A bit of everything!

[melanieuk]

On Tuesday, I'll be off to watch the British championships in Dumfries, Scotland.
We've hired a farm cottage for 4 nights.
I also saw in the news that there might be another case of Foot & Mouth in the area, but that's another story.
Anyway, after tomorrow, I won't be skating for a whole week. 8O

I've been looking forward to just getting away from the kitchen sink, doing the housework, the school run, all those mundane, thankless tasks!

A bit of bad news for me and the skaters at my rink:
nearly a whole page dedicated to the article in the capital's newspaper:
"Secret talks to sell ice rink for housing"

Click on the link below to read:
The newspaper article. (http://www.edinburghnews.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1335532002)

I almost feel bereaved. :(
Where will I skate? How will I be able to skate at a far away location when I've got my children here needing collected from 2.5 hour nursery class?
Where's the <weeping on floor, with flailing arms and kicking legs> icon?

I'll be skating tomorrow and maybe find out if the speculation is true.


See you all when I get back.


:)

[Mrs Redboots]

Have a great time in Dumfries, and if you see my friend Penny, go and sit with her. And please cheer for my friends..... We collected stuffed animals for Penny to throw at them after their Free Dances.

As for your rink, that's a huge bummer. We've been through all that, but if all goes as we hope, we will get a sparkling new Olympic-sized rink to replace this one (which is a bit clapped-out) before anything else happens. We shall see, but it looks probable. When the rink was under serious threat, an action group (http://freespace.virgin.net/sisag.nicky/) was formed, and I am sure that if your lot were to form such a group, ours would be only too pleased to offer help and moral support.

As you know, it's not the only rink in these islands that is under threat - Rachel's is closing soon, with no real guarantee of a replacement, Milton Keynes is under threat (but may be redeveloped), and Stevenage and Richmond are mere memories.....

What we need are some world champions to revive interest!

[RoaringSkates]

But how do you develop world champions if you don't have any rinks for the up and comers to practice on? Sounds like the skating news in the UK is going to get worse, rather than better, if they keep closing rinks.

Is hockey not popular in the UK? Hockey in the US keeps many rinks open. Also, lots of rinks here have started synchro teams, which brings in a lot of kids. They also hold laser/rock/hip hop nights on Friday and Saturday nights to bring in the kids, and these nights are packed.

[melanieuk]

Originally posted by RoaringSkates
But how do you develop world champions if you don't have any rinks for the up and comers to practice on?
We don't. It was a fluke with John Curry, Robin Cousins & Torvill and Dean.
Rinks are closing all over, but nobody but the skaters care.
We don't even have our nationals on TV.
Last year they weren't even videoed for the public to buy.
If we have cable TV, we get Eurosport which highlights Euros & Worlds for us. Even then we don't see all the coverage.
It all boils down to public ignorance....they don't know the sport even exists. Like I've said before, "if it doesn't have a ball in it, nobody's interested!"


Is hockey not popular in the UK?


At my rink it used to be very popular - Murrayfield Racers did quite well.
We still have a hockey team (which gets free ice) but it's not exactly well known. They have a match every Sunday (in season) which draws in some income, but not nearly as much as in the 80s when the Racers were around.

((Annabel))

The tickets have numbered seats on them so we can't sit beside who we want.
I'll be supporting Sinead & John loudest! :lol:

[garyc254]

It's not only a problem in the islands. We're fighting the same battle at a local rink.

It's owned and run by the county and is quite old and needs rebuilding. It's an indoor rink that's only open for the winter/spring season. The county is doing a feasibility study to see if it would be worthwhile to rebuild.

Being a part year rink, it doesn't get particularly good coaches, plus the rink manager isn't really interested in nor knows much about skating neither figure or hockey. He was promoted though the ranks from a park ranger.

The feasbility study group knows little about skating or rink management. They are doing a survey in a six mile radius of the site only. They have no idea how far skaters travel to find ice time. Even the local rep for high school hockey has been at the meeting to try and convince them that a rink can be profitable if you keep it open all year and get good management and coaches.

I think it's a lost cause as I think they've already decided not to rebuild and are just going through the motions to appease the public.

[icenut84]

Originally posted by RoaringSkates
Is hockey not popular in the UK? Hockey in the US keeps many rinks open.
...
They also hold laser/rock/hip hop nights on Friday and Saturday nights to bring in the kids, and these nights are packed.

Ice hockey isn't the most popular sport in Britain (it is very rarely shown on TV, apart from sometimes on late night channel 5), although some people like it. It has about as much promotion as figure skating, ie not a lot. Also, a premier league team has just folded due to bankruptcy (I think) - Manchester Storm. I believe the team weren't based at a normal ice rink but at an arena in Manchester that wasn't always an ice rink - anyone confirm that?

There are disco sessions at most rinks, and they also are usually packed, although most of the people who go to them just go for fun and wouldn't really be interested in taking up skating seriously, or wouldn't know how to go about it.

[dooobedooo]

The problem with several older UK rinks is - not that they are unsuccessful, far from it! - but that the land they stand on is prime building land, there are huge profits to be made in UK residential and commercial property, and with the aid of a few backhanders a rink can disappear in a trice. Richmond rink was a really successful busy rink, but was replaced by horrible apartment blocks. Streatham was under threat from a supermarket. Looks like Murrayfield is in a similar position.

Help!

[singerskates]

Then it's a matter of greed why your British rinks disapear!

[jazzpants]

Originally posted by melanieuk

A bit of bad news for me and the skaters at my rink:
nearly a whole page dedicated to the article in the capital's newspaper:
"Secret talks to sell ice rink for housing"

Click on the link below to read:
The newspaper article. (http://www.edinburghnews.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1335532002)

I almost feel bereaved. :(
Where will I skate? How will I be able to skate at a far away location when I've got my children here needing collected from 2.5 hour nursery class?
Where's the <weeping on floor, with flailing arms and kicking legs> icon?

I'll be skating tomorrow and maybe find out if the speculation is true.


See you all when I get back.


:)

Oh, no! Melanie!!! I hope the rumor is not true!!! That's terrible!!!

Alright! I have an icon that comes close to what you're describing...

http://216.40.249.192/mysmilies/kao/otn/pcrying.gif

Pray and hope that the deal will fall through...

[melanieuk]

I haven't found out if it's true or not yet.
Coach, engineer and a few others think it won't happen (or if it does it will take months or years).
I am naturally a pessimist and I think we won't have a rink this time next year.

Anyway on a happier note, I am abandoning my children (joke!) with my mum, who's staying here to take them to school etc, while I go off to watch the British Championships.

See you in 4 days.
:D

[Mrs Redboots]

This time last year we all thought we wouldn't have a rink this time this year, if that makes sense!

Rinks are closing, but there are also rumours of new ones to be built, particularly in Southampton (definite) and Brighton (which may be wishful thinking). And who knows, one day Richmond Rink may yet rise from the ashes..... and if the new Streatham rink turns out anything like the plans, you'll all be trampling me to skate at it.....

[sk8er1964]

I remember going to a rink a couple of times when I lived in the northwest London area in the early '90s. It was somewhere near Watford. I didn't skate too much then because my skates were too small, but I remember meeting a very nice man who was into dancing. Wonder if that one's still there? I'm spoiled here in the States - there's three rinks within 15 minutes of my work, and at least 6 within 15 minutes of my home.