where do you sit when your skater is skating

[BatikatII]

Hi
Our rink has just introduced a rule forbidding parents from sitting in the hockey sin bins during patches (freestyle sessions)

Until this rule came in most skaters entered the ice through the sin bins placing their water,guards, music etc on the barrier and coming back to the barrier there throughout the patch for drinks, collecting music etc.

Many parents enjoyed sitting there as they could keep an eye on their kids, stop them spending time chatting to their friends instead of skating , help count revs in spins or check jump rotations while they practiced etc. and generally chat to other parents.

Also since our rink has plexiglass all the way round except in front of the sin bins, it gave a nicer view.

Now the sin bins are locked during patches so all skaters as well as coaches have to enter through the main door and carry their guards, music water etc to the barrier area from the main door. This area at the main door does get congested (and there has been an incident of a skater deliberately blocking it apparently)

The reason given was that the coaches felt it was health and safety issue as apparently there has been an accident a long time ago (though it seems only 1 in about 15 years) when some skater was stretching at the barrier and a dance couple ran into her.

Now aside from the fact that preventing parents sitting in the sin bin would seem to have no bearing on such an accident and nor would insisting skaters leave the ice to get their water, most parents seem to feel the H & S issue is just a cover and that the real reason is a certain coach's not wanting parents sitting there discussing his coaching or other skaters.

Our rink has a generally good atmosphere and the friendliness among the parents has been commented on by parents coming from other rinks .

So my question is this:

Does your rink allow parents to observe patch sessions (this may include private lesson time when they are under the direct supervision of a coach and practice time when they are presumably the parents responsibility) and if so is there any restriction on where they may sit and any reasons given?

Also where do your rink's skaters keep their water, music etc and are they required to leave the ice to access it?

Thanks

[Tennisany1]

My skater skates at a number of different rinks. At some the parents must sit up in a viewing lounge which is removed from the rink, but you can see the ice through a glass window. At others, parents sit in the stands. You could talk to your skater provided you walked down the to boards, but in general parents stay up under the heaters. Most rinks we go to have a rule that forbids parents from coaching at the boards. I understand this in some ways, but with a young skater who sometimes forgets what to work on next it makes for interesting sign language.

If I had to guess, I would say that the new rule had more to do with coaches not wanting parents coaching from the sidelines than anything to do with H & S.

[jskater49]

Our former coach discouraged parents from sitting by the boards --but she was the only coach so she could scold kids who were goofing off and remind them what they were to do.

There's no rule here, but I think it's pretty much frowned upon to sit by the boards and honestly, the only parents I know who do it, coach their kids from the boards and it's annoying as a skater. Parents sit in the stands. Or they volunteer to be a music monitor.

j

[jskater49]

As far as music and water --kids leave that on the boards, but that can get to be crowded and a pain if you want to stretch on the boards. And my daughter has an amazing habit of running into the boards when she does dance and she has been known to knock everything down during one of her crashes.

j

[Clarice]

Sit? Nah - I'm out there skating, too!

Seriously, though, the parents at our rink either sit in the stands or out in the lobby and watch through the glass. There is one mom who is notorious for standing in the entrance and yelling at her daughter through the entire session; it's seriously annoying to the rest of us, but nobody's been very successful at making her stop. Thankfully, the newer moms have observed that this is NOT the thing to do, and pretty much stay out of the way.

We put our water, CDs, tissues, etc. on the boards by one of the hockey boxes - the other is generally left clear for stretching.

Parents never sit in the hockey boxes - that's only for coaches.

[slusher]

Sit? Nah - I'm out there skating, too!

yes, me too.

There is one mom who is notorious for standing in the entrance and yelling at her daughter through the entire session; it's seriously annoying to the rest of us, but nobody's been very successful at making her stop.

See, I would manage to walk by her, and "accidently" hipcheck her onto the ice. Oops.

Parents at the door would never be allowed at my old home rink. There were incidents with parents in the past and there are now a ton of rules. Parents are told in which sections of the arena they are allowed to sit. You're not allowed to sit in the seats that are near the hockey boxes. We get told that this is how "elite" rinks operate, and so far it's been difficult and laughable to hold my tongue, because I SKATE at an elite rink and they're not like that.

