade Packer, 29, came prepared for a game of pond hockey with their ice skates and sticks.

Austin Alexander laces up his skates ahead of a game at Elm Park Sunday.
Austin Alexander laces up his skates ahead of a game at Elm Park Sunday.

Self-described amateurs, the two friends soon met another pair of friends, Mike Russell, 37, and Matt White, 28, who came for the same reason.

Russell and White came with two small hockey nets, pucks and were even sporting hockey jerseys, also known as sweaters to some fans, for the occasion.

White was wearing a sweater with the word "Nighthawks" splashed across the middle, a team he played for when he lived in Connecticut.

Mike Russell and others enjoy pond hockey at Elm Park Sunday.
Mike Russell and others enjoy pond hockey at Elm Park Sunday.

Russell was wearing a black sweater that had the letters "CCCP" across the middle, the acronym for the former Soviet Union.

"My friend went and visited Moscow and he bought two sweaters from an outside. It was negative 20 degrees," he said. "He is my best friend and he brought me one."

It did not take long for the two groups of friends to acquaint themselves and start taking shots at the nets.

Mike Russell shoots while practicing for a pond hockey game at Elm Park Sunday.
Mike Russell shoots while practicing for a pond hockey game at Elm Park Sunday.

Alexander and Packer said that they would probably try to partake in pond hockey more often, as long as the ice remains frozen and people show up.

Enjoyment for spectators

Slowly as more and more skaters began to swarm to the pond, the more it began to look like a scene from a Charlie Brown movie.

From the bridge that crosses the pond, spectators bundled up in their bright-colored jackets and hats could watch as the skaters traced their way around the pond, their shadows mimicking their every movement as the sun beamed down on them.

Skaters at Elm Park Sunday.
Skaters at Elm Park Sunday.

The bridge almost served as a divider, with one side mainly dominated by hockey players and the other a more casual crowd of skaters, casually carving around the landscape.

People watching from the bridge would lose the skaters only momentarily as they made their way beneath, popping out on the other side to skate around a sliver of an island with trees in the middle.

Some prefer casually skating

One couple, Morgan Shea and Riley Gannon, had no interest in picking up a stick and trying their hand at pond hockey, instead opting for a slow skate around the entire pond.

Pond Hockey at Elm Park Sunday.
Pond Hockey at Elm Park Sunday.

"It's nice when it hasn't snowed very much because you can explore the entire pond," said Gannon.

They said they try to make it out for pond skating a couple of times a season, although this was their first time skating in almost a year and it was the most number of people they had ever seen out there.

"This is amazing. We live for winter sports, so this is great," said Shea. "It's nice to be so close to home. We're just two blocks away."

As Shea and Gannon made their way beneath the bridge, a group of five friends stood just above them, taking in the scene of the day.

Riley Gannon and Morgan Shea skate on the ice at Elm Park Sunday.
Riley Gannon and Morgan Shea skate on the ice at Elm Park Sunday.

"I'm so jealous that you can ice skate here because we have a pond where we are but there's signs that say no swimming, no ice skating at all," said Sarah Povilauskas, who is from southern New Jersey but was visiting with friends from Worcester. "And so just it's just great to have."

Park holds special meaning

Elm Park holds a special meaning for William Dirschka and Aleta Hong, the two friends Povilauskas was visiting in Worcester.

The couple had gotten married in the park on a "nice fall day," said Dirschka.

They live nearby and try to visit at least once a week, Hong said. "We came and skated yesterday."

A family tradition

For some Worcester residents, skating on the ponds at Elm Park is not just a seasonal tradition but a family tradition.

"My father took me down...he probably had me down here at 3 or 4," said Chris Koutsoukounis. "We'd head down after school. We'd have our stuff with us ... Just a bunch of kids out here every day after school basically."

Nick Koutsoukounis smiles as he and his dad Chris, compete for the puck while enjoying a game at Elm Park Sunday.
Nick Koutsoukounis smiles as he and his dad Chris, compete for the puck while enjoying a game at Elm Park Sunday.

Koutsoukounis, a lifelong Worcester resident, was with his two sons, Guy, 13, and Nick, 16, to play hockey.

"I never played on a team. It was mostly a winter thing down here," Koutsoukounis said. "My parents didn't have the financial stuff to pay for hockey, but now I can."

Guy chose to retire after two seasons, while Nick still plays at his high school.

Koutsoukounis said that he began bringing Nick to the ice when he was around 2 years old.

Pond hockey at Elm Park Sunday.
Pond hockey at Elm Park Sunday.

"He wasn't skating but I was in the motion with him," he said. "I remember my father. I had a pair of skates that he wanted to pass down to other family members. They have the double blades on it."

Barring injuries, Koutsoukounis hopes Nick could play hockey in college.

Although Guy does not play hockey anymore, he still joins his dad and brother for skating on the pond and also enjoys skateboarding and snowboarding.

Time to get away from everything

Another young skater equipped with a hockey stick, Bella Norrman, 12, took to the ice with her family.

"Usually, I just use hockey as a time to get away from everything and just focus and have fun and just use certain things as a getaway from real life," she said. "Going skating and working on stick handling and shooting."

Bella, who was visiting her dad in Worcester from Connecticut for the weekend, plays hockey for her co-ed middle school hockey team.

Bella Norrman, 12, of Torrington, Conn. practices for pond hockey at Elm Park Sunday.
Bella Norrman, 12, of Torrington, Conn. practices for pond hockey at Elm Park Sunday.

"I kind of grew up playing more pond hockey," Bella said. "Going to rinks is fun but pond hockey is more of an experience that you'll always remember because it's something you do with your family, instead of with teammates and friends."

She said she would like to play hockey at a college in Boston, although she is also thinking about softball, with a particular interest in the University of California at Los Angeles.

"I love hockey because I've been playing since I was younger but I'm also really good at softball, so I love them both but hockey is probably a winner," Bella said.

People look down on her for playing because, she said, hockey is mainly associated with boys.

"But it doesn't really matter," she said.

She said she likes being able to prove them wrong when she plays with them.

"It's fun because I have like a lot of experience so it's easier to play," Bella said.

Nick Koutsoukounis smiles as his dad, Chris, plays for an opposing team while playing a pick-up game at Elm Park Sunday.
Nick Koutsoukounis smiles as his dad, Chris, plays for an opposing team while playing a pick-up game at Elm Park Sunday.

For years to come, as long as the ice remains frozen, residents will flock to Elm Park, not only for pond hockey or casual ice skating but for spending time with friends, family and even strangers.

"Maybe in 10 years I can come down here and skate with some grandkids or something like that," Koutsoukounis said.

"26?" his son Nick responded.

"Okay, we'll give it 15."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Family traditions: Sun, frigid temps bring together skaters, hockey players and families at Elm Park