Summer Ice

Finding convenient ice for practicing figure skating is always a problem. In the summer that is a big problem...

We talk here about convenient times, prices and how crowded it is. Firstly, you cannot really practice on public skating ice. That is done on "practice ice" where there are allowed only figure skaters and there are rules about the level of the skaters on  particular sessions and what can be done on the ice. My rink rules are: only Freestyle 1 and up are allowed on ice, spins are done in the middle, jumps towards the corners, and you have to keep moving, you cannot stay in a single spot. As for times, this type of ice is meant to be used by kids/teen figure skaters so during the school year the practice ice is from 5 to 8 and from 2 to 6. I'm lucky I was able to adjust my schedule and skate noon to early afternoon. At 2 o'clock not many kids are making it from the school, so the ice is not very crowded. After 3, there are 24 to 28 skaters on ice, the majority of them with a coach, practicing different levels jumps, spins, moves and dance! I'm lucky that my rink has 3 days a week an hour and a half at noon "adult figure skating only". But I'm fine with the 2 o'clock practice ice too.

Now, during the summer, all of that is gone. Actually the 5 to 8 morning practice ice is still there, crowded, but there. But again, my schedule is set to accommodate the early afternoon skating. Then, between 8 in the morning and late afternoon there are skating summer camps (both figure skating and hockey). And there is some (very little) package ice squeezed in, here and there.  The previous years I was skating what I could on the practice ice and I was driving once or twice a week to a farther away rink. Terribly inconvenient...

This summer, is the first one when my rink has a studio rink in use. Is half the size of the main rink. And the noon "adult figure skating only" had during the summer, the 3 days a week on the studio rink. I knew I will not be able to practice whole pattern dances and moves, but I could practice parts of them, and jumps and spins. Not ideal but convenient.

Here comes the problem. Half the time, the ice wasn't "done" (cut with the Zamboni). And some days it was really bad, like the worst outdoor ice bad... I think the ice is softer in the summer as the temperature of the rink is higher so that makes it get choppy faster. We were given all kinds of explanations: the second Zamboni was broken and it was difficult to bring the main Zamboni to the small rink, then not all employees knew how to use the Zamboni that is at the studio rink. Other times the ice was done in the morning, and nobody was supposed to use it, but it got used without authorization. Some times as our noon session was supposed to start, it was offered to do the ice right then and it was done.

I've got progressively discouraged by this chopped iced. And I'm upset about the last two times I used the noon ice. Before last time, I was there 10 minutes earlier then noon, and as I saw the ice was not done, I let the front desk know and they sent the Zamboni driver to do the ice. It was noon at that point so the ice cut would have taken 15 minutes out of our skating time, but they said we can stay 15 minutes longer. But one of the skaters had a lesson planned to start at 12. The coach seamed unhappy to wait so we didn't. It soo bothered me that he said several times, while on ice, that that ice was just fine. It wasn't fine for me. I cannot work on spins on chopped ice, or on the back figure 8, or on anything where I need to adjust my balance. I'm sure for a strong skater that ice was fine, but not for me...

Last time, I've got there 15 minutes early and of course, the ice wasn't done. I've let the front desk know and they sent the Zamboni guy. He was unhappy. He said that he didn't consider that the ice needed to be done again because it was just one skater on ice before us. He mentioned who was the skater but not for how long she was on ice. And it was a very strong skater and all the middle of the ice was full of spins. Soft ice full of spins from a high level skater, what can you do on it? Nothing...How come the ice didn't need to be done? I mean the rule is that the ice should be done before us. It is in the schedule.

Do you remember I was saying I was upset on the skating world and I didn't feel like skating for awhile in this post? This is adding to that. I schedule my day in that way so I can go skating. I don't have infinite time on my hands. If I would know the ice it is not done I wouldn't go. And it's hard to think I'll go tomorrow and the ice wouldn't be done again. I just don't want to go. One of my good friends fell while saying how bad is the ice (and she never complains about ice) and hit her head and now she is not coming skating anymore. Many people stopped going.

I feel it messed up my already messed up summer skating. And there is one more month with this schedule. And I don't really know what to do this coming month, I mean I could try to go to the previous year setting, but it is a big effort to adjust my schedule, again, for just a month. Maybe I should take the whole month off?