Would You Have Said Something?

[Emberchyld]

Just thought I'd share something from last night's public skate that nearly had me pulling my hair out.

To set the scene: Imagine a rink filled with mini hockey goons zipping around and smashing into each other and a ton of people who have never skated before in their lives. (I call them the "brown or tan (depending on the color of the rink's rental skates) skate people" because they stand out a mile away in their badly laced rental skates, their ankles nearly dragging on the ice, toepicking their way around the rink)

Throw in a few teenagers practicing some freestyle on the sides of the rink because the center coned-in circle keeps getting invaded by kids cutting trough.

Enter a little girl... oh, about 4 feet tall, arms and legs everywhere, skating erratically and fast in the opposite direction of everyone else, backwards, forwards, weaving, almost losing her balance a few times and even falling a few times.

After nearly having to sit on the ice myself to avoid barrelling into her and watching as she almost went head-on with a few of the "never skated befores" who can't stop and can barely keep upright, I asked the skate guard to tell her to skate in the right direction because she was going to hurt herself and everyone else (I know that I, a good 110 pounds or so more than her, would have easily taken her out. And those hockey kids would have sent her flying if they bumped into her).

When I told some of the other adults I was skating with in the same session about this, they got all wide-eyed and said "Oh, no, that's (insert olympic skater's name here) daughter. I would never have said anything about her. You really shouldn't say anything." Apparently, her parents do a lot in the rink and, even though she can't skate very well, her father sometimes comes out to watch and teach her during public sessions.

My opinion was and still is the same... the kid was a danger to herself and to the other skaters, reguardless of who her parents are, and I was glad that the skate guard hounded her until she moved to the center circle to terrorize people. The other adults seemed to actually fear upsetting the girl's parents... I'd rather be kicked out of the rink than deal with catering to silliness like that.

The question is... is there ever a circumstance where you would agree with the other adults I was skating with?

[Skate@Delaware]

I would not have cared if she was the President's daughter....I would have said something! Especially if she was as erratic as you stated.

I have seen someone skate as you have said, and mentioned it to the rink guard, who did tell me that the girl was a special needs girl. In that case it did make a difference and I was more aware of where she was from that point on. AND I was able to tell some of the other parent's (who were also very concerned).

Dangerous is dangerous. Just because she is so-and-so's daughter....I would hold her to even higher standards of behaviour.

[TimDavidSkate]

I would have told her and whomever the guardian might be.

After being a skateguard at my old rink I have developed a confidence to tell skater's who are endangering themselves and others.

Yes, most of the time it doesn't work out well. The parents get combative. "Umm hello? Your child will injure themselves! I guess you have the money to pay for whatever injury might occurr!"

[Debbie S]

When I told some of the other adults I was skating with in the same session about this, they got all wide-eyed and said "Oh, no, that's (insert olympic skater's name here) daughter. I would never have said anything about her. You really shouldn't say anything." Apparently, her parents do a lot in the rink and, even though she can't skate very well, her father sometimes comes out to watch and teach her during public sessions.Navka/Zhulin, I presume? At least, that's what I would guess given your location and the size/age of the kid.

Anyway, regardless of who the parents are, of course people should say something. (Does your rink have a rule that everyone must skate in the same direction? That's usually the only rule that gets enforced at public sessions.) That being said, I have seen other dangerous behavior at public sessions that gets pointed out the guards and goes on unchecked even if the offender doesn't have famous parents. This is why I avoid public sessions.

But as far as this situation goes, do these other adults somehow think something bad is going to happen to them? Or are they just starstruck? After all, the rink guard wouldn't even know their names, and would also most likely not say anything to the manager or rink owner (nothing unusual about playing traffic cop). Even if the parents went up to the manager or rink owner, how would the complaint be tracked to the original source, and no random public session skater is going to be banned from the rink just b/c they pointed out a potentially dangerous situation to a rink guard. :roll:

[Sonic]

Does anyone else see the irony in this?!

People are scared to say something because parent is an olympic skater? :frus:

An olympic skater of all people then should be well aware of the danger of this kind of behaviour on public sessions.

As Skate@Delaware says, it shouldn't make an iota of difference even it were the president's daughter. Hey, at least Bush would have the excuse that he's not a skater so doesn't know how hazardous rinks can be lol!

For what it's worth Emberchyld, you definitely did the right thing. Too many 'people in high places' get away with stuff because others haven't got the guts to stand up for what is right [rant over!]