[CanadianAdult]

I sit in the same seat for everything, hockey, skating lessons, pro games. I'm hoping that they'll will let me buy the seat when they renovate the arena. It's not really close to the ice to hear what goes on during figure skating but I have total faith in my child's coach, because that's who taught me, I know what's going on down there on the ice.

[Tennisany1]

I sit in the same seat for everything, hockey, skating lessons, pro games. I'm hoping that they'll will let me buy the seat when they renovate the arena. It's not really close to the ice to hear what goes on during figure skating but I have total faith in my child's coach, because that's who taught me, I know what's going on down there on the ice.

Isn't it weird how we get used to sitting in the same place. I sit in the same chair in the viewing lounge at one rink my daughter skates at. Every once and a while someone else will be in it when I arrive. It really bugs me, afterall, that's my seat :P

[kateskate]

We aren't supposed to bring anything onto the ice (guards, water, small bags etc) and leave them at the side on the boards during any sessions (can usually get away with leaving gloves, jumper at the side on patch sessions but that is about it). We have to leave our water by the benches at the side and get off the ice to have a drink. They cite health and safety as the concern here but I think it is just the management being bureaucratic.I understand not being allowed to skate around holding a bottle and drinking, but keeping it at the side doesn't seem dangerous to me.

I've lost a few bottles of water due to the cleaner removing them and putting them in the bin whilst I have been on the ice early mornings. Great!

Most of the parents watch through the class and stay in the warm café area. One mum insists on standing at the side and watching her not so young child for the whole session and often coaches her. She also stands at the side with the child's dance coach during child's lesson. It is very annoying to the other skaters. When she is 'coaching' her own daughter from the sides, she seems to think her daughter has right of way. And it often progresses to shouting at her daughter when she does something wrong and then daughter shouts back. Not nice for us all to hear. I think one or two of the coaches have spoken to her about not coaching and interfering but she still does it. There isn't a rule at our rink. Some mum's do 'encourage' their kids quite loudly from the side. I think it depends on their attitude and behaviour towards everyone else on the session that causes a problem - some mum's are nice, some are not. Some mum's do stand right at the side in the cold part of the rink and watch their kids (you can't always hear the music and see whole programmes from the warm bit) but they do it discreetly and don't interrupt or annoy anyone else.

And actually most of the mums stay in the café and chat. Or get on the ice themselves.

[jskater49]

Most of the parents watch through the class and stay in the warm café area. One mum insists on standing at the side and watching her not so young child for the whole session and often coaches her. She also stands at the side with the child's dance coach during child's lesson. It is very annoying to the other skaters. When she is 'coaching' her own daughter from the sides, she seems to think her daughter has right of way. And it often progresses to shouting at her daughter when she does something wrong and then daughter shouts back. Not nice for us all to hear. I think one or two of the coaches have spoken to her about not coaching and interfering but she still does it. .

If our former coach caught a parent coaching her kid she'd say "Oh since you can coach, you don't need me" You got one chance and then she'd drop you. Since she was the only coach around for more than a hundred miles--it worked.

j

[littlekateskate]

My daughter skates at three different rinks and they are all so very different. All of them kind of prefer parents to stay a distance away. However my daughter is only 3 and I typically stand right next to the door where she walks on as I get nervous. She is a very very good skater for her age but she is still only three.

When she is having a private lesson I sit in the bleachers and watch. But for freestyle and public I am right there at the side waiting incase she needs to go to the bathroom or anything!

[max]

At our rink, parents are encouraged to sit in the stands, where the view is very good. Parents are dissuaded from coaching their children from the stands or gates, and when seen to do so are normally told by the other parents, "you shouldn't be doing that. Isn't that what you pay the coach for?".

At our previous rink, we all sat rink side as that was where the seats were. I think the coaches felt obliged to come and talk to us about the lesson and the kids kept coming back for comments whilst practising.

