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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tIn the photo: Roki\u0161kis businessmen (from left) R. Sakaitis, D. Trumpa, I. Tarvydis, the district mayor Vytautas Vilys and vice-minister Vidmantas Kanopa, were probably impatient to glide themselves...\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>
Photo by Norberto By\u010dkovskis.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
January 26th brought together a crowd of Roki\u0161kis residents \u2013 children, adults, and even the elderly; schoolchildren, students, civil servants, workers, businesspeople, and even politicians \u2013 for the opening ceremony of the ice rink. This event, originally planned for mid-October, was postponed to the depths of winter, and few still believed it would ever take place at all...<\/p>
\u201eThe discussions are finally over \u2013 whether we will have an ice rink or not. This is also an occasion to congratulate each other,\u201c said Irmantas Tarvydis, General Director of UAB \u201eIvabalt\u0117\u201c, one of the three local businessmen who urged the politicians and specialists of the Roki\u0161kis District Municipality Council to build a new, modern ice rink compliant with ice hockey playing standards on the site of the old ice rink next to Juozas Tumas-Vai\u017egantas Gymnasium, and who supported the implementation of this project with considerable sums.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t In January, ice rink celebrations were abuzz in several places in Lithuania. As reported by news portals \u201e15min\u201c, \u201eDelfi\u201c, \u201elrytas.lt\u201c and others, last Saturday, on the initiative of Vilnius City Municipality and V\u0161\u012e \u201eSveikas miestas\u201c, a unique synthetic ice rink opened in the capital, near the White Bridge, which will operate until March 31st. An artificial ice surface was covered with layers of natural ice, but when the weather warms up and even with positive temperatures, Vilnius residents and city guests will be able to use the synthetic surface of this rink: the 300 square metre rink can accommodate 50 people at a time.<\/p> According to the Trakai District Municipality website, what is likely the largest outdoor ice rink in the country has been opened on Lake Galv\u0117, opposite the castle. According to the elder of the Trakai eldership, K\u0119stutis Vilkauskas, the eldership itself will maintain and clear the ice rink. Plans are to create an ice path around the entire castle.<\/p> The open-air ice rink in Rotu\u0161\u0117s Square is bringing joy to Kaunas residents, while Ignalina's elder, Valentinas Rubutis, invites everyone to the ice rink on Lake Gavi. Last Sunday, an modern ice rink, costing 130,000 litas, was opened in the village of Balsupiai, just 10 km from Marijampol\u0117. In the flood-covered fields of \u0160ilut\u0117 district, nature itself \u201eequipped\u201c a natural ice rink: motorists are having fun here. However, according to M-1 radio station journalists, the opinion of Panev\u0117\u017eys city council politicians is unambiguous \u2013 Panev\u0117\u017eys residents don't even need an ice rink...<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Romaldas Vilkas, Chief Specialist of Construction and Infrastructure Development at Roki\u0161kis District Municipality, claims that the Roki\u0161kis open-air artificial ice rink is the only one of its kind in the entire country. The equipment works on the principle of a refrigerator: the unit's freon cools a liquid \u2013 ethylene glycol \u2013 which circulates through rubber pipes. These, connected in groups of six, form small pads \u2013 just 10 sq.cm \u2013 which make up the entire surface. This coating, chilled to the required temperature, freezes the poured water into ice. The ice is formed in several layers: if too much water is poured, it wouldn't have time to freeze. The rink was installed by the Vilnius-based company \u201eBaltic Master\u201c.<\/p> When preparing the site, 1.5 thousand kWh of energy was consumed, but now the refrigeration units are turned off \u2013 natural frost helps to preserve the ice. They will be switched on as the weather warms up. It is expected that the ice will be preserved until mid-April. It is not difficult to form it even in mid-summer heat, but this would require a significant amount of electricity.<\/p> The area of the pitch is 1800 sq. m. Its length is 60 m and its width is 30 m. According to the locals, sometimes over 100 children gather here. Generally, it is intended for training \u2013 it perfectly matches the parameters for playing ice hockey.<\/p> For ice skating enjoyment, the Roki\u0161kis elderate has laid an ice rink next to the municipal administration building on Respublikos Street.