How far would you travel for ice?

[plinko]

In my hometown ( #1) all the rinks are closed, the ice is out. I work out of town (#2), the rink (my usual rink) is closed. I've been driving to town #3 for ice, about an hour each way, for a one hour session. That rink is closing, they still have ice but it's rented by someone else (hockey) so is unavailable. I can go to another rink in that town for an additional week, but still travelling an hour each way. It's a stinky rink, I'd rather not.

There is ice in town #4. It would be an hour and a half each way, for a one hour session, there is only one hour available for figure skating 4:00 - 5:00pm. It would cost $9.00, about the same what I pay elsewhere. The bonus would be that my coach would be at that rink so I could get a lesson.

So, to get an hour of skating is a four hour adventure, and I'm not even calculating the cost of gas, traffic, etc. At what point do I throw in the towel ?? My economical stressed out self says to relax and just do my fitness program for seven weeks until closer ice is available, that little obsessive skating voice says "ice, come'on it's driveable, lets go"

[Raye]

I would take the ice!! I know all about it because for summer ice, I have to drive an hour and a half each way for the next 9 or so weeks. That's not far, after all it's ice. My coach won't be there so you have one up on me. One can still do the off-ice on the days when no ice is available Never throw in the towel :giveup:

[slusher]

Addict !!

Welcome to the club.

My home rink is two blocks from my workplace so I am spoiled I don't even have to move my car, I just park in the rink lot all day and walk over after work, and - believe it or not - my skating club called today to ask what time I finished work because they were thinking of changing the ice schedule but wanted to see if I could still make it. The drawback is that ice is from October to March, six months only.

In the other months I skate at a rink 45 minutes away, I thought it was far, but have gotten used to it. Would I go farther than that? Occasionally I have gone to the Big Fancy Club, it is one hour 15 minutes, but only if I've arranged for a lesson, I wouldn't drive more than an hour otherwise. It's not the cost, it's that I feel whipped sitting in the car for that long.

[Raye]

The key to a long drive is a good stereo in your car! 8-)

[jazzpants]

The key to a long drive is a good stereo in your car! 8-)And lots of (non-alcoholic) stuff to drink too... :P

Longest I've ever driven is about 1.5 hrs. to Santa Rosa (aka the Snoopy Rink.) It's quite lovely there too!!! :)

[stardust skies]

At one point I had a 3 and a half hour commute each way to the rink my coaches were at. Then I moved. But I put up with it for almost a year. An hour and a half is not bad- trust me when I say: you get used to it. :) Take it!!

[NickiT]

It all depends on how busy you are and what other commitments you have in your life. I wouldn't consider it as I'd hate to waste three hours of my day sat in a car especially if it's just for an hour of ice at the end of it, and I'd feel I'd be wasting so much time when there aren't enough hours in the day anyway. It really depends on how much you want it and how easy it is to fit into your lifestyle.

Nicki

[Thin-Ice]

I guess we all ARE addicts! I drive two hours each way to the rink where my coach teachs.. and I do it twice a week... but I justify it by taking an hour lesson. :roll:

[Casey]

I've skated two hours to go to a rink I'd never gone to before once, just because I knew I wouldn't know anybody there.

Sometimes there's something to be said for being a complete unknown.

[aliceM]

For a while, I was taking a day off work once a fortnight and travelling 130 miles each way (about 2 1/2 hours each way), then skating the early morning training ice, plus the very quiet weekday morning and afternoon sessions (about 7 hours, plus breaks). My rule is: to feed the addiction occasionally, as long as you can skate for more time than you are travelling, it's not too bad.

[tino14]

why do you guys have to travel so far just to find somewhere to skate. are the rinks near you never open, or do you rely on outdoor rinks? :?:

[Skate@Delaware]

My rink closes in April, right after our spring show, and does not open until after the Labor Day holiday in September. No outdoor rinks here-it's beach weather!

Anyway, last summer I did not make the great drive up north to the other rinks, 1 1/2 hour drive. My skating suffered greatly (which wasn't that different than how my skating is normally.....) It took me a whole month of skating 10-15 hours a week to get back into the groove again.