On comparison, I think the new rink system is better as the skaters tend not to keep coming back to the side to talk to the parents and if they stand on the ice and yell, we still can't hear them!!:roll: ;)

[dmmains]

My kids skate at two different rinks. Neither of them really has any rules. At the larger rink I typically sit in the stands. Most of the parents do. At the smaller very informal rink parents sit in the hockey boxes during contract ice just because they're closer to the entrance and the small set of stands are all the way on the other side. There aren't usually very many parents there because there aren't usually very many skaters there. It's actually great because sometimes we're the only ones there. It's so informal that I usually play their music for them because there's no one else to do it and the sound system is right next to the hockey boxes. We go to the larger rink for our coaching sessions but this small local rink is 5 minutes from our house and perfect for practice time. (During group lessons parents have to sit in the stands just because there's a lot more people.)

[Mrs Redboots]

We don't have stand seating at our rink, only benches and some tables with chairs attached.

There aren't actually that many mothers (or dads) at the sessions I skate at; those there are tend to sit in the same place all the time, largely to keep warm! Most of the coaches get off the ice to update them (and collect their fees) at the end of each lesson, and some of the mums go on tea duty, and either make or buy tea and coffee for themselves, their skater and the coach.

ETA Batikat, I do hope they keep your hockey boxes open during the competition soon - most of us sit in there anyway!

[BatikatII]

Don't worry Annabel. The club sessions are not included in the ruling thankfully. Our chairman made sure of that during the last committee meeting.

It also seems only to be early morning patches that are really affected (basically I think since that is when the instigating coach is there!)

It's all a bit silly as we've never really had a problem as far as I know, with parents 'coaching' their kids which I know coaches dont like. Most of the mums sit there and chat because it has a good view and has I believe contributed to the nice atmosphere at the rink. Our rink is always pretty warm so it's a pleasant place to sit. Most of the parents who sit there dont' get involved in their skaters lessons at all and just encourage their kids to practice if they are taking too long over their drinks or starting to chat to friends instead of practising.

I'm lucky in that I can skate other quiet patches later in the mornings, so don't usually use the patches where most kids skate and I enjoy watching them and would prefer to be able to remain in the hockey boxes to do so.

I think I'd feel less peeved if they'd admitted their real reasons rather than the spurious health and safety issue as not allowing the skaters to access the ice through the the hockey boxes has already caused some potentially dangerous incidents.

[frbskate63]

Annoying, isn't it - all the parents that used to be in the hockey boxes are now cluttering up the area by the entrance to the ice, so there was nowhere both out of the way and in easy reach where I could put my skate bag this morning. And the health and safety argument doesn't wash, as there's now a problem of obstruction that wasn't there before.

Fiona

[BatikatII]

Thanks Fiona
I'll also be mentioning that aspect in my letter to management. Just waiting to see how it goes on Saturday morning before sending it in.

Hopefully the 'trial' period can be ended sooner rather than later.

[psnave]

Interesting thread. I've never seen any written rules, but most parents I know sit in the stands. The kids do leave their water bottles by the hockey box, which is handy for them and makes sense to me.

There are so many coaches during the freestyle sessions that I feel it is respectful to stay out of their way and not be in the hockey boxes. It does drive me crazy when mom's yell from behind the plexiglass or stand in the entrance and yell at their kids. I think its the yelling, not the mom coaching that bothers me.

I have used the hockey box sparingly, mostly during a quiet public session when my child needed me to watch her routine before a competition.

I hope I'm not off on a tangent, but I am sometimes surpised by the attitude of coaches that are so paranoid about mom involvement. When my daughter played soccer, I stood in the yard and kicked the ball back and forth, when my daughter played softball, I got out my glove and helped her work on her throws and batting. So of course, having skating daughters means I try to support and help their skating however possible.

I was a former recreational skater, but I also realize I have NO business TEACHING new tricks beyond basic skills, but I certainly am qualified (as most moms are) of noticing bad form, timing her routine, reminding her what to practice, etc. I don't think these activities should be seen as stepping on a coach's toes, but maybe I'm in the minority. I also try to be discreet about it and do not yell, block entries or make a spectacle of myself.

I have noticed a few "crazy" skating moms, but generally I think most moms are just trying to be supportive, like we would with any sport our child selects.

Patricia

[BatikatII]

I totally agree with you Patricia that most mums - certainly at our rink - are just being supportive and as you say we can help the kids by telling them if jumps look rotated or spins have enough revs or they are bending too much or whatever.

I feel it's unfortunate at our rink that one particular coach seems to have a bee in his bonnet about parents and is spoiling the atmosphere for all those parents who enjoy watching their kids skate and supporting them.

I also fail to see why if a coach has a problem with their skater's parents they can't just go and talk to them and not penalise the rest of us!

We've never had a problem with mums shouting loudly from the hockey boxes or anywhere else - the other mum's sitting there would have quickly set people straight on that.

Today we've had kids stand on the ice talking to parents upstairs causing a greater hazard and the new rules have merely extended the potential hazard area from a known and largely avoidable area to a random one that runs all the way down to the main doors. Crazy!

I also probably wouldn't mind so much but this particular coach has numerous times got in the way of skaters even on the music - yet acts like it is only other people that are the problem.:x

[jskater49]

I was a former recreational skater, but I also realize I have NO business TEACHING new tricks beyond basic skills, but I certainly am qualified (as most moms are) of noticing bad form, timing her routine, reminding her what to practice, etc. I don't think these activities should be seen as stepping on a coach's toes, but maybe I'm in the minority. I also try to be discreet about it and do not yell, block entries or make a spectacle of myself.

I have noticed a few "crazy" skating moms, but generally I think most moms are just trying to be supportive, like we would with any sport our child selects.

Patricia

As a mom and a skater who has often noticed what my daughter is doing wrong I have learned to NEVER EVER criciticize or point out anything to her about her skating. I'm her mother, not her coach. It's not my job to cricitize her skating. She has a coach. She's had several coaches. She has one Mom. I don't like anybody but my coach pointing out my skating errors to me, I certainly wouldn't want to hear it from my Mom. I don't know how old your daughter is, but as they get into the teens, trust me ~"helping" her out on the ice will do nothing to help the precariousness of your relationship in that stage. Teens are very sensitive enough to parent's criticism...it's totally unnecesary on the ice. If you have a good coach and enough lessons, if she's doing something wrong, the coach will catch it soon enough. I'm totally convinced that a parent's "help" will do more harm than good.

I think most coach's objection to parent's coaching is based on years of observing that (also even if we think we know how to correct something, we can be interfering with their teaching style...I mean, that is what they get the big bucks for ;) ) rather than worrying about their toes being stepped on.

j

[psnave]

I totally understand where you are at with your daughter, those teen years are difficult enough without any additional conflict!

I wouldn't jeapardize my relationship with my daughter either. Right now, she actually asks me to give her feedback. She has coaches too, but of course they can't always be there when she's on the ice.

I know there are a few bad apple, crazy parents out there, but I think its possible to be supportive and encouraging without crossing the line. If I see an obvious error, I want my child to be aware of it before it becomes a habit. I'm talking about obvious errors, not fine tuning a jump or anything.

Mostly I just give encouragements like...good spin, keep your arms up, that was really pretty! or whatever. Like I said, I am not teaching her anything new, just supporting what the coach emphasizes in a low key way. I don't hover over her, in fact since she is my oldest there are many times I am too busy with her siblings to watch her continuously.

I guess I think its healthy for parents to encourage and support their child, just as we would with any other sport. Maybe it seems different because all of the practice takes place in a public ice arena, not at home in a backyard like it would with other sports. Not sure, just a thought. My daughter really does appreciate it when I'm involved in something she loves. Just my humble opinion.

Patricia

[BatikatII]

My daughter now 15 likes having my feedback - especially if I can say that she looked great of course.

When she was younger we were often on the ice together and both my kids enjoyed teaching me stuff and enjoyed having me look at their stuff.

I would never presume to 'teach' my child - indeed that is why there is a coach - but straightforward feedback should not be a problem to anyone. I dont give her ways to correct it - unless the coach has told me something specific to say. I work in partnership with my kids and with their coach so far as they want me to. Also I support their coach in encouraging them to practice more and chat less which I cant' do when I am upstairs or in the cafe.

