Skaters and unfamilar ice

[FSWer]

Ok fokes!!!! I'm not sure how well I'm asking this. But is there anyone here, who has at anytime they've skated ever had to skate on unfamilar ice? Such as Rockafeller Centre in New York,etc.? Also if so,does it feel any different to you, then when you actually skate at a rink or on ice your used to?

[wasabi]

Rockefeller Center is an especially small rink -- when I was practicing for an exhibition there, I had to scale down my program to about 1/3 the size of my home (Olympic) size rink. For competitions, almost all rinks are one of two sizes -- Olympic (100 X 200) or NHL (80 X 200) size. If you're going to compete on both, it's good to practice on both too. If you usually skate in an NHL rink, you won't fill out the Olympic one; if you usually skate in an Olympic rink, you'll crash into the boards on your lutzes and footwork on the NHL rink.

Skaters also use certain visual clues to tell where they need to be for certain parts of their program. Usually this is the hockey markings on the ice, but not all rinks have the same (or any) markings. Some skaters also line themselves up with certain windows/lights etc., or put their program a certain way in order to face the judges at specific times (so they don't get a nice crotch-shot on the spirals, for instance!). The ice texture itself can differ too; hockey rinks generally keep harder ice which means easier spins but harder jumps and (for me) edges and turns. Some rinks have different bases under the ice too, which also makes a difference in the consistency. Finally, some rinks accumulate rough patches (bumps, holes, slightly sloped ice) in certain areas, and this too can affect the feel.

The vast majority of skaters will try to practice in a competition/test rink before the competition/test in order to get used to these changes and eliminate all the variables and stressful things before the time comes. Regionals, Sectionals, and Nationals, for instance, offers official warmups and practices in the competition rinks; other competitions offer practice ice there. So for a simple answer, pretty much everyone can feel a difference. Some people are better than others at adapting to it and not letting it rattle them, but most skaters will try to get used to the new ice before they have to compete.

[FSWer]

Rockefeller Center is an especially small rink -- when I was practicing for an exhibition there, I had to scale down my program to about 1/3 the size of my home (Olympic) size rink. For competitions, almost all rinks are one of two sizes -- Olympic (100 X 200) or NHL (80 X 200) size. If you're going to compete on both, it's good to practice on both too. If you usually skate in an NHL rink, you won't fill out the Olympic one; if you usually skate in an Olympic rink, you'll crash into the boards on your lutzes and footwork on the NHL rink.

Skaters also use certain visual clues to tell want




where they need to be for certain parts of their program. Usually this is the hockey markings on the ice, but not all rinks have the same (or any) markings. Some skaters also line themselves up with certain windows/lights etc., or put their program a certain way in order to face the judges at specific times (so they don't get a nice crotch-shot on the spirals, for instance!). The ice texture itself can differ too; hockey rinks generally keep harder ice which means easier spins but harder jumps and (for me) edges and turns. Some rinks have different bases under the ice too, which also makes a difference in the consistency. Finally, some rinks accumulate rough patches (bumps, holes, slightly sloped ice) in certain areas, and this too can affect the feel.

The vast majority of skaters will try to practice in a competition/test rink before the competition/test in order to get used to these changes and eliminate all the variables and stressful things before the time comes. Regionals, Sectionals, and Nationals, for instance, offers official warmups and practices in the competition rinks; other competitions offer practice ice there. So for a simple answer, pretty much everyone can feel a difference. Some people are better than others at adapting to it and not letting it rattle them, but most skaters will try to get used to the new ice before they have to compete.


Can you please explain what that means? BTW. what discipline do you do?

[TimDavidSkate]

When I competed back when I was a teen, I used to go to the competition rinks cold! Meaning, I would have no practice on it whatsover, the first and only time I step on it is warmup time and as well as my competitive skate. Major cramps would set in, my head and body had to quickly get familiar with the ice, as well as the lighting. At times I would lose myself during the program, "hmmm, did I do the lutz that way? where am I supposed to go again?" ... Then I would see in the video that I spent too much time on one end of the rink, thankfully it only happened once.

Nowadays, I dont mess around with things anymore, I take the time to get to the rink 1 to 2 days before my skate and get used to everything.

[Isk8NYC]

I was a singles skater from an area with a seasonal rink. That meant that my rink would shut down from March until October. So, I had to travel to other rinks if I wanted to skate all through the year. Since I went to school or worked during the day, I did most of my skating at night or on the weekends. When I went on business trips, I took my skates and found a rink, just for fun. As a result, I would skate at three or four different rinks each week.

That wanderlust worked to my advantage when I competed because I got used to different rinks and ice types. Local competitions were often at rinks that I skated at regularly. Since each rink is a little bit different, the ice is different, too. When I traveled to new rinks, a practice always set me right.

