Why I Detest Public Skating Sessions

Ladskater · Jan 30, 2005

I absolutely detest skating on public skating sessions. When I figure skated, I never set foot on a public session - and for good reason - as I was reminded tonight, when I made the mistake of attempting to skate on a public session.

Of course, I have little choice these days, if I want to skate; however, I wondered as I battled my way around the rink dodging "ankle biters", out of control teenangers and wannabe hockey players if it was worth it. After a frustrating 15 minutes, I decided no it wasn't and packed it in. Not much of a skate, I will grant you, but the frustration I felt was not really worth the effort either. I decided if I can't enjoy my time out there, then why be there?

The solution would be to attend an adult oriented session; but, unfortunatley my work schedule usually interferes with any of these sessions as they are usually scheduled for early afternoons or mornings. It's a drag.

Well, at least I know I can still skate! Short and sweet as it was - it was great to be out on the ice. I miss my figure skating days and my carefree days of youth, when I had the time to indulge in skating. If only I had a time machine!!!!!

Doggygirl · Jan 30, 2005

Ladskater...

Sorry to hear about the crowded rink. Hopefully you can figure out some sort of off peak time to go. I totally hear you about the good old younger more care free days!! Wish I would have appreciated those a little more at the time and not been in such a big hurry to become a grown up.

DG

MasterB · Jan 30, 2005

I Hear You

All too often i have to train my son on public sessions due to the lack of freestyle session. Once April comes around our public sessions aren't too crowded. I sometimes go to another rink twenty miles away for their freestyle sessions but they are just as bad as being on a public session. The best time to skate is usually during the day when everyone is as school or at work.

Ladskater · Jan 30, 2005

MasterB said:
All too often i have to train my son on public sessions due to the lack of freestyle session. Once April comes around our public sessions aren't too crowded. I sometimes go to another rink twenty miles away for their freestyle sessions but they are just as bad as being on a public session. The best time to skate is usually during the day when everyone is as school or at work.

So true, but unfortunately, I am one of the crowd that is at work!!!!! "I'd rather be skating."

Petlover · Jan 31, 2005

Lad, even if it's only public (frustration) skating, I'm glad you are skating again. Sometimes it's the only thing in my life that keeps me sane! Great stress relief, too, and we adults desperately need that.

ice_magick · Jan 31, 2005

*groan*
I don't mean to sound like a skatesnob but yeah public sessions are a disaster. Yesterday there was a minor snowstorm and I couldn't make it to the 9:30 freestyle I usually go to. I went instead to the 11:00 public session. That was fine for me when I was a little kid in FS1, FS2...but now in FS5 there is no room! I mean, skating in the freestyle area in the center is impossible. I'm not trying to do a triple salchow double toe combination. I'm trying to do a FLIP LOOP COMBINATION! And there's no room!

bronxgirl · Jan 31, 2005

I remember my first time on skates. It was at a public skating session, I was in High School, and had gone with a groupwof friends, including a boy I had a major crush on. By the time I finally had the courage to stop clutching the wall, I was skating holding on to my crush's hand and we both went sprawling on the ice. The next day at school he had a large splint on his arm due to a badly sprained wrist. Of course I felt sooooo humiliated, although he was nice enough to not blame me. Needless to say, our relationship never went any further than friends :eek:

hwell:

SkateFan4Life · Jan 31, 2005

Doesn't your rink have some sort of crowd control, Lad? I know how frustrating it can be to try to negotiate your way around a crowded rink with pushing and shoving teenagers and kids rushing and falling all over the place. My rink has one or two employees on the ice at all times during the public sessions. If anyone gets out of hand - too fast, cutting in and out, etc. - they are spoken to on the ice. If they continue to misbehave, they are escorted off the ice.

Of course, sometimes the rink is so crowded that even those employees can't control the mob.

R.D. · Jan 31, 2005

Aren't most of these public sessions just skate-arounds? I don't really see much room to be doing all sorts of fancy spins and jumps, etc. on the ice rinks I've seen.

Ladskater · Feb 1, 2005

SkateFan4Life said:
Doesn't your rink have some sort of crowd control, Lad? I know how frustrating it can be to try to negotiate your way around a crowded rink with pushing and shoving teenagers and kids rushing and falling all over the place. My rink has one or two employees on the ice at all times during the public sessions. If anyone gets out of hand - too fast, cutting in and out, etc. - they are spoken to on the ice. If they continue to misbehave, they are escorted off the ice.

Of course, sometimes the rink is so crowded that even those employees can't control the mob.

No, come to think of it, I did not see any skating officials out there; it's a pretty smalltown rink. I did not stick around long enough to see.

Ladskater · Feb 1, 2005

Red Dog said:
Aren't most of these public sessions just skate-arounds? I don't really see much room to be doing all sorts of fancy spins and jumps, etc. on the ice rinks I've seen.

Public sessions - are just that- for the "average joe" to come and skate. They are not designated figure skating sessions - so one enters the rink at ones own risk. Also, here in Canada - most people use public sessions to practice their favorite past time - hockey - it's also not a hockey practice session. However, that's what the majority use the time for. Makes it difficult for we seasoned figure skaters to manuever.

chuckm · Feb 1, 2005

If you want to know what a really bad public skating session is, go to the Wollman Rink in Central Park, NY. It's a large rink, but about 15 minutes after the session starts, the ice is all chopped up, and bands of kids skate around the rink in groups, trying to see how many people they can knock down. Then there are the dorks who insist on skating backward around the rink without looking out where they're going. You have to have eyes in back of your head to keep from being torpedoed.

dlkksk8fan · Feb 1, 2005

Lad-it's such a bummer when you can't find a good session to skate on. Isn't there another rink that you can go to that might be less crowded? Lucky for me I can go skate at our adult session form 11:45am-1:30pm. This way there are no kids allowed!

Jhar55 · Feb 1, 2005

Maybe you should suggest a public skating session for skaters lets say 30 and over at least once a week in the evening. I am sure your not the only one would would enjoy it. Myself I'd just like to have some place to skate, the closest is 2hrs.

Lucy25 · Feb 1, 2005

I sometimes skate at the open sessions at the Onyx (where Richard Callaghan coaches) and the regular open skate sessions are horrible. There are tons of little hockey players zipping all around the ice at full speed. The ice gets all chopped up very quickly. Thankfully the Onyx began an "adult open skate" a while back. Unfortunately, this is in the mornings when I am at work, but I try to take advantage of this time during my school vacations (I am a teacher). During the moring session is also the best time to see the elite skaters train. Callaghan is on a different rink, but it is very easy to walk down and watch the sessions if you want to. It's great because no one bothers these skaters at all. There's no fan frenzy for them to worry about. I wish I would have known when Sasha was there last summer to work on her jumps. It would have been a nice surprise to run into her there.

Ladskater · Feb 2, 2005

dlkksk8fan said:
Lad-it's such a bummer when you can't find a good session to skate on. Isn't there another rink that you can go to that might be less crowded? Lucky for me I can go skate at our adult session form 11:45am-1:30pm. This way there are no kids allowed!

Yes, probably. There are plenty of rinks around the Lower Mainland - I just am so tired from working all week - it's nice to have a rink so handy, unfortunately, it's a small town rink and the adult only sessions seem to have fizzed (probably due to lack of use). There are other rinks; I will have to see what I can find.

Why I Detest Public Skating Sessions

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

Doggygirl

MasterB

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

Petlover

ice_magick

bronxgirl

SkateFan4Life

Guest

R.D.

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

chuckm

dlkksk8fan

Jhar55

Lucy25

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

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