BLOOMINGTON - Jade Fung is getting the chance to learn figure skating while Emma Killian wants to try her hand at ice hockey.

The girls are among more than 300 children who are participating in the current spring programs at the Pepsi Ice Center, located adjacent to the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in downtown Bloomington. The center, with a regulation NHL-sized rink, is operated by the city's Parks and Recreation Department and is part of the overall $35.8 million project that includes the Coliseum.

The center opened in May, just a few months after the Coliseum, and has consistently seen more people sign up for classes and programs than projected. In addition, the center's open-skate times have drawn crowds of 200 to 300 people at a time. Demand for ice time has outpaced expectations to the point the city had to buy 100 more pairs of rental skates because the original 320 pairs were not enough.

And the facility and its operation continue to be well received by parents who see the center as an alternate form of quality recreation for their kids.

"In the first year, I was told if I had 100 kids participating the city would be happy," said Richard Beck, ice center manager.

In the first set of classes held in the heat of last June, Beck said more than 250 children enrolled in Learn to Skate classes - a program that has grown to include about 380 children in classes held over the winter.

Now taking her third class, Jade, who is 5, is enjoying herself.

"Sometimes we fall on the ice, but we don't get hurt," she said as her mom, Collette Fung of Bloomington, put her skates on.

"For us to do ice skating we would have had to drive out of town and we wouldn't have," said her mother. "This has enabled her to try it and decide whether she likes it."

Reagen Miles, 5, of Normal, doesn't need to decide.

Her mother, Dawn, brings her daughter to classes because "she absolutely loves it," adding that ice skating has given Reagen an alternative to dance lessons.

At first, Miles said she was skeptical about enrolling her daughter.

"I thought she would fall and be done with it," she said. "But they teach them how to fall and not get hurt, and the teachers have been wonderful."

Initially, Angela Kininmonth of Bloomington wasn't aware the ice center was a separate operation from the Coliseum. After taking her daughters, Lily and Emma Killian, to a birthday party at the center, she learned of a free clinic offered at the rink that allows children to try ice skating.

"They thought it was awesome and after they had a chance to try it, I knew I wasn't going to be wasting money on something they would give up in a week," said Kininmonth. Lily, 10, and Emma, 6, are enrolled in the Learn to Skate program - Emma said she also liked hockey when she tried it and wants to learn how to play.

Hockey players loving it

For parents whose children were already into hockey, the ice center is more convenient.

Lori Burton of Bloomington said her 9-year-old son, Gage, has been on the hockey all-stars and has more opportunities to play now that there is a rink in town.

Students in several ice center programs also have gone on to compete in local competitions. Four local figure skaters placed in a recent state competition while the House Mite, an ice center youth team, were champions of the 2007 Prairie Freeze Invitational.

Having the Coliseum and the PrairieThunder hockey team also has been a draw for the center's open-skating times, said Beck, bringing in children and parents during and after the games.

In the coming year, Beck said the center will be trying to add some different programs to keep people excited about having a year-round sheet of ice in the city.

One of the downsides of being popular, Beck said, is that center officials have to do a better job of managing the times the ice is available and coordinating with the Coliseum about the use of its ice in the winter. There are three local high school hockey teams that want more ice time, adult leagues to manage and an expected increase in demand for programs.

"Sometime there is just not enough ice time to go around," Beck said.

Not that he's complaining.

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Ice time

Following is the open-skate schedule through May 27 at the Pepsi Ice Center operated by the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.

Monday-Friday: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Friday: 7-9:15 p.m.

Saturday: 1-3:15 p.m.; 7:30-9:45 p.m.

Sunday: 2:30-4:45 p.m.

Admission: $4

Skate rental: $2

More information: www.pepsiicecenter.com or (309) 434-2737