“An ice rink is really a big family. We have figure skaters, hockey players, even 4-year-olds learning to skate,” said Brian Peate, who manages Cleland Ice Rink on Fort Bragg.
“I’ve skated my whole life,” said Peate, who grew up in Virginia. It was natural for him to look for a place to continue skating when he enlisted in the Army.
After three years in the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington, Peate served in 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg for 19 years before retiring in the local area with his family.
Peate visited the Cleland Ice Rink quite a bit when he was a soldier stationed here. He and fellow Green Berets in 3rd Group thought of it as another physical fitness facility. “Gyms have competitive sports like basketball, we do the same thing with hockey … get out on the ice, get the competitive juices going, it’s a way to stay in shape. It also provides a relief from stress.”
In retirement, Peate joked that he played ‘chauffeur’ to his teenage son—who was a nationally ranked hockey player—traveling to practice and games. After a year, he took on his current role at Cleland with a goal of expanding awareness of the facility.
“It’s a passion project,” he said. “I’ve been skating here over 20 years … and I still hear, ‘Fort Bragg has an ice rink?’”
Fort Bragg’s Cleland Ice Rink is open year-round and offers scheduled hours for hockey, figure skating, public skating and even lessons for ages 4 and up. Run by the Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Cleland is open to service members, families, and the public.
Ashley Young has been skating for 10 years but didn’t know an ice rink was located on post when she served in uniform on Fort Bragg. She said that sometimes service members are busy or uninterested in trying something new or just do not know about the rink.
Young enjoys skating so much that her 10-year old daughter, Inara Segura, is now taking lessons. “Skating is a lot more inclusive than ballet or dance,” Young said, although it also helps build skills such as physical stamina and balance. The experience has led them to other events at Cleland, such as skate nights and college games.
Anyone who can get a visitor pass onto the installation can take advantage of public skating hours and attend events such as monthly themed skate nights, Peate said.
The December skate event featured a performance by the Airborne Ice Skating Team and open skating for visitors. The ‘Christmas Skate’ has grown from about 25 people attending the first year, 300 the second year, and more than 600 this year. It’s something Peate is proud of and attributes to the efforts by the Cleland and FMWR teams. “We work hard getting information out to the public … it has grown every year.”
“With Cleland Ice Rink, we’ve enhanced the amount of programming and community offerings,” said Michael Desmone, the Chief of Community Recreation for FMWR. Peate has also initiated several self-help and Directorate of Public Works projects to enhance the facility itself, such as maintenance and repainting, Desmone said.
One such community offering is hosting college hockey games. During the hockey season, Peate tries to schedule at least one game per month, but no more than two.
“We don’t want to take away from our other events and programs,” he said. “We try not to cancel any public skate event, so we float the game schedule.”
Since there are no local area college ice hockey games, offering even a few each season is an opportunity to view great action on the ice, Peate said.
“College games are fun, the players are hungry, still trying to make it,” Peate said. It also encourages younger players to keep working on their goals. “Cape Fear Youth Hockey Association uses the rink … a lot of kids look at sports as an opportunity to go to college,” he said.
Whether it is inspiring young athletes, helping troops get in some PT or simply offering families an opportunity to ice skate, Brian Peate is happy to share his love of ice skating and extend the Cleland Ice Rink family.
The Fort Bragg College Hockey Series will host games at Cleland Ice Rink on Fort Bragg in January, February and March 2026, featuring North Carolina State, University of North Carolina and others to be announced. For more information, visit the Fort Bragg FMWR website at https://bragg.armymwr.com/

(Photo: Cleland Ice & Inline Skating Rinks are located at 3-1606 Rock Merritt Ave. on Fort Bragg. The ice rink offers lessons, public skating and special events throughout the year. Photos by April Olsen, Fort Bragg Public Affairs)