Things that make you rearrange your program:
∙ Is the rink bigger or smaller than what the skater usually practices on?
∙ Where do the skaters enter the ice?
∙ Where are the judges and the spectators?

Things that bug you about "different" rinks:
∙ The ice condition: hard or soft, bumpy or smooth.
∙ The rink's air temperature: you need to stay warm while you wait, but not get sweaty.
∙ Unusual ice problems. I used to check out the ice during my warmup and note where the ice was bad. Some rinks have roof drips that make bumps, others have bad patches near the zamboni doors. A skater needs to think about these things and avoid catastrophes.

I still love to try out new rinks, even though I struggle with spins on hard ice. I have a whole new state full of rinks coming up and I can't wait.

[kander]

Ok fokes!!!! I'm not sure how well I'm asking this. But is there anyone here, who has at anytime they've skated ever had to skate on unfamilar ice? Such as Rockafeller Centre in New York,etc.? Also if so,does it feel any different to you, then when you actually skate at a rink or on ice your used to?

I've skated at dozens of rinks all over the country. Every one of them is different. Some rinks vary quite a bit depending on what time of day you skate there.

I think it safe to say that I've experienced just about every possible ice condition (including fog, rain, wind, slush, hard, soft, etc) and universally the worst ice has always been the temporary outdoor rinks. It's usually so bad I won't subject my expensive blades to it.

[Rusty Blades]

I have only been skating 1-1/2 years but in my first year I skated at a number of different arenas and a few outdoor patches. For just normal skating, 5 minutes on the ice tells be what I need to know about the ice itself - hardness, smoothness, any hole or bumps.

When I was going to my first competition, I went early enough to have 2 practice days before the rink was closed for the competition. The competition surface was Olympic size and I had never been on Olympic ice so I needed to adjust my program for the larger ice and where the judges would be. Though I had taken my program right to the boards on NHL ice, I found I still couldn't fill the Olympic ice and stay in time with my music so my mantra in competition was "6 feet from the boards! 6 feet from the boards!" LOL!

It was also helpful to spend some time in the competition rink and learn where everything was, like dressing rooms, all the hall ways and stairs, washrooms, etc. By competition day, the venue was as familiar as my home rink.

The only thing that threw me was the ice quality on competition day. It was hockey ice :cry: hard and not even smooth. I had expected figure skating ice for a National competition but NO! I had to adjust my program at the last minute because really deep edges would skid on hard ice.

[Mrs Redboots]

All rinks are very slightly different, and if you can, it's worth getting a practice session on the day of your competition, or the day before. Quite apart from anything else, some rinks are "the wrong way round" compared to your home rink, and you need to orient yourself as to where the judges are, and where you start your programme or dance.

If you're just visiting a rink for fun, or to meet friends, or to have a lesson with a different coach, then you don't need any extra preparation, although it can be quite difficult to do anything as you don't know where anybody else's programme goes, and you don't know whose music it is so you don't know who to look out for!

[liz_on_ice]

Ok fokes!!!! I'm not sure how well I'm asking this. But is there anyone here, who has at anytime they've skated ever had to skate on unfamilar ice? Such as Rockafeller Centre in New York,etc.? Also if so,does it feel any different to you, then when you actually skate at a rink or on ice your used to?

Rockefeller Center is home ice to me; in season I take my lessons there. They don't have freestyle sessions though, only public, so I practice at the other rinks. Outdoor ice gets "fuzzy" even before it is skated on, especially when it is humid, and that takes some getting used to. When you fall you can stick like velcro instead of sliding and that is a good way to get hurt.

Skating in a light snowfall at Rockefeller Center, or Wollman in Central Park is not to be missed. It's like being in a souvenir snowglobe -- just stunningly beautiful. Forget your practice drills, just swoop and twirl as your heart takes you.

At this point I've bounced around among so many local rinks I can cope with almost any conditions. I can't afford to travel for competitions these days, but I pack my skates on business trips and check out the local rink if I can manage it.

[jazzpants]

Rockefeller Center is home ice to me; in season I take my lessons there. They don't have freestyle sessions though, only public, so I practice at the other rinks. Outdoor ice gets "fuzzy" even before it is skated on, especially when it is humid, and that takes some getting used to. When you fall you can stick like velcro instead of sliding and that is a good way to get hurt. Looks like I'm not the only person who thought outdoor ice is funky at Rockefeller and Central Park. Though at Central Park, I skated on the FS session in the morning and it's a lot easier for me to manuever around...