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t The Roki\u0161kis open-air ice rink will always remain one of the most beautiful examples of public enthusiasm.<\/p> Few districts have so many passionate ice hockey enthusiasts. As early as 1977, at the initiative of educator Vytautas \u0160likas, the town's ice rink was built. Having graduated from the Institute of Physical Education in Moscow, he brought the enthusiasm of Russian ice hockey players back to Lithuania. He knocked on the doors of high-ranking officials, but received no support. \u201eLithuania has basketball,\u201c was how he was explained.<\/p> The enthusiastic father, also Vytautas \u0160likas, then-chairman of the collective farm, allocated 10,000 roubles for the construction of the Roki\u0161kis ice hockey rink: during winter, the people of Roki\u0161kis had good conditions for training.<\/p> The young men and boys of Juodup\u0117 started building their ice rink even before those in Roki\u0161kis. Even today, the name of Rimantas Ma\u017eeikis, the director of the town's \u201eNemunas\u201c factory and then a sponsor of ice hockey players, is still mentioned with respect. And Rimas Sakaitis, a local from Juodup\u0117 who moved to Roki\u0161kis many years ago, gathered yet another team here, bringing together all the district's footballers into the Ice Hockey Sports Club.<\/p> One must get to know Roki\u0161kis to feel how sincerely the people of this town are proud of coaches Genadijs Fitingovs and Audrius Deksnys, the children's club \u201eSparta\u201c, the adult \u201eEnthusiasts\u201c, and the town's veteran and Juodup\u0117 teams.<\/p> The athletes themselves are very reluctant to admit it: without an ice rink, they trained on asphalt, wearing roller skates, no less...<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Although the Roki\u0161kis residents have not yet given up on the dream of having a sports complex, there were few believers left of even having an outdoor ice rink. The aforementioned Vilnius company, which won the tender for its construction and offered equipment and installation works for 580,000 litas, requested an advance payment. Money was also lacking for the project, and it later became clear that they would have to level the site of the old rink themselves, and negotiations with \u201eLesto\u201c would stall. There was also a lack of official enthusiasm: energy was needed to constantly move the stagnating work forward.<\/p> Three businessmen from Roki\u0161kis \u2013 Irmantas Tarvydis, General Director of UAB \u201eIvabalt\u0117\u201c, Dalius Trumpa, Deputy Director of UAB \u201eRoki\u0161kis s\u016bris\u201c, and Rimantas Sakaitis, Director of UAB \u201eRokauta\u201c, mentioned earlier, each contributed 38,000 litas towards the equipment for a new ice rink. Their financial contribution was the last hope for the district's ice hockey enthusiasts to have the opportunity to train not only on days when the cold brought ice, but every day for more than half a year.<\/p> Later, the businessmen also paid for the project, provided equipment to level the site's foundation, and stored the delivered equipment in their warehouses\u2026 They even rented sound equipment themselves for the site's opening celebration. Thanks to them, the celebration was also excellent: they brought young figure skating dancers from the famous Kaunas coach Lilija Vanagien\u0117 to Roki\u0161kis, gathered Roki\u0161kis residents scattered across Lithuania for the event, cooked fish soup, and launched fireworks into the sky. Because of these wonderful things, people gathered in droves for the celebration.<\/p> Roki\u0161kis entrepreneurs, with their enthusiasm and funds, know how to awaken public initiatives. They have proven this more than once.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nuotraukoje: roki\u0161k\u0117nai verslininkai (i\u0161 kair\u0117s) R. Sakaitis, D. Trumpa, I. Tarvydis, rajono meras Vytautas Vilys ir viceministras Vidmantas Kanopa, ko gero, ir patys nekantravo \u010diuo\u017eti…\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Norberto By\u010dkovskio nuotr. Sausio 26-oji mini\u0105 roki\u0161k\u0117n\u0173 \u2013 vaik\u0173, suaugusi\u0173j\u0173 ir net seneli\u0173; moksleivi\u0173, student\u0173, tarnautoj\u0173 darbinink\u0173, verslinink\u0173 ir net politik\u0173 – sukviet\u0117 \u012f ledo aik\u0161tel\u0117s atidarymo \u0161vent\u0119. \u0160is renginys, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-naujienos"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSlide festival<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Roki\u0161kis residents' experience<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Unwavering enthusiasm<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
The result of sociability<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t