This summer, I am skating at least 2-3 times a month. Each session runs about 1:45-2:00 (depending on whether it is weekday or weekend). Cost $6. (My rink charges $2.50 for daytime sessions). I go on my day off every other week, public session. I take my kids, plus some of the other skating kids who want to go. So far, it's worked out. I don't like to skate by myself (I feel self-conscious). I have a list of things to work on. We have fun.

At first, the drive was horrible! I don't normally commute more than 30 minutes to work or shopping. Then, I sort of got used to the drive. (Found some neat stores to visit while up there also). Good stereo helps.

Bottom Line: Go for it! Even if you can only go a few times a month-just to maintain your skills! You can do off-ice stuff in between sessions. Then, when your regular ice opens in the fall, you will not have regressed in your skills as much.

[Klutzee]

I would take it if you can afford the time and money. You sound addicted enough and an hour and a half isn't TOO bad, for only a couple of months. Think of it as an investment in your ability, to keep it going instead of losing ground while your rink is closed.

It takes me an hour to get to my nearest rink, and the journey there and back includes 4 miles of walking as well as taking public transport ... I'm knackered by the time I'm finished but what the hey. It does stop me from going as frequently as I'd like, though.

I just accept that skating is a really inconvenient sport. I kind of envy people who enjoy sports that are more accessible, like jogging or aerobics or cycling, but for me nothing else has the thrill - except skiing, which is of course way more inconvenient!


A

[Figureskates]

My rink closed after the ice show in May. I live right around the corner from it and also work there so I get my ice time for free.

Now I go to the next town over. The rink isn't as nice and I don't have anywhere as much ice time as I have with my hometown rink.

In a year or two, however, I will have the permanent solution when my wife and I retire to Lake Placid...all ice, all the time!

[NickiT]

Reading this makes me appreciate that I'm just three minutes away from my rink.

Nicki

[blue111moon]

My personal rule is that I won't spend more time in the car than I do on the ice. So a three-hour commute for one hour of ice wouldn't be worth it for me.

But if that's the only ice you can get, it might be worth it to you.

My home rink is 15 minutes from my office and 25 minutes from home. It's open duirng the summer for the first time this year, so I don't have to hunt elsewhere for ice. :)

One summer a long time ago, I drove to Boston (1 hour minimum each way) six days a week for two hours of ice just to pass my 1st figure test. And a couple summers ago I drove from Worcester to Bridgewater (55 miles each way) for two hours of ice. And every once in while, I used to drive from Worcester to Cape Cod (120 miles each way)to get a lesson with a certain coach I liked and to skate with friends who lived that way. Gas was cheaper then, though.

[AuroraBorealis]

It all depends on how busy you are and what other commitments you have in your life.

I totally agree with this statement. :)

I used to live 10 minute-walk away from my usual rink, but since I moved, it's anywhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour and 20 minutes - one way and by public transit. And having to take 3 buses to get there really sucks!

During the school year, some weeks that was too much (sometimes I carried my skate bag around all day just to cut that commute down to 30 minutes, that's how long it takes from the tranist). Right now, I don't really mind.

So it depends on how it would fit in with your lifestyle.

I'm not sure I could drive to and from skating, though. I always get so extremely tired and sleepy on my way back!

[Mrs Redboots]

My home rink is only about 10 minutes in the car - although it can take up to an hour on public transport in peak hours! But we also skate once a month at another rink across town, and always allow 1.5 hours to get there (and get our skates on, let's be accurate). Plus sometimes we skate at Other Woman's rink, just out of town, which takes me over 2 hours to get to on public transport, and that's with Husband meeting me at the station - and again, about an hour or more to get home.

But the longest relative journeys we all do are to competitions - all that way, just for five minutes on the ice???? We must be mad!

[Thin-Ice]

why do you guys have to travel so far just to find somewhere to skate. are the rinks near you never open, or do you rely on outdoor rinks? :?:

Because that's the only rink where my coach teachs... and I refuse to train a new coach.. I've had this one 14 years and she knows when to push and when to be extra-supportive. The rest of the time I practice at a rink about 20 minutes away from where I work.

[diagetus]

Wow, you guys are dedicated! :bow: I'd be able to do an hour commute for a three hour session. It's kind of difficult for me to time an hour long drive for an hour long session. It's too easy to get distracted by other small tasks and end up getting on the highway late. Next thing you know your hour session is a 30 minute session or you drive there for nothing. I also agree with blue111moon. If you don't have widespread public transportation, the gas money now-a-days will eat you alive.