Skating in a light snowfall at Rockefeller Center, or Wollman in Central Park is not to be missed. It's like being in a souvenir snowglobe -- just stunningly beautiful. Forget your practice drills, just swoop and twirl as your heart takes you.I guess my problem is planning my trips around the holidays, b/c whenever I go to Rockefeller, it's been EXTREMELY crowded and VERY cold! I did it twice and decided that given the timing that the long two hour wait in the cold for crowded cement-like ice isn't worth going back there again. :( For me, it's "go there one for the experience"... but never again afterwards. (BUT...if you're a local and can get to the rink when it's not crowded and the tree is up...THEN give it another try. Oh, and get pictures of yourself with the background too!!! :P )

Ok fokes!!!! I'm not sure how well I'm asking this. But is there anyone here, who has at anytime they've skated ever had to skate on unfamilar ice? Such as Rockafeller Centre in New York,etc.? Also if so,does it feel any different to you, then when you actually skate at a rink or on ice your used to?It's an interesting experience getting used to the different ice and the lengths of the rink. I had a heck of a time preparing for Bronze Moves b/c I practice my Bronze Moves at an (now defunct :cry: ) Olympic sized rink and have lessons and test on my home rink, which is a smaller NHL-sized rink. The other thing that was even funnier is when I went to Chelsea Piers in New York to warm up for a moves lesson and found myself having to adjust my moves pattern to an even SMALLER rink than my home rink! 8O Thankfully, I've adjusted just in time for my lesson...

[CanadianAdult]

The only thing that threw me was the ice quality on competition day. It was hockey ice :cry: hard and not even smooth. I had expected figure skating ice for a National competition but NO! I had to adjust my program at the last minute because really deep edges would skid on hard ice.

I liked that rink! It was eerily similar to my hometown rink and also my home rink. OLD. Wood ceilings, wood benches, weird corners. Hockey rinks. I found the practice ice pad at that rink to be awfully hard, in the future unless the official practice ice is on the same rink or one exactly like it, I won't bother. As a result of the hard practice ice I found the competition ice soft. I was thinking that they had a sand base but I never asked.

I try to skate in as many different rinks as possible. In the summer when I'm on vacation, I check out rinks. Even a public skate somewhere gives me the experience of different atmospheres. My home rink has given me the experience of skating on the worst ice possible, they flooded only every three hours and I was on the last hour.

[liz_on_ice]

I guess my problem is planning my trips around the holidays, b/c whenever I go to Rockefeller, it's been EXTREMELY crowded and VERY cold! I did it twice and decided that given the timing that the long two hour wait in the cold for crowded cement-like ice isn't worth going back there again. :( For me, it's "go there one for the experience"... but never again afterwards. (BUT...if you're a local and can get to the rink when it's not crowded and the tree is up...THEN give it another try. Oh, and get pictures of yourself with the background too!!! :P )



In tree season there is no time that is not crowded, the line is way long waiting for them to open. You might get lucky 8am of a Sunday morning. If you get the season pass there is a single session before it opens to the public wednesday mornings - I think that's worth the price of the pass right there.

Oh, and if you take lessons there, you can skate in the end of season recital - how cool is that!

I've got one very spiffy picture from this April, DH got me right in front of the shiny sculpture:

http://picasaweb.google.com/liz.on.ice/Lizskatingpics?authkey=VFGObA4HvJU

[Sessy]

I have - skated on unfamiliar ice - and I had trouble getting the set ups to my jumps right... I'd say acquaint yourself with the ice, even if it's just for a quarter an hour

The ice can be softer or harder and some rinks have this soft top layer or something...

[chowskates]

It's an interesting experience getting used to the different ice and the lengths of the rink. I had a heck of a time preparing for Bronze Moves b/c I practice my Bronze Moves at an (now defunct :cry: ) Olympic sized rink and have lessons and test on my home rink, which is a smaller NHL-sized rink. The other thing that was even funnier is when I went to Chelsea Piers in New York to warm up for a moves lesson and found myself having to adjust my moves pattern to an even SMALLER rink than my home rink! 8O Thankfully, I've adjusted just in time for my lesson...

It is interesting reading about adjusting to different size rinks...

Just wondering, which is easier - to go from a smaller rink to a bigger rink, or from a bigger rink to a smaller rink?

I skate in a tiny rink (2/3 the length of Oly size), and always face the problem of having to make my program stretch out in an Olympic size rink when I go for competitions. I thought I'd been doing okay all the previous years... BUT I was rather perplexed with this year's program, as it can't seem to fill out the full rink!

[jcookie1982]

I have problems getting used to the texture of the ice at different rinks (hard vs. soft ice). I also noticed that when I'm skating at a rink at a really high altitude, I get really short of breathe.

[Sessy]

Just wondering, which is easier - to go from a smaller rink to a bigger rink, or from a bigger rink to a smaller rink?

I skate in a tiny rink (2/3 the length of Oly size), and always face the problem of having to make my program stretch out in an Olympic size rink when I go for competitions. I thought I'd been doing okay all the previous years... BUT I was rather perplexed with this year's program, as it can't seem to fill out the full rink!

Well I'd say from a bigger to a smaller rink, but here in the netherlands we only have a few yard's differences between rinks, not actual 2/3rd size differences or something like that.