Off-Ice Supervision at Club Sessions

[SkatingOnClouds]

I am interested in what level of supervision is provided for the kids when they are off the ice at club/association levels, and who provides it, the rink or the club/association?

Most parents at our rink drop their kids and return to pick them up at the end of the session. Lately I have noticed some of the skaters leave the rink during the session on a regular basis, and sometimes boyfriends accompany skaters and do not always behave appropriately in front of younger children.

Our association officials at these sessions are coaching on the ice, and can't keep tabs on what the kids are up to in the cafe area.

What happens at your rink?

[Sessy]

Our coach brings her boyfriend.

(Well, one of our coaches, the youngest one, she's barely 17)




We don't really have a lot of lost hours because our club only has ice four days a week anyway. In "lost" hours we actually have off-ice training or, respectively, ballet, depending on whether you're in the A-competitional group or respectively the B-competitional group (I'm in the latter, you only need to jump most your singles to be in it). For the really little ones they planned it in a way that there are no inbetween hours. Also, the REALLY starters group (like, learn to stand on skates and learn to lift a leg off the ice) skates on sundays - we only have 45 minutes of ice on sundays. That seems to be about right for their attention span.



Almost all the moms are actually present, but they don't stop the kids from playing anyway. We've played soccer with baloons after a training for like half an hour once, and one time a girl was thrown in a trash bin by some older girls and hurt her spine (which was already hurt from skating) and one time the girls were playing in the shower space, one of them decided to put the showers on to wetten the others, but she didn't run out fast enough. Fortunately most kids have 2 dresses with them, but most had to skate in wet tights. But you know that sort of stuff is like... It's what kids are supposed to do. And even if they get hurt a little on occasion, that's what happens when kids play, you can't protect them from everything.

[Clarice]

At our rink, a lot of the mothers sit in the stands or in the lobby all the time. They immediately notice anybody who isn't a regular, and will keep an eye on that person and notify the management if necessary. Our rink is in a downtown area, and we've occasionally had street people wander in asking for money, skateboarders looking for a bathroom, stuff like that. With our own kids, the attitude is pretty much "it takes a village". The younger siblings of skaters play together and are watched by everybody, we bust the younger girls for playing in the bathroom, and if my teenager were being inappropriate with her boyfriend, I'm sure the whole rink would know about it and tell me! None of this is official, though, and I'm not sure it should be. A rink is not a babysitting service any more than a public library is. If you drop your kid off at the rink and leave, it's really not anybody's job to make sure they stay where you think they are or do what you think they're doing. I know some young skaters at our rink come with babysitters who stay the whole time if mom is unable to do so, although other mothers would watch out for them, too, if asked. If anybody were ever to get hurt and a parent wasn't there, we'd all make sure appropriate action was taken and would make every effort to contact the parent.

[flo]

When I was VP, I use to set up art projects for the really little kids who couldn't stay on the ice for our all of the sessions - they were 3 hours. It was near the reception table, so there was always an adult present. I would start them off and the kids could take it from there. It actually started because I had made a small notebook with a card for each member. Throughout the year they would record their tests, competitions and other events. The little ones would color in it and illustrate their and the older skaters pages. Eventually it was full of illustrations so I got the kids their own art books.

Also at one portion of the club time the little ones were restricted to the lower 1/4 of the ice. The other skaters could go in and out, but the little ones would be contained. I kept them busy with on-ice activities.

[Mrs Redboots]

With ours, the younger skaters are their parents' responsibility at all times, although it's not unknown for a parent to leave an older child unattended. And occasionally a younger child is left with another parent.

[xofivebyfive]

We have no supervision basically. But then again we're just a small rink run by the county. Not like those other fancy schmancy huge rinks with their.. hugeness.

*whoah can you say repressed anger?*

[Skate@Delaware]

We are also a small country rink; we have a "closed" session so not anyone can wander in. Moms and Dads guard the kids and run interference. Most of the time they read and chit-chat or watch tv.

However, some of the siblings are WILD!!!!8O It's safer on the ice!

[Morgail]

My rink is in the middle of an office park in the suburbs; it's a pretty safe area. The parents of the little ones usually stick around. I've seen other parents and some older skaters keeping an eye on some of the smaller kids too - I'm not sure if that's agreed upon or they just do it anyway. Other than that, there is no formal supervision. For the older kids, there are tvs usually on to entertain them in between sessions, or they just talk or try out jumps in the lobby area. I've never seen anything behavior-wise or safety-wise that was worrisome.

[SkatingOnClouds]

Interesting, it sounds like it is usually that the parents stick around. At our day sessions when there are very small kids there, there are usually some parents who stay, but not at the Wednesday evening session.

I am there with my daughter who is 10, however there is a period of about 30 minutes when I am having my lesson and final few minutes practise while she is unsupervised. I simply can't supervise and skate at the same time, especially while I have my lesson.

[Mrs Redboots]

This comes very apposite as there is a letter in the NISA newsletter Ice Link which arrived today from a mother complaining that her daughter's rink is now requiring her to pay to come in every time, and as what she likes to do is come in with her daughter, help her lace her boots, then go shopping and return to pick up her daughter at the end of the session, she was most annoyed to find she had to pay two entry fees! Apparently many rinks and other places have instituted this policy because of the smoking ban, so you can't just nip out for a quick one.

The reply to the letter also pointed out that it's illegal to leave a child under 8 unsupervised, and that ice rinks are not crèches, nor are coaches child-minders; on the other hand, the coaches need to have space to teach the skaters uninterrupted (as in most other sports), and parents wouldn't expect to sit in on a child's school lessons. Nevertheless, there needs to be a mechanism for parent and coach to share progress/concerns/whatever.

[Skittl1321]

No supervision is provided at any of the sessions at my rink. I know the club had considered volunteer ice monitors- but I don't think we have those.

The off duty (and on duty) coaches watch out for the regulars, but for the most part- nothing.

Since my rink is in a busy mall, it amazes me how many parents drop their kids off and then leave! (Not just club skaters, but LTS too!)

However, I don't think supervision needs to be provided by the club. It's not babysitting. It's the parent's responsibility to watch their child if they are not in a lesson.