S xxx

[doubletoe]

Yep, safety must always come first. Sometimes I'll just go ahead and say things to kids on the ice, without even bothering to say anything to the guards (who would have already done something about it if they cared). I will usually say something if a kid is skating backwards without looking behind him or if a kid is skating through the middle, playing chase, etc. and not paying attention to the flying camels happening in the middle of the rink.

[jazzpants]

Yes, you should and if the dad's there, I would tell him too!!! (Of course, phrase it in a way that to show that you're trying to protect the kid and you're looking out for the kid's interest. That usually doesn't piss off the parents. ;) )

[miraclegro]

I would have tried talking with the child directly myself, in a very nice tone.

If that didn't work, then go the next step up.

Safety first. :)

[Emberchyld]

It's good to know that sanity does reign... It was very wierd...

Debbie S.-- I'm not exactly sure who her parents are because they referred to the parents' first name and then I was so floored by the reaction that I didn't hear the last name clearly. The little girl is an adorable blonde-haired gangly munchkin-- if that fits the girl that you were thinking of...

And wierdly, the other adults weren't starstruck, but reacted with horror that I actually would say something-- they actually seemed afraid to confront the kid (and the subsequent reaction from her parents)! I do have to admit that I know nothing about the rink politics and frankly could care less as long as they keep having decent public skate and lesson times and the ice is good. I'm probably missing something, but I'm positive I'll survive not knowing! :roll:

Still, I just had to share this story with all of you!

[beachbabe]

I wouldn't have done anything, since on a typical public session thats normal behavior...sadly.

I used to like practicing on publics cos they are cheaper and sometimes empty. But there is always a young hockey boy whizzing around and not looking..and they usually aren't very good either...I've never had any trouble with read hockey players who have lots of control and watch where they are going.

I was on a public today and a girl totally cut me off going into an axel. I can't say i wasn't expecting someone to cut me off but she was heading right at me backwards, but i wasn't really upset since we don't have rules on publics and I guess by going on it you accept the possibility that other skaters wont be respectful towards you.

[AshBugg44]

Regardless of whether that is "normal" behavior or not, the skate guard should always be telling people to be skating the right direction. You can't necessarily do anything about the erratic skating, since some people just plain can't skate, but you can tell them to go the right direction. It's a rule. You shouldn't have had to tell the skate guard in the first place!

[SkatingOnClouds]

I can and do say something almost every public session I skate at. Especially when the "sled of death" is being irresponsibly used (is it ever used repsonsibly, I wonder?).

I always phrase it around how I would hate for them to get hurt, and that others might not be as good at taking evasive action or stopping. Mostly it has effect, but not always. And oddly enough when the parent is on the ice with them I often find the parent is 9/10ths of the problem.

In the end, I figure that if I choose to skate in a public session then I may not have much of a skate, or I may have a wonderful skate. I take that risk.

[dooobedooo]

My feeling from this is that the kid is probably too young to understand the difference between a busy public skating session and a freestyle session. ie. the safety aspects need to be explained (along with concepts such as consideration for other skaters).

If the kid was in a lesson, you should talk to the coach. If the coach then doesn't listen, you should talk to the head coach or skating director.

If the parents are reasonable people, I'd politely discuss it with them - surely they don't want their kid either (a) getting involved in an accident, or (b) upsetting a load of people at the rink, or (c) growing up to be a cringe-making diva queen.

And if they have political clout in the skating world, it's going to be easier for someone who is not "under their influence" to mention it. Don't wait until something happens, so that you can say "I told you so"!!!

The best thing might be to find another parent who has a child who is friends with their daughter, and ask the other parent to mention it: "By the way, did you know that .... ?" :)

[Careygram]

I broke my leg on a very crowded freestyle session. I can't say whether or not it was because I lost my focus but I can say that I was VERY busy watching out for everyone and did something I've never done before in a jump.

THEREFORE, with that experience ALWAYS fresh in my mind though it was 11 years ago now, I would say something no matter whose child it is. And if it's the rink owners kid and they get mad then I can either find a new rink or just pray.

Hope that helps.

[lovepairs]

Can someone tell me why sanity rains on this thread, but not on the Toddler on high free style thread?

Also, will someone please tell me why an Olympian would ever put their child out on a public session? Is there something I'm completely missing here???

