DC Stars' Players Help Refurbish Their Childhood Rink

by Claire Mooney

For years, the DC Inner City Excellence (DC ICE) skating program, founded and led by former Olympic Speed Skater Nathaniel “Coach Nat” Mills, brought the joy of skating and the spirit of the Olympic values to children across Washington, D.C. Operating at sites like the Anacostia Pavilion, Fort Dupont Ice Arena, and  Rush Rink at Watkins Elementary School, DC ICE became a hub for friendship, growth, and determination for countless young skaters.

Two of those skaters were Charlie Laski and Julien Poimbeouf. Both, now in high school, keep their love of the sport alive playing for the DC Stars. Charlie, a junior at St. Anselm’s Abbey School, Charlie first joined DC ICE at just six years old. By the age of ten, he would walk a mile after school to Rush Rink—five days a week. At first, neighbors raised an eyebrow at a young boy walking alone through the city every day for skating. But within three weeks, four other boys were walking with him, inspired by the magnetism Coach Nat and the community of skaters created at the rink.

Coach Nat welcomed them all. Every afternoon, he brought together children from schools throughout Southeast and Northeast D.C., teaching them to skate, to play roller hockey, and—most importantly—to live by the values of excellence, friendship, and respect. Rush Rink became more than just a practice space; it became a community. It was where friendships were forged and where young athletes like Charlie and Julien learned lessons that would carry them far beyond the rink.

Coach Nat kept it going through the pandemic. Many kids skated during the school day and afterwards, but as the pandemic ended and the children grew older and headed off to high school, the Rush Rink fell into disrepair. Coach Nat relocated to Utah, and the vibrant groups of skaters who once filled the rink drifted apart. But this past summer, Charlie and Julien went back. 

Charlie and Julien, who now play for the DC Stars, returned to Rush Rink with teammates Ian Cox, and Callum Cochran this summer. Together with other members of the community, they rebuilt the rink that had given so many kids so much. Thanks to their efforts, Rush Rink has been renewed—and soon, the DC Stars will kick off their season at the refurbished rink.

The Rush Rink lives on bringing together multiple groups across the community.