I can though, point out if her extension in not good enough or the pattern not right in a dance or her hands dont look right and those things are of value. If she did not want me there you can be sure I would not be there - but she likes to have me there and I like to be able to support her. Occasionally we are on ice together and then we help each other. Coach has been nothing but encouraging in this. I can also help locate her friends 'not in lesson' who may be able to help her with something and she finds this useful.

When she had horseriding lessons parents were encouraged to watch and although I knew far less about riding I could still tell her if she looked good or not and when she was swimming I could time her laps etc during practice and I don't see why skating should be different.

Often all I need to do in skating is ask her what her coach has told her about a certain element she may be having trouble with and then she remembers the things she should be doing that she may have forgotten. I can't see how that could be in any way detrimental to her progress. Also since we have the same coach, I can often remind her of the things he says.

[psnave]

BatiKat --

Sounds like you and your daughter are having fun and enjoying the sport.

Gosh, when I was a soccer mom, (and really any other sport), if you weren't at your kids' practices and working with them in between to reach the goals of the coach, you were kinda looked down upon. Like you, I also don't see any reason why ice skating should be any different. I'm sure we are both supporting the coaches efforts, not undermining them in anyway; in my opinion its a win win for everyone.

Patricia

[jskater49]

Shrug. Everyone is different. Personally I'd hate it if there was someone on the ice constantly giving me feedback, but that's me. I enjoy skating on the same ice as my daughter, but I've paid for the ice for me to skate, not watch her.

My experience has been that children being corrected and coached by their parents do not look happy, it is not happy for the skaters around them and that's why they make rules against it. It's a shame if it inteferes with something that works for you, but when you have a public situation, you have to have rules that work for the majority.

j

[dooobedooo]

...Today we've had kids stand on the ice talking to parents upstairs causing a greater hazard ....

Perhaps this is the crux of the problem?

Were the kids all clustering around the hockey boxes (while still standing on the ice) and making things difficult and dangerous for people actually skating? Perhaps they were not paying proper respect to people using the ice? ie. if you need to have a chat to your mum, friends, fix your hair, do a spot of flirting, mix an isotonic drink, sort through your music, remove/adjust clothing .... then PURLEEEEEEZE show some respect, and get off the ice to do it ...

Maybe the rink needs a new rule for training ice, that says that IF YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY SKATING, THEN YOU HAVE TO GET OFF THE ICE .... COZ THE ICE ITSELF, IS FOR SKATERS, Y'KNOW ...

And for health, safety, training and artistic reasons, surely it will be in ALL the coaches' interests to enforce it ...?!

[slusher]

I think where parents get into the grey area of "coaching" is when they've got younger kids who have started private lessons. The kids aren't mature enough to practice on their own without some prompting, and since the coach is off with another student, it is the parent who says - have you done your camel spin yet? This isn't a bad thing and is very common in my favourite rink.

Where it goes down the wrong road is when the child comes back to the parent and the parent comments on the leg position or rotation. They might be repeating exactly what the coach told their child and the parent has overheard this, but that is then coaching not parenting. Truely, it is. The leg position might not have anything to do with the leg, it could be as a result of the entry.

My kids skate, I'm a certified coach and can give lots of feedback if I wanted to because I do notice things but I don't say anything. (Yes, your mohawks are wide-stepped.) My kids come off the ice and ask me for money for the drink machine. A coach not our own thought that I was coaching from the sidelines and made a big fuss about it, and didn't believe me when I said that I was just doing my usual job as a parent - handing out money. I am probably the least-coaching parent of those that stay at the rink. I'm paying someone to coach! Like my kids would listen to their mom anyways.

I *would* say to our coach, "are you going to do something about those mohawks?"

And it goes both ways. If I commented on my kid's poor jump quality, they'd have the same right to comment on mine, and, ahem, my jumps don't need that scrutiny right now.

Making draconian rules about this and that can tear apart a rink, as I think of my old club where junior parents must sit --here-- and senior parents must sit --over there--.

[3skatekiddos]

I hide when my kids are being coached. Really. Well at least for my DD. She does much better when she can't see me and wave like a mad thing at me. She still does group lessons too and I sit in the stands for them. And wave * sigh* or make little "get up " motions when she lays on the ice. But I do try to stay out of it.

