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Question for my British friends!
Hi!!
I have a friend that I saw a couple of weeks ago and she lives in the Wimbledon area. She was quite excited about my skating and it has had her thinking about skating herself. (She has her figure skates, but hasn't skated in ages) So, any thoughts of ice near her? She said that she knows about a rink in (at?) Streatham and one in Guildford that is further away but maybe closer time wise. Anywhere else she should check? I am very ignorant of my British geography - at least at that level ;-) I know about Ireland and Scotland and Wales (oh my ;-) but not of areas around London. Hugs and thanks! Danielle |
#2
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Hi
Annabel skates at Streatham, I'm sure. I'm in Scotland so I can't help, but if your friend pays a visit to Edinburgh..... |
#3
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I live a bit further down from London. I live in Plymouth, so i cannot help, sorry!
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Yes, tell her to go to Streatham. It couldn't be easier for her to get to - there is a direct train from Wimbledon station to Streatham every 15 minutes or so, if not more frequently. I think there are 5 trains an hour, but I could be wrong. It would take her about 20 minutes to get there - more if she drives, but on public transport very quick and easy. Public sessions start at 10.00 am, but the coaches are still teaching and usually hanging around. Or tell her to try the teatime session, at 4.30 pm (not Wednesdays) to find a teacher.
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#5
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Thanks Annabel! I passed that along.
Hugs! Danielle |
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Hi, Dani--
This may be OT, but if your friend lives near the Wimbledon area, then I think she lives near a really great public park, Richmond Park. A friend of mine who did study abroad in the US and then went back to live near the Roehamption Institute lived near the park. We liked to take walks there. I think she lived very close to Wimbledon because every year during the tennis, her neighborhood would be chock full of cars... |
#7
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Size:
Streatham: roughly Olympic size, slightly narrower and longer. Guildford: standard Olympic size (60m by 30m). Transport: Streatham: five minutes walk from station, fifteen minutes by train from Wimbledon, train every half hour. Subject to traffic hold-ups if driving, due to inner city location, perhaps half an hour plus. Guildford: very quick by road, down the A3, about 25 minutes. Not so good by train, bus ride from station, 40 minutes train ride. Style: Streatham: famous rink from