I'm a "nothing" adult skater and would never put my child out on a public session. They are way too dangerous! Am I missing something here???

[Skittl1321]

Can someone tell me why sanity rains on this thread, but not on the Toddler on high free style thread?

Also, will someone please tell me why an Olympian would ever put their child out on a public session? Is there something I'm completely missing here???

I'm a "nothing" adult skater and would never put my child out on a public session. They are way too dangerous! Am I missing something here???

Where else does one skate? If the kid isn't a skater they can't go on a freestyle session. Would your rink have another choice? Ours has public, freestyle and hockey.

LTS might make sense, but I wouldn't start a kid in that until they show they want to skate- otherwise it's a lot of money and a potential commitment the kid isn't going to enjoy.

[lovepairs]

Believe me, Olympians can find decent ice for their kids; after all, they've earned it.

[Skate@Delaware]

Maybe they want to be just like "normal" people...so the kid goes out on public ice; or maybe they realize the kid is actually not good enough for any freestyle session...or (heaven forbid) they are cheap and it's a cheap skate for them to pay for (most publics are at least half the price of freestyle and a really good deal if it's not too busy)!!!

Not all rinks have dangerous public sessions. At my rink, MOST of the sessions are perfectly fine for ANY age and even for special needs kids. However, I would have to have suffered a SEVERE blow to the head to skate on the Friday/Saturday nights and the Sunday Public skates!!!! Talk about chaos reigning!!!!

[jazzpants]

Also, will someone please tell me why an Olympian would ever put their child out on a public session? Is there something I'm completely missing here???Hey! They gotta start somewhere...

I'm a "nothing" adult skater and would never put my child out on a public session. They are way too dangerous! Am I missing something here???The toddler's a LTS beginner skater. Where else is the kid gonna go to practice her skating if she can't go on ice dance or FS session b/c (as you said) they're also too dangerous for the LTS kid too? What do you think should happen if this particular kid is not allowed on the FS sessions? (Keep in mind, the kid needs to practice somewhere beyond the half hour skating school sessions to maintain/improve on what they're doing.)

We ALL started out skating at public sessions, hangin' on that wall and trying to take our first steps out on the ice, yours truly included. (I did so as a 9 year old once...) Should this kid be treated any differently from another beginning LTS kid just b/c the parents are Olympians in figure skating?

Believe me, Olympians can find decent ice for their kids; after all, they've earned it.Okay, pretend said Olympians are reading this thread. Tell them where they can find decent ice for their beginning LTS kids?

(BTW: I just came back from a pretty near empty weekend afternoon public session where I ran thru my moves! The little 5 year old Wayne Gretsky wannabes are more dangerous than the beginning LTS skaters!!! ) :roll:

[beachbabe]

....cut lots here lol

Okay, pretend said Olympians are reading this thread. Tell them where they can find decent ice for their beginning LTS kids?

(BTW: I just came back from a pretty near empty weekend afternoon public session where I ran thru my moves! The little 5 year old Wayne Gretsky wannabes are more dangerous than the beginning LTS skaters!!! ) :roll:


umm heloooo...they can buy them private ice- surely they can afford it! Olympians dont practice on plain jane freestyles like us- they get private ice and usually at a heavy discount.

[jazzpants]

umm heloooo...they can buy them private ice- surely they can afford it! Olympians dont practice on plain jane freestyles like us- they get private ice and usually at a heavy discount.Ummmm... not if the kid is a LTS/beginning kid. It makes no financial sense to put a beginning kid on private ice just to skate around. (Where I am, private ice is about $300/hr. If it's where I think the kid is skating at, it's probably closer to $400-500/hr.) I doubt skaters would spoil a little kid like that!!! (There are better ways to spoil a little kid than that!) ;)

Remember the elite skaters need the private ice NOT b/c they *can*, but because they have to! To them, this is their job and they need the privacy and quiet to concentrate on their program for a TV special or something. They really can't afford to have the distractions of fans bugging them when they're support to prepare for a competition that's gonna be shown in TV all over the world! (And of course, as with a lot of elite skaters, they do like to keep their programs "under wraps" to keep us rif-rafs from posting on skatingforums on what their program is gonna be and having their competitors get the scoop on their technical difficulty and upp-ing theirs to match or beat!)