I stay around for my older son. Although funny story, the first lesson he ever had with his coach he was so nervous I thought he was going to EAT his gloves. I mean, he had large parts of it in his mouth. So I scooted down and took them from him. And then he was fine. But he doesn't skate with gloves anymore :) And that was really the extent of my getting involved. And his coach thought it was funny.

[BatikatII]

Perhaps this is the crux of the problem?

Were the kids all clustering around the hockey boxes (while still standing on the ice) and making things difficult and dangerous for people actually skating? Perhaps they were not paying proper respect to people using the ice? ie. if you need to have a chat to your mum, friends, fix your hair, do a spot of flirting, mix an isotonic drink, sort through your music, remove/adjust clothing .... then PURLEEEEEEZE show some respect, and get off the ice to do it ...

Maybe the rink needs a new rule for training ice, that says that IF YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY SKATING, THEN YOU HAVE TO GET OFF THE ICE .... COZ THE ICE ITSELF, IS FOR SKATERS, Y'KNOW ...

And for health, safety, training and artistic reasons, surely it will be in ALL the coaches' interests to enforce it ...?!

The trouble is the standing on ice and talking to mums upstairs didn't happen when mums could sit in the hockey box precisely because the kids could get off if they needed to speak to them. This only happens since the new ruling. I wish they would enforce the rule of the kids getting off the ice to chat but that hasn't changed. The coaches only take notice of their current pupil - which is fine since that is who is paying them - but without the parents to remind kids of the rules it is worse now than before.

Also it doesnt solve the other problems of skaters congregating in rink corners blocking everything either.

My point is that the new rule has not solved any of the problems but has just added new ones.

On the 'coaching' your kids issue, I do feel that since I am paying for training ice, then if my being there to help her is useful to her (and believe me I wouldn't do or say anything without her asking) then I should be able to. I don't understand why a coach would feel threatened by a parent unless they are insecure about their coaching abilities and the option is always there for the coach to tell a particular parent if their contributions are not helpful. I have seen the odd mother that is always shouting at their kid etc and I do feel sorry for those kids but it is very rare at our rink and the ones who used to do that seem to have moved away anyway.

When we are on ice together she usually comes to me as she can't wait to show me whatever latest thing she is working on and we enjoy working together in the same way the kids often do with each other when they show each other their various elements etc and have mini competitions from which they all learn a lot. I've learned a lot from working with her and if it makes my skating better why on earth would the coach be worried about it - and vice versa she learns by teaching me and from asking me questions about how things she does looked.

When son played football I knew nothing about it but could help him practice by doing the drills with him and same for daughter and hockey practising. Husband would play tennis with both kids to help them practice when they were having tennis coaching etc etc. I really don't see why people think skating is such a rarified thing that only a qualified coach should speak to a child on the ice!

The open hockey boxes made it a very sociable rink and to be honest most mums just chatted with each other often on things completely unrelated to the skating anyway and just stopped to watch their kids if they were doing their programme. Anyone could sit there if there was a space and it was a good way for new mums to integrate and get to know people and how things worked. It seems a shame to have stopped it when it actually was not a problem.

I hope that even if they dont' allow parents to sit there that they will at least allow the skaters to enter through there, as that would ease the other problems the new rule has caused.

[CanadianAdult]

I love the "kid eats glove story" !

we enjoy working together in the same way the kids often do with each other when they show each other their various elements

Ha!, include me in the group of parents whose kids wouldn't listen to them.

If you're on the ice "fixing" your friend's sit spin, that's something totally different. When you've got skates on your feet, different rules apply. Although, even though my friend and I take from the same coach, I don't know if I'd watch and comment on her sit spin if she was taking from someone else. There's different ways of teaching the same thing.

I agree about coaches feeling threatened. I've run into this situation before. It's too bad that it's making a mess of your ice at the moment.

[the old gurl]

My daughter skates at three different rinks and they are all so very different. All of them kind of prefer parents to stay a distance away. However my daughter is only 3 and I typically stand right next to the door where she walks on as I get nervous. She is a very very good skater for her age but she is still only three. Wow...your child skates at three different rinks and is only three years old?

[BatikatII]

I love the "kid eats glove story" !


If you're on the ice "fixing" your friend's sit spin, that's something totally different. When you've got skates on your feet, different rules apply. Although, even though my friend and I take from the same coach, I don't know if I'd watch and comment on her sit spin if she was taking from someone else. There's different ways of teaching the same thing.

.


I dont' know. My friends (adult) and I often give each other ideas to try if one of us is having problems with something (usually we ask if someone has ideas we can try or something so it's not unsolicited advice which can indeed be annoying!) and because we mostly have different coaches sometimes something clicks that didn't before, no matter how many times our own coaches have tried to say it.

We used to take a group class on jumps and spins with a coach none of us had normally and it was amazing how often just a new way of phrasing something really helped. Personally I think there is far too much possessiveness amongst coaches and it would be great for everyone if they began to combine their strengths. For example while my own coach is excellent technically, he is not so hot on choreography (unless feeling really motivated which doesn't happen often!). We have other coaches who are great on choreography but maybe not so strong in other areas. How great it would be to be able to combine them.

I think that's often one of the reasons people who do both dance and free tend to fare better competitively as both disciplines bring something different and valuable to the mix.

[jskater49]

I dont' know. My friends (adult) and I often give each other ideas to try if one of us is having problems with something (usually we ask if someone has ideas we can try or something so it's not unsolicited advice which can indeed be annoying!) and because we mostly have different coaches sometimes something clicks that didn't before, no matter how many times our own coaches have tried to say it.

We used to take a group class on jumps and spins with a coach none of us had normally and it was amazing how often just a new way of phrasing something really helped. Personally I think there is far too much possessiveness amongst coaches and it would be great for everyone if they began to combine their strengths. For example while my own coach is excellent technically, he is not so hot on choreography (unless feeling really motivated which doesn't happen often!). We have other coaches who are great on choreography but maybe not so strong in other areas. How great it would be to be able to combine them.

I think that's often one of the reasons people who do both dance and free tend to fare better competitively as both disciplines bring something different and valuable to the mix.


Different coaches can work - can also be confusing if they have different techniques. But I don't think friends giving advice on the ice is a good idea, I learned quite a few things the wrong way from that. I've found that the coaches I have paid have been well worth the fee.

j

[BatikatII]

Different coaches can work - can also be confusing if they have different techniques. But I don't think friends giving advice on the ice is a good idea, I learned quite a few things the wrong way from that. I've found that the coaches I have paid have been well worth the fee.

j

:lol: Depends who your friends are! And I'm not suggesting anyone would replace any coaching lessons with friend's advice but just like the kids do, when you compare and all mention things your coaches have said, sometimes something useful comes out. I don't have a problem with different techniques either. I have my coach's technique as a base but can always try something different and if it works then great - if not I can ignore it. If I am unsure because something seems very different, I ask my main coach about it. Just the same really as when you attend a skating camp with different coaches which most people seem to find valuable.

Also some rinks do a lot of group lessons (as does our skating club) which are taught by all the different coaches at various times and the kids and adults cope with that just fine - though obviously some coaches styles gel more than others.

[Skate@Delaware]

People that are NOT coaches or skaters cannot go into the hockey boxes. Only skaters and their junk. Only because we had parents and others "coaching" which was disruptive...they "yelled" to their kid(s) across the rink.

So, they stood in the doorway. We complained how disruptive it was. Nothing happened until someone got their foot stepped on by a blade (OUCH)!!! No more standing in the doorway!!!

Can you believe one guy brought in a bullhorn because he lost his voice????? 8O So, we turned the music up louder...

You have to be a approved coach or instructor to coach at my rink now.

People can sit in the bleachers. And watch. Or the lobby.

[dbny]

A sign forbidding parents and skaters from sitting in the hockey boxes just went up at the rink where I teach. It was prompted by one rather pushy parent deciding that she would sit in one. The skating director saw where that was going (see posts about parents coaching/yelling) and nipped it in the bud. It makes a lot of sense at that rink, though, because one has to walk or skate onto the ice to get into the hockey boxes, and there are three perfectly good doors to the ice for skaters. The hockey boxes have now been officially designated as for coaches only. I like this also because my rink is in a large facility where people can come and go who may not be skating, and I leave my things in a hockey box since we no longer have a coaches' room :x.

