SYDNEY -- The freezing rain storm that hit the Maritimes last weekend has made a crumpled mess of the sports dome at Cape Breton University.

The deflated dome looks like a burst balloon that spans the size of a couple of soccer fields.

Deflated also describes the mood of some of the hundreds of athletes who train at the facility.

"I'm just a bit disappointed, because it's the only indoor facility around here," said Michael Gould. "It means we won't be able to get in the dome and train again."

The damage was caused by a messy mix of weekend winter weather that made for a perfect storm for the structure to collapse.

"I think the worst thing that could have happened is that the temperature got milder overnight," said Yann Artur. "We got some rain, and now we have this massive amount of snow that's letting go and sliding down the side of the dome, and probably pinching the dome at the base."

Artur says the dome suffered at least five tears and now, he says winds are picking it up like a free sail and possibly causing more damage.

Repairs won't come in time for the university's track and field team, which will compete at its first AUS championship in New Brunswick in less than two weeks.

"It sort of threw me right off the bat," said John Hudec. "'What do we do?' But I'm an old, retired athlete myself; we've trained in a lot worse conditions."

Back in November, the East Hants Sportsplex dome collapsed under heavy snow. Repairs cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At CBU, they'll likely be dealing with more than just the exterior damage.

"We suspect there will be damage to the lights," said Artur. "Probably some of the equipment that's inside, like soccer nets. Also some lost insulation that we have in the panels."

But there's no timeline yet on when the dome will be back up and running.

"Someone said four weeks," Gould said. "Someone said it might not be back up until the summer again."

It's not the first collapse in this facility's 10-year history, and those who depend on it are hoping for a fix sooner, rather than later.