Bolton Common Skating: Opening Day 2023 with Matt Savoie

Bravo to ice skater and former Olympian Matt Savoie and the Bolton Parks and Recreation Commission for the Opening Day of the Bolton Common skating rink.

Braving brutally cold temperatures which kept most people indoors, Savoie skated and some hardy families made it to the rink Saturday, February 4th. Despite the cold, the performance was great and there was a fire nearby. Here’s a look for those who couldn’t make it:

Organizers debated postponing the event to wait for more moderate temps. However, scheduling conflicts and forecasts for warm weather within a day of the planned opening made rescheduling difficult. About 24 hours after the opening, much of the ice had melted. 

Matt Savoie at the Olympics 

If you haven’t seen Matt Savoie skate a large rink, we’ve found U.S. Figure Skating performances – including videos from the Torino 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy – that are a real joy to watch. Here are the Olympic free skate and short program videos. There are also videos from the 2006 U.S. Nationals and the 2006 Four Continents event. Those are just some you can find in a search. In short, Bolton is extremely lucky to have such talent in the vicinity!  

Looking ahead: will there be more skating this season?

The answer from Bolton Parks and Rec is: hopefully. “We still have about a month to work with,” notes Lisa Shepple of Parks and Rec, who points out that it’s based on whether temperatures dip low enough for a long enough period to re-freeze. 

Shepple says if there is an expected refreeze there may not be a lot of time to give advance notice. “It will probably be announced at the beginning of the week according to the weather forecasts,” she adds. 

Follow Bolton Parks and Recreation for updates and other upcoming plans through the spring and summer.