I've lost a few bottles of water due to the cleaner removing them and putting them in the bin whilst I have been on the ice early mornings. Great!

Me too! It got so bad at one rink that I actually put a big "DO NOT THROW OUT" label on my water bottle.

There is one mom who is notorious for standing in the entrance and yelling at her daughter through the entire session; it's seriously annoying to the rest of us, but nobody's been very successful at making her stop.

OMG, isn't it awful? One poor kid where we used to skate is so publicly dominated by his mother that DH says someday we are going to read that the kid murdered her. I hope not. I'm sure he can do even better by quitting.

If our former coach caught a parent coaching her kid she'd say "Oh since you can coach, you don't need me" You got one chance and then she'd drop you. Since she was the only coach around for more than a hundred miles--it worked.
j

I love it!

When she is having a private lesson I sit in the bleachers and watch. But for freestyle and public I am right there at the side waiting incase she needs to go to the bathroom or anything!

I teach tot groups all the time, and the single most annoying thing is when a tot needs the bathroom, and mom or dad is nowhere in sight! I won't allow a young child to leave the ice without an adult (or teen) escort who is known to me.

[Mrs Redboots]

Our sin-bin area - there isn't a bin as such, just a designated area in front of the music box - is the only place where there are no plastic protectors, and everybody goes there to stretch out, leave their water-bottles, coaches put their music boxes, and so on, and many people leave their stuff on the benches there. Yesterday, because of an electrical problem, the area was cordoned off - you could still get to the boards, but only from the ice, and we had the problem of people standing in the doorways, which we don't usually have. And it was awkward when you have a water bottle, several CDs for various programmes, gloves, and the other things that usually sit on the barrier.... still, we managed, and we hope the problem will be sorted by next week otherwise we might electrocute the judges at the club competition. On second thoughts.....

[BatikatII]

A sign forbidding parents and skaters from sitting in the hockey boxes just went up at the rink where I teach. It was prompted by one rather pushy parent deciding that she would sit in one. The skating director saw where that was going (see posts about parents coaching/yelling) and nipped it in the bud. It makes a lot of sense at that rink, though, because one has to walk or skate onto the ice to get into the hockey boxes, and there are three perfectly good doors to the ice for skaters. The hockey boxes have now been officially designated as for coaches only. I like this also because my rink is in a large facility where people can come and go who may not be skating, and I leave my things in a hockey box since we no longer have a coaches' room :x.



That makes sense at a rink where there are number of entrances to the ice. The problem at our rink is that if the skaters cant' get access through the hockey boxes they all have to go through one door and the area leading up to that is now becoming hazardous with everyone leaving bags there, that used to get left safely in the hockey boxes.

The annnoying thing is that the very same coaches who complained that having the parents in the hockey boxes was a safety hazard (and the reason given was purely on the grounds of helath and safety and not on the grounds of coaching etc.), can now be seen talking to parents at the only entrance door - not only extending the hazard area on the ice but obstructing the only entrance on and off the ice.

The skaters still need to walk across the ice with all their stuff to put water etc. down on the barrier in front of the boxes adn they still have to stop there for their drinks so there are now greater hazards rather than fewer.

Here's hoping management see sense and will open the boxes again soon.

[sue123]

My mom only came to see me skate once, and she spent the beginning with her nose plastered to the glass with the video camera watching me. Then, after about 15 minutes, she got cold and sat in the stands. Then she got cold there, so she went outside, took my car, went to Starbucks then came back to pick me up.

But mostly, I see parents either in the "warm zone", a seperate room from where the ice is where there is a place to get food, or sitting in the stands.

[jskater49]

When I wasn't skating, I actually used to sleep in the car. It was 5 in the morning after all. I even had warm blankets for the days it was below zero.

Funny thing, when I didn't skate and slept in the car, I was still tired all day. Now that I skate at 5 am - I've got much more energy all day!

j