Sure they make a lot of money but they also spend a lot of money to going to good gyms, costumes, makeup artists, hairstylist, travel, managers/talent agents, etc. in addition to private ice. A couple of million dollars these days don't go that far anymore these days. (Here in San Francisco, avg. cost of homes is about $775K! My home is worth a little under that.) 8O

I'll give my Olympian skater (no names of course...but you locals can guess who it is...) as a good example. Yes, he does rent private ice, but I have seen him at coffee club sessions. (Of course, when he was on the ice, NO ONE ELSE GOT ANY WORK DONE!!! 8O :twisted: :lol: ) And I've heard from enough people about his being on the midday public session ice too! (And I missed him by a matter of TWO HOURS!!! WAAAAAH!!! :cry: :frus: )

[Skate@Delaware]

Let's disregard the fact that the child has parents that are Olympic skaters....with them out of the equation, what would you say then?

I don't know about you, but just because the parents are Olympic skaters, doesn't mean the child warrants special attention or favors (let's not kiss-up or brown-nose, it's downright disgusting!)! Yes, it's nice to be related to someone famous and of that caliber, but let's not bend over backwards to accomodate her just because of that. On her own accord, she is just a child in a LTS program and needed to be reminded of the rules so she didn't get hurt. In that respect, she is just like other kids that "forget" and need to be reminded.

And, if they rented private ice....and the child skates on it (probably alone)...wouldn't that be boring??? It would be for me! Skating is also social and she might have had friends there also. And, as I said before, not every public session is killer. Hockey boys are far more dangerous in my book (and sometimes hockey dads are worse!).

Just my 2 cents worth.

[lovepairs]

The toddler's a LTS beginner skater. Where else is the kid gonna go to practice her skating if she can't go on ice dance or FS session b/c (as you said) they're also too dangerous for the LTS kid too? What do you think should happen if this particular kid is not allowed on the FS sessions? (Keep in mind, the kid needs to practice somewhere beyond the half hour skating school sessions to maintain/improve on what they're doing.)

A low-level freestyle session would be appropriate in the absence of any LTS practice session.

If it is, who someone thought it was mentioned earlier on this thread, then there is, in deed, a lot of low-freestyle available.

If it is the Olympians mentioned on this thread they can more than afford to buy their kid private ice.

If it is the Olympians mentioned on this tread, I hope they are reading this...get your kid off the public sessions! From the first post, it sounds like this little girl is an accident waiting to happen. Skating in the opposite direction of everyone else in a crowded public session--come on. The original poster did the right thing by saying something to the skate guard.

Moreover, Olympians are not "normal" people/skaters, and I for one would trade my "normalcy" up to be skating at that level any day! Only in my dreams.

[Mrs Redboots]

umm heloooo...they can buy them private ice- surely they can afford it! Olympians dont practice on plain jane freestyles like us- they get private ice and usually at a heavy discount.And how, exactly, can they afford it? Many skaters at that level are struggling to afford their own training, never mind anybody else's. They don't get paid all that much for exhibitions, assuming they're lucky enough to get asked to do any! Our lot (who only didn't make the Olympics because we only got to send one couple this year) use the same teaching ice as everybody else, plus they have to pay for squad camp and travel to and from their events, and, and, and.... no way in the universe can they afford private ice for themselves, never mind for anybody else. I don't think even the Kerrs can afford private ice very often, if at all!

[VegasGirl]

The question is... is there ever a circumstance where you would agree with the other adults I was skating with?

No, "celebrity status" does not excuse unsafe behavior!!!
Besides, if he's really all that then why have her skate during a public session? :roll:

[VegasGirl]

Where else does one skate? If the kid isn't a skater they can't go on a freestyle session. Would your rink have another choice? Ours has public, freestyle and hockey.

There would be atleast two other choices... signing her up for LTS, as you mentioned, or booking private ice.

LTS might make sense, but I wouldn't start a kid in that until they show they want to skate- otherwise it's a lot of money and a potential commitment the kid isn't going to enjoy.

Well, then take her to public skate and have her skate around the rink like you're supposed to not like a wannabe Primadonna!

[renatele]

umm heloooo...they can buy them private ice- surely they can afford it! Olympians dont practice on plain jane freestyles like us- they get private ice and usually at a heavy discount.

Hmm, I do not really want to get involved in this at all... but... the Olympians that this involved and all other Olympians there actually DO practice on plain jane freestyles - high freestyles, of course, but if you are high enough level, you can practice with them (doubt you would want to do that, as it is not so rare to see 4-5 dance teams + a couple senior level singles skaters on that ice... not always that bad, but not as rare as one would expect).

