Heat pushes ice skaters to the rink: 'I don't like to be hot'

BROOKFIELD, Wis. - While some go to the beach, others head to a pool or run through a sprinkler to beat the heat. One boy took it to another level, Thursday – hitting the ice for an open skate.

July isn’t the typical time of year to get laced up, but for 9-year-old Graham Rundle, his love for hockey is year round.

"I like the freeness. I like that you can be competitive, and I like that you have a lot of teammates," he said. 

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Practicing skating skills is important to Graham, but Thursday's open skate was about more than that.

"I don’t like to be hot," he said.

Graham Rundle goes ice skating to beat the heat

It’s been one of the hottest weeks of the summer in southeast Wisconsin. Even a water balloon fight with friends couldn’t keep Graham cool. 

"Today I was picking up the balloons, and it took like 20 minutes," he said. "By the time I came back inside, I was sweating bullets." 

Graham's babysitter Kyle Olsen said – to the rink we go: 

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"This was a great option. We’ll drive wherever if it keeps him cool," she said.

Graham said there’s nothing worse than being uncomfortable. 

"Have you ever been in a bed in the middle of summer, and you start sweating so hard?" he said. "I hate that feeling so much." 

People go ice skating to beat the heat

Which is why a day at the rink just made sense.

"It’s very perfect," said Graham. "Ice cold, air cold, everything in here is probably freezing cold." 

Graham's mission to stay cool didn’t stop on the ice. After getting some skating in, as he was leaving, he said he was headed to the pool.