DE PERE, Wis. — Ice skates are an important part of winter activities like ice hockey and ice skating. One De Pere business owner has been prepping skates for nearly two decades.
Penalty Box Pro Shop owner Tom Reese has been in business since 2005. He has invested in multiple automatic skate sharpeners as he is the only employee.
Reese said sharpening your skates is essential to how well you do on the ice.
“You should be sharpening your skates after every about five to eight hours on the ice because you lose your edges,” he said. “Then you’re not able to turn. You’re not able to stop. And the biggest thing in the skating world, if you can’t skate, you can’t play the game. So, you need to have your skates done correct correctly.”
The 66-year-old has changed, sharpened and fixed thousands of skates in his career.
With this much experience, he said he knows that each skater likes their skates a particular way. The reason for that is important.
The way each skate is shaped depends on how much friction you have on the ice.
The former collegiate hockey player has seen multiple professional athletes come through the area, including Green Bay’s Mason Appleton and De Pere’s Max McCormick.
Seeing athletes grow along with the little things are the reasons Reese has been in the industry for 19 years.
“[When] you go on the ice, you’re on the ice by yourself. You should just smell the ice and you’re in your element. It’s the best thing,” he said.
No matter the weather, Reese said he will be there to help athletes get ready so that they can be their best.