WASHINGTON (HUNS) – Watkins Elementary exploded with energy Tuesday as students sprinted onto the newly refurbished Rush Rink. With students smiling from ear to ear, Washington Capitals alumnus Devante Smith-Pelly helped cut the ribbon on the transformed Ward 6 play space behind the school.
The event marked the unveiling of a modernized, ball hockey rink that is open to all D.C. youth and eager hockey learners. The project is part of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s District of Play initiative to expand safe and high-quality recreation spaces for kids across the city.
“We’ve been developing this partnership with Monumental Sports and District of Play for about two years on paper,” said Kera Tyler, chief of external affairs for D.C. Public Schools.
The rink has been in the park for over a decade with D.C.’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), Tyler says, but the community raised awareness for its refurbishment and decided to advocate to pour some resources into it.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, the Revada Foundation, Clark Construction, and the Greene Family contributed nearly $87,000 toward the project. Three young brothers, Zave, Jovi and Tyvan Greene, also organized a 5k and raised $10,000. The refurbished facility features a new ProWall Board System and concrete pad, along with Capitals-branded flooring designed for durability and year-round use.
Elizabeth Pace, president and executive director at the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, detailed the importance of ensuring that youth have exposure to a variety of extracurricular activities.
“It’s really important for us to make sure that kids across the district have access to sports,” Pace said. “We want to make sure we are removing barriers. So whether it is expensive equipment that we are able to provide or letting them know that you can play hockey not only on ice, we are making sure we are able to provide those opportunities for them.”
From the moment the first ball hit the ground, the clinic that followed became the highlight of the school day. Students darted across the blue flooring, experimenting with stickhandling drills and angling for high-fives from their counterparts and teachers. For an hour, cheers, screams and smiles lit up the rink.
The kids were not alone in their enthusiasm. While dancing with the students, DPR Director Thennie Freeman said their biggest goal is what is prevalent on all the kids’ faces: joy.
“Just look at them,” Freeman said. “They’re out here, they’re happy, they’re excited, they’re playing, they’re getting exercise, and they are learning the sport. They do not have to just hear about the Capitals. They can actually have connectivity to the sport.”
The Rush Rink has been a neighborhood staple since 2011 and previously underwent a major upgrade in 2015 as part of the NHL’s Winter Classic Legacy Initiative. Community members and the D.C. Stars High School hockey team also lent volunteer hours to this year’s rebuild, helping move materials and prepare the site. Now, with its newest refurbishment of 2025, DPR plans to expand initiatives like this one across the district.
“We have projects operating across the city,” Freeman said. “We have an ice rink coming soon in Ward 7, and I am so excited.”
As the afternoon wrapped up, students reluctantly shuffled away from the boards. By the time the last group headed inside, one thing was clear: the new Watkins Rush Rink is not just an upgraded facility. It is already a new favorite place to play.
Smith-Pelly reiterated that this is what the game is all about.
“I hope they enjoyed learning something new,” the former ice hockey winger said. ‘I want the game to be accessible. I want the game to grow. That is what makes the game so much better when everyone can play.”
Belaynesh Shiferaw covers Ward 6 for HUNewsService.com.