Here are some alternative solutions that might help you hold off the craving for ice on the off-ice days.

1.Consider roller skating/ roller blading - If there is no ice rink, consider using roller skates or roller blades as your rough training devices. Trust me, if you can pull off some of those jumps in those heavy quad skates, you'll feel light as a feather next time you get on ice skates. If there is not a roller rink, you can roller blade outside.

2.Consider ballet - This gives the necessary strength, flexibility, and form for a lot of the moves done on ice. Try to pull some new movements from ballet and pour them into your skating routine.

3.Consider gymnastics - Again, this gives the necessary strength, flexibility, and form for a lot of moves on ice.

4.Anything else that can add some flavor to ice-skating: Martial Arts, Yoga, Pilates. The skies the limit.

I think any of these options will calm your craving for ice until the days it's available. On top of that, it will probably help you create new "out of the box" ideas for ice-skating.

[Casey]

Very good tips diagetus!! I took a few ballet lessons a few months back - I'd love to be able to afford to do them regularly still, plus ice skate...*sigh*

On the upside, I use rollerblades as my primary form of transportation to and from the rink (which is only one mile away). I measured the distance to the new fancy rink that I signed up at today (!), and it's 4 miles - I should be able to rollerblade that in 20-30 minutes.

Largely this is because the brakes in my car are downright scary at this point, and I can't afford to get them fixed (and am not about to give up skating in order to save up for it).

[stardust skies]

There's plenty of rinks close to where I used to live. But I can count the number of higher-level coaches on one hand for my entire time zone. Finding one I WANTED to work with, and who I'd get along with? The closest was 3 hours away. If you're gonna pay for lessons, it might as well be with someone who can truly help you. Those don't necessarily come to your front door.

[doubletoe]

Why not kill two birds with one stone? Buy some foreign language tapes and learn another language while you're in the car for 3 hours each time you skate! :)

[Raye]

But the longest relative journeys we all do are to competitions - all that way, just for five minutes on the ice???? We must be mad
Of course we are all mad!! Was that ever in dispute?? :lol:

]Why not kill two birds with one stone? Buy some foreign language tapes and learn another language while you're in the car for 3 hours each time you skate!

Capital idea!! Then when I spend thousands to go to another country to skate for 5 minutes, I will be able to communicate with the locals. Thanks for the idea... :bow:

[doubletoe]

[COLOR=DarkRed]
Capital idea!! Then when I spend thousands to go to another country to skate for 5 minutes, I will be able to communicate with the locals. Thanks for the idea... :bow:

ROFL!!!!!!

[TreSk8sAZ]

Our rink has begun drastically cutting our ice time, only giving us an hour per weekday some weeks, without actually telling us why. Many of us are going to have to start driving 1.5 - 2 hours for a 45- 60 minute session. We're going to try to do more than that, but it just depends when we can get away and what ice time they have available where.

Oh, the 1.5-2 hours is each way.

[Andie]

Well, the rink I go to most often and for lessons is about 40 miles one way driving, which takes about 45-50 minutes usually to drive there.

Another rink I occasionally visit is about 28 miles, or about half an hour driving there.
Another rink I used to go to, but haven't been in awhile, is about 45 miles one way and 1 hr or maybe 1 hr+5 mins to drive to. Partly because part of the route has a slower speed limit than the other two I mentioned.

Unfortunately, I normally spend a bit more time in the car than I do actually skating, when I go to my main rink. My mom still drives me, because I still haven't got my license.

[Terri C]

Our rink has begun drastically cutting our ice time, only giving us an hour per weekday some weeks, without actually telling us why. Many of us are going to have to start driving 1.5 - 2 hours for a 45- 60 minute session. We're going to try to do more than that, but it just depends when we can get away and what ice time they have available where.

Oh, the 1.5-2 hours is each way.

I feel your pain. My home rink did the same thing this summer. We are only going to have ice from 6-8/9am Monday through Friday. That is not feasible for someone like me who has to be at work at 7am. While I do get one weekday off a week and I will skate there then, I'm angry and upset that rink management did not respond to my e-mail addressing my concern and while the rink I'll be practicing at is closer to home and cheaper, it's not a regulation surface, as that rink's surface is smaller.

[crayonskater]

I have no car. I normally walk to my rink, but it's closed for the summer. I could, I suppose, take a bus to another rink (probably about an hour dealing with the bus) that isn't all that far away... but for me, at this point in my life, it's not worth it.

I'm skating for fun and exercise; it comes secondary to a lot of other things in my life, so this summer I run, lift weights, do elliptical training, and I've just started a yoga class. Sometimes I rollerblade, too.

[diagetus]

Casey S
Very good tips diagetus!! I took a few ballet lessons a few months back - I'd love to be able to afford to do them regularly still, plus ice skate...*sigh*

On the upside, I use rollerblades as my primary form of transportation to and from the rink (which is only one mile away). I measured the distance to the new fancy rink that I signed up at today (!), and it's 4 miles - I should be able to rollerblade that in 20-30 minutes.

Glad the tips were helpful. 4 miles in 20 mins is not bad at all, especially if the terrain if rough! I don't know what kind of rollerblades you have, but I've been reading on the internet about rollerblades that are built for figure skating. At this point, these skates would be useless for me, but for a more experienced ice skater they may help out. The PIC inlines are a good example of an artistic inline. The Triax brand is priced in the same range as a high-end ice skate set ($300-$700). I'm not sure what the cost is for PICs, but here is a link -->

http://www.skate-buys.com/picinline.html

[Casey]

Glad the tips were helpful. 4 miles in 20 mins is not bad at all, especially if the terrain if rough! I don't know what kind of rollerblades you have, but I've been reading on the internet about rollerblades that are built for figure skating. At this point, these skates would be useless for me, but for a more experienced ice skater they may help out. The PIC inlines are a good example of an artistic inline. The Triax brand is priced in the same range as a high-end ice skate set ($300-$700). I'm not sure what the cost is for PICs
PIC skates (http://www.picskate.com/) are quite expensive - I want a pair but no way can I afford it (and even if I could, I'd have a hard time bringing myself to spend that much on roller skates). I got my pair of standard el cheapo rollerblades (the ones that are under $100 new) for $1.50 on a half price day at a thrift store (regular price: $3.00). They work out well since I can't afford to fix the brakes on my car, which are in a really bad state.

They're in the same price range as Triax, but from everyone I've heard from who has used both or either in addition to ice skates, PIC is a much better choice than Triax. You can spin and even do double and triple jumps on them (assuming you have the skill).

We have an electronic sign on the side of the road that shows what speed you're going - if I skate on the road past it, it says 12 (mph) so that works out to be consistant with the time it takes to get to the rinks. The only thing that sucks is that theres's a pretty steep downhill grade right before I get to the rink - I've never figured out how to deal with hills - I can come up them okay, but going down is another story entirely, so I usually walk along the grass (which keeps the wheels from rolling) instead.

I'm not much of a rollerblader - I don't really like them and can only do basic forward movement on them, but they're good cheap transportation, and since I've gotten used to the transition between rollerblades and ice skates (which took a while to get used to), I don't require any warm up time at all when getting on the ice.

[plinko]

Thank you everybody for your replies. Part of my reluctance to travel so far for ice (not so far compared to some of you! ) is that I've never skated through the summer before. Skating has always been an outdoors winter activity for me, it was even weird skating after March, indoors, wearing shorts to the rink, so it is a culture shock.

I've decided to pass on the stinky rink, but am going to do the big drive to the out out out of town rink for a once a week skate and lesson. I also found out that there is a public session about an hour after the figure session, so if I'm going to drive all that way, I'll stay a while, eat, and skate two sessions. However, it's not all gravy, because public in Canada means hordes of counterclockwise lap skaters, no fancy figure skating allowed. But it's good for fitness so, yeah I'll admit it, I'm an addict.

I'm also riding my bike already, and doing some new stretching things. Believe it or not, I've never rollerbladed, that's just too scary, having a fall on concrete. Ice is much more soft.

[*IceDancer1419*]

Well, I travel 30-45 minutes a lot of times to go up to Everett, which is considerably cheaper (we have a family membership, 6 months unlimited public sessions for 4 people for $150... which works nicely because the morning sessions are pretty empty ;) ). We also drive down about an hour both ways to have my brother go to a speedskating class... but then it's not just ice, it's a class with an awesome teacher. I don't know, personally I wouldn't mind traveling quite a ways, but my parents definitely think otherwise. :roll: