My rink closed :-(

[Laura H]

I am still in shock . . . I walked in to the rink last night for what I thought was a new session of group lessons and saw the skating director in the snack bar area talking on a cell phone . . . waved hi and went to get a sign up form and she was shaking her head, no . . . I thought for some reason that they had decided not to hold the adult class this session but it was much worse . . . they had JUST held a meeting wherein they told all staff/coaches/etc. that the rink was closing at midnight, so long folks! 8O

And this is just as public session is beginning, nice huh??

They told me just to go ahead and skate, and I'll probably regret it, but I just couldn't do it. Put on my skates and then took them right back off. And then had to go home and tell my kids (one hockey, one freestyle skater) what was up. NOT fun.

So anyhow . . . don't know where that leaves me . . . there are several rinks about 1 1/2 hours away, guess it could be worse, but right now I am just :frus: . And it figures, we JUST bought a new punch card. :evil: Also, the spring ice show is (was?) this SATURDAY . . . feel so bad for all the kids (including my DS) who have been working so hard on routines. And the props, silent auction stuff, etc., etc. . . .grr. I have heard that they would be refunding the entry fees, but I don't know how much consolation that will be for the kids. The rink was owned by an out of state company - obviously not much clue as to what is going on at the local level.

Argggh . . . at least we DO have rinks within driving distance . . .and I guess there's always a chance someone will come in and take it over, here's hoping!!

[jskater49]

They couldn't even keep the rink open long enough for the show? How can they do that? That seems terribly irresponsible - don't you guys get some kind of contract when you make arrangements for a show? That really sucks.

j

[Isk8NYC]

That's absolutely irresponsible - you should go back and demand a refund on your punch card. Don't wait - they might be having $$$ troubles, so try to get your money back now. (Someone will be there, even if the skating director isn't in the rink.)

Sometimes, rinks with money issues close temporarily, then are sold and reopen with all new ownership/management. I hope that's the case here, so you can keep skating.

Still, classy professional companies announce plans and make arrangements in advance. They don't close the rink four days before a planned show. I would register a complaint with both the ISI and STAR, which the mgt company holds membership.

How old is the facility? Do they have plans for it to become something else?

Hugs to you and your family. What a shame.

[Scarlett]

I am so sorry to hear that. I know you must be in shock. For lack of a better word, that really sucks. I agree with the other posters. You should get a refund for the show and for your punch card. You might also want to stay in contact with the other coaches and skating director and see where they go...hopefully you may be able to continue with your coaching with them elsewhere.

[Mrs Redboots]

That is awful. Poor you.

I agree with the others - definitely make a Great Big Noisy Fuss until you get some sort of refund on your punch card. Assuming it is money issues, there will be administrators around, I imagine.

And keep in close touch with your coach, as they might well hear what is happening before you do. It may well be the administrators will try to keep the facility open, at least until long-term decisions can be made.

[icedancer2]

So anyhow . . . don't know where that leaves me . . . there are several rinks about 1 1/2 hours away, guess it could be worse, but right now I am just :frus: . And it figures, we JUST bought a new punch card.

Oh man, what a complete BUMMER!!

I have a friend at the rink who refuses to ever buy a punch card because he says that whenever he has, that rink has ended up closing... Poor you. I hope it works out (and you can get your money back or maybe if one of the other rinks has any sympathy at all for you guys, they will honor your punch card, at least for a few sessions while you get resettled... hope against hope I know...:cry: )

[Isk8NYC]

Yesterday was the 30th; there was probably some business "closing" that took effect yesterday. I'm guessing (and hoping) that the rink is going to reopen without the management company. It was owned by a capital venture group, and they probably sold their share to someone else. Boy, they didn't fool around: the website's down as well. If you check Google, you can get contact information from their cached pages.

Is there a skating club associated with the rink? They should be advised as well as the hockey clubs.
(I didn't see any bulletins up on their websites.)