[Skate@Delaware]

I can only speak for my neck of the woods (really out in the sticks):

No ice in the summer; only one OPEN freestyle available during the week (during my rink's season) and ANYONE can skate on it: LTS, freestyle, ice dance, hockey (no sticks or pucks)

LTS lessons in my rink only run about $60 for 6 weeks. That's $10 per week and it includes 15 minutes of warm-up time...wow 15 minutes! They also include 2 passes to public skate

Public skates at my rink are fairly friendly and safe EXCEPT for the Friday & Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. The 4 pm sessions and the daytime sessions are very nice and sometimes empty

Our club ice (until recently) has been OPEN to all skaters of ALL abilities: LTS, freestyle, dance. Yes, we have had problems with the little tykes (3-5 years old) almost getting creamed, we have also had problems with adults (myself) almost getting creamed (myself, by a coach who was NOT looking where she was going)....

I personally don't have a problem with LTS'rs on public or club ice as long as they FOLLOW THE RULES!!! Again, I don't care who they belong to, I will say something. I have seen improper behavior from little tykes AND ADULTS (yeah, mostly hockey dads in my experience).

Bottom line, it shouldn't be a matter of whether or not they could AFFORD to buy ice (let's not apply stereotypes that all Olympic athletes are rich and have multi-million dollar sports endorsements rolling in all the time).

If parents choose to put their children on public ice, then it's knowing the risks involved in doing so. We all agree this is a dangerous sport-it's our responsibilty as fellow skaters to speak up if we see something unsafe, no matter what session we are on!

ok, i'm getting off my soapbox now and going back to my porch rocker...

[jazzpants]

A low-level freestyle session would be appropriate in the absence of any LTS practice session.

If it is, who someone thought it was mentioned earlier on this thread, then there is, in deed, a lot of low-freestyle available.(Assuming this is the same rink that I think it is...) Trust me, the kid will just as likely get creamed in the low FS session as they do in the public session. And there IS a reason why there's a minimal skating level you should be at to skate FS session. (Sorry! A low FS session is NOT for LTS kid. You can easily get creamed on those sessions too.)

I think the parents (the dad in this case) just needs to watch the kid a bit closer and to teach her about public session ettiquette. But who knows... maybe the dad did and she still went and did what she wants (as little kids do...)

If it is the Olympians mentioned on this thread they can more than afford to buy their kid private ice.

If it is the Olympians mentioned on this tread, I hope they are reading this...get your kid off the public sessions! From the first post, it sounds like this little girl is an accident waiting to happen. Skating in the opposite direction of everyone else in a crowded public session--come on. The original poster did the right thing by saying something to the skate guard.Agreed with the original poster telling the ice guard about the kid. But all that's really need is for the kid to get off the ice long enough to have a "STERN talking to" WITH the parent that's there!!! (Hell, get the father down on the ice and have him steer the kid around. It's his kid! Good father/daughter bonding.) And as another poster on this thread says, maybe they just want to be "normal folks" and do the "getting the kid on skates" thing, like their parents did for them. We don't really know why they choose to do the public session, but it's THEIR decision how they choose to access the risks for the kid. (For my case, sure I would love to just go and rent private ice, but I won't have the energy from the friends that are there with me...and it does me no good to not learn to look and skate around other skaters if I'm always on private ice! In the end, I think it makes me a better skater!)

Moreover, Olympians are not "normal" people/skaters, and I for one would trade my "normalcy" up to be skating at that level any day! Only in my dreams.Well, that's *your* thing and good luck aiming for it! But it might not be this particular Olympian's thing! Sometimes the hassles of being "special" outweight the benefits. And some just enjoy the joys of being able to come home at the end of the day to their family/quiet home life and not worry about being stalked by some crazy fan, reporter or paparazzi!

Of course, I'm speaking I'm going by at least from a few of my encounters with "elite skaters." (One of them being a former secondary coach of mine!) YMMV...

[Sonic]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about.

If someone - be it a toddler or adult, be it president, olympic skater, or hobo -is persistently skating the wrong direction, getting in people's way and causing a nuisance (not to mention a hazard), then they need to be told.

Ipso, facto.

End of story.

S xxx

[jazzpants]

AMEN, Sonic! AMEN!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:

[lovepairs]

Well, that's *your* thing and good luck aiming for it! But it might not be this particular Olympian's thing! Sometimes the hassles of being "special" outweight the benefits. And some just enjoy the joys of being able to come home at the end of the day to their family/quiet home life and not worry about being stalked by some crazy fan, reporter or paparazzi!

Jazz,

What are you talkin about? What's my *thing?* Also, who was talkin about being stalked by paparazzi???)(*^&%^$%^&*()

Anyway, Sonic, thanks for saying it in plain English!

[jazzpants]

What are you talkin about? What's my *thing?* Also, who was talkin about being stalked by paparazzi???)(*^&%^$%^&*() Answering first two questions:

By "your thing," I was referring to this...
Moreover, Olympians are not "normal" people/skaters, and I for one would trade my "normalcy" up to be skating at that level any day! Only in my dreams.You might want to trade your "normalcy" up to be skating at that level any day! (And by "aiming for it," I mean working hard on your skating to accomplish that.)

The problem with "trading up" for me is that there are expectations and responsibilities that comes with being able to skate at that level. (Meaning that I would be heavily pressured to be a skating celebrity and to make a name for "the rink/my skating club/coaches/USA/etc. This of course, covers stuff like paparazzis, etc...) There are a LOT of expectations that comes with that "gift" (of skating as well as an elite skater.) For me, I know for me I'm not up for the expectations and responsibilities that comes with the "gift." I would have to give up A LOT to be able to skate at that level.

One of the kids on this board ("cutiesk8r" I think...) had a signature that was appropriate for me: "Skating is supposed to be FUN! No pressure at all!!! ;) " One of my MAIN reason for skating has always been to see how well I can skate and see how far I can get in skating! To pressure myself to compete and do well defeats it.

Understand now? No attack intended! :)

On a funny note related to this: One of my husband's favorite running joke with me is pushing for me to work harder by saying "C'mon! You gotta skate well so you can make a living off this and support me in the lifestyle I so deserve!!! :twisted: "

[beachbabe]

Hmm, I do not really want to get involved in this at all... but... the Olympians that this involved and all other Olympians there actually DO practice on plain jane freestyles - high freestyles, of course, but if you are high enough level, you can practice with them (doubt you would want to do that, as it is not so rare to see 4-5 dance teams + a couple senior level singles skaters on that ice... not always that bad, but not as rare as one would expect).


well, if people like Nikolai Hedrizkov (don't know spelling) who doesn't even compete can practice on private ice...i assumed an olympic athlete would be pretty well off and able to have private ice.

What rink manager is going to say no to an olympian? They could get bad publicity.

I've rented private ice once and just split the cost with some friends who went on the ice with me and it came out to not costing much more than a couple of hours on a freestyle, but there were jsut a few of us and like 3 girls were jsut practicing spins in the same spot the whole time.


Private ice is not some luxury- you dont have to be well off to be able to afford shared private ice every now and then.

[jazzpants]

well, if people like Nikolai Hedrizkov (don't know spelling) who doesn't even compete can practice on private ice...i assumed an olympic athlete would be pretty well off and able to have private ice.Oh, GAWD!!! Not THAT name again!?!?! :roll: LOL!!!! :twisted: :lol:

What rink manager is going to say no to an olympian? They could get bad publicity.Rink manager is NOT going to say no to ANYONE that offers money for use of the ice!!! But that's not the point...

I've rented private ice once and just split the cost with some friends who went on the ice with me and it came out to not costing much more than a couple of hours on a freestyle, but there were jsut a few of us and like 3 girls were jsut practicing spins in the same spot the whole time.Not at my rink! It would cost 9 friends and I about 2.5-3 FS session for EACH OF US (depending on whether or not we have punch cards or not) to rent private ice for an hour. I'd rather just pay for the FS session and go on a quieter session if that's the case!!!

Private ice is not some luxury- you dont have to be well off to be able to afford shared private ice every now and then.Yeah, but isn't it a bit overindulgent for a little toddler to just skate around the ice? Besides, during the school year, I have a little toddler girl doing JUST that on a quiet midday public session with her coach (that the little one adores.) $7/$5.50 w/punch card (not including the lesson) and not that many crazy kids around too!

[beachbabe]

Oh, GAWD!!! Not THAT name again!?!?! :roll: LOL!!!! :twisted: :lol:

Rink manager is NOT going to say no to ANYONE that offers money for use of the ice!!! But that's not the point...

Not at my rink! It would cost 9 friends and I about 2.5-3 FS session for EACH OF US (depending on whether or not we have punch cards or not) to rent private ice for an hour. I'd rather just pay for the FS session and go on a quieter session if that's the case!!!

Yeah, but isn't it a bit overindulgent for a little toddler to just skate around the ice? Besides, during the school year, I have a little toddler girl doing JUST that on a quiet midday public session with her coach (that the little one adores.) $7/$5.50 w/punch card (not including the lesson) and not that many crazy kids around too!

i agree if the IS emptier ice time. I thought the whole issue was about the public session the girl was at being packed.

What I meant was like renting private ice and inviting maybe some LTS kids so it gives them ice if there is only dangerous freestyles or packed publics.



And I'm sorry to have had to resort to emntioning that name :lol: lol...I couldn't think of another example lol since i don't know very many olympians or snobby wannabees lol:roll: :lol:

[jazzpants]

What I meant was like renting private ice and inviting maybe some LTS kids so it gives them ice if there is only dangerous freestyles or packed publics.Well, at my rink, there's always a certain section of ice coned off just for the purpose of those LTS kids to practice while waiting to go on their lesson (or to practice their skills after their lessons, depending on when you take your lessons.) It's a bit crowded, but you won't have fast hockey kids wannabes running over the little one -- unless the kid toddles off to a beginning hockey group lesson, which we do have as part of skating school. (And yes, we occasionally have toddlers wandering off the practice section right onto an adult's group lesson too.) :lol:

And I'm sorry to have had to resort to emntioning that name :lol: lol...I couldn't think of another example lol since i don't know very many olympians or snobby wannabees lol:roll: :lol:It's okay! I need the LAUGH!!! :twisted: :lol:

[dooobedooo]

..... :lol: lol...I couldn't think of another example lol since i don't know very many olympians or snobby wannabees lol:roll: :lol:

Quite. There aren't that many job vacancies going out there for Olympians. And what Olympian would want their child to grow up being a snobby wannabee? It doesn't put bread on the table, or get you any favours in adult life. Any parent with any sense will want their child to grow up learning how to socialize, have good manners, get streetwise and learn road sense ....

... much of which a child might learn pretty well by skating with consideration on a public session ....

And incidentally, I expect that if you were to get into discussion with these Olympians about their own childhood, you would find something in it that gave them the grit and will to win. Particularly in Eastern Europe up until 1990's, luxuries were in short supply. For example, Natalia Dubova talks on video about her early days coaching and how she had to teach on flooded ice in the open air. The land on which the ice was flooded was actually uneven, so she got her skaters to skate uphill as part of their strength training! And 10 years later she had three dance couples in the podium at the Olympics!! Oksana Bajul in her youth had to skate on a rink with a very poor surface.

Whereas I've been to skate in an award winning rink, less than 10 years old, where a spoilt and not particularly talented brat insisted that he could only do his jump practice in one spot on the rink "because it was the only truly flat bit". Well, I couldn't see any difference - it all looked flat to me - go figure! :giveup:

[stardust skies]

umm heloooo...they can buy them private ice- surely they can afford it! Olympians dont practice on plain jane freestyles like us- they get private ice and usually at a heavy discount.

All of the Olympians I've skated with always skate on the same ice as I do- regular high freestyle ice. Just FYI. It's very rare for them to get private ice. They don't want it, and they don't need it.

And the talk isn't about the Olympians in question anyway, it's about their kid. Who is there to have FUN, and possibly make friends. What would a little kid do on private ice? Probably get bored, cry, get off the ice, and hate skating forever. Great thinking.

[Emberchyld]

Ouch! :giveup: I'm sorry my post seems to have caused controversy on this board!

I definitely had no problem with the kid on the ice-- once the guard told her (multiple times) to skate in the right direction or to stay in the center circle, she wasn't that big of a problem. In fact, I was glad that she wasn't going to get killed by some of the beginners toe-picking their way around the rink or cause us to fall over (and, like I told the guard-- a lot of people in that session couldn't snowplow, much less hockey stop!). But if they let those mini hockey goons who whip around and crash into random people and each other on the ice, or wall-grabbers, or even figure skaters who might try jumps outside of the center circle into the public ice, little kids (even kids with famous parents) have a right to be there too.

What floored me was the reaction that I got when I said that I reported her to the skate guard... it was like skating Twillight Zone!