Assuming they didn't sell the building for another purpose, it could very well reopen with the same staff, but they might not run an ISI program.

[Laura H]

Yep, the significance of the 30th wasn't lost on me. I did get a little more info and apparently they're planning to refund fees, freestyle and public session punch cards - will keep my fingers crossed and pursue ASAP!! DH is more concerned about the $$ . . . I just want ICE, darn it!!! :twisted:

And yes, the website went down FAST . . . I mean like within an hour of the announcement.

The good news is, DS' skating club is already looking for ice . . .and talking about carpooling/looking into guest host arrangements . . . one of the good things about belonging to a club, I guess!

[Sessy]

Eek. The rink I started skating at, last spring, burned down over the summer. They've still not re-opened. But at least there, I knew they'd re-open eventually... As for this, this sucks!

[Hannah]

Oh no! I'm so sorry. :cry:

[Award]

I am still in shock . . . I walked in to the rink last night for what I thought was a new session of group lessons and saw the skating director in the snack bar area talking on a cell phone . . . waved hi and went to get a sign up form and she was shaking her head, no . . . I thought for some reason that they had decided not to hold the adult class this session but it was much worse . . . they had JUST held a meeting wherein they told all staff/coaches/etc. that the rink was closing at midnight, so long folks! 8O

And this is just as public session is beginning, nice huh??

I was almost thinking that you might have been part of this ....
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/03/2403_hpnews.html

But apparently not! I can understand how you feel though.

[Isk8NYC]

Boy, talk about a loss. My sympathies to our Brisbane skaters.

In the US, this is the time of year when rinks close. The seasonal rinks shut down in March/April, and some of the indoor rinks have been closing for the summer. Mt. Pleasant in Maryland is an example - caused them to cancel an adult workshop several people (incl. myself) were planning to attend. I guess that's better than LauraH's situation: the rink couldn't/wouldn't pay their lease.

[Laura H]

Uggh . .. . my sympathies too. No word yet on our rink - we're making tentative plans to "travel" this weekend -thank goodness some of the rinks in neighboring cities have agreed to let our coaches come in and teach privates - what a disaster. Unfortunately with the gas prices being sky high, the timing isn't the greatest. At least I have a reliable car, which is going to be a problem for some of our skaters/coaches. We're trying to work out carpool/ride share arrangements.

Our rink doesn't even have a letter of explanation posted on the door or anything . . . course as my dh says, when you have an out-of-state managing company that fires all of its local employees without any notice . . . it's not like anyone's going to want to stick around and help explain the situation!! :roll:

[Terri C]

Now I'm holding my breath....
Just got a e-mail from Coach saying that the freestyles were cancelled this afternoon and to keep a eye out on further e-mails regarding freestyle the rest of the week. All this with a test one week away! :x

[Isk8NYC]

Maybe they're having problems with the ice resurfacer. When ours breaks down the rink either cancels or discounts freestyle sessions.

[Terri C]

Maybe they're having problems with the ice resurfacer. When ours breaks down the rink either cancels or discounts freestyle sessions.

If you read my post from two weeks ago about the ceiling caving in on our freestyle rink and my coaches having to go to a doctor to get looked at (fiberglass exposure) then all it could mean is that the rink management finally realized that the roof needs fixing.

[Isk8NYC]

If you read my post from two weeks ago about the ceiling caving in on our freestyle rink and my coaches having to go to a doctor to get looked at (fiberglass exposure) then all it could mean is that the rink management finally realized that the roof needs fixing.
I did read it, albeit two weeks ago. I forgot! Sorry.

[Laura H]

Maybe they're having problems with the ice resurfacer. When ours breaks down the rink either cancels or discounts freestyle sessions.


hmmmph. Ours just kept right on as usual . . . but I bet that was just a sign of things to come. :roll:

Although I can now say, skating at a smaller rink . . . BOY were we spoiled!! (well, when they DID zam the ice in a timely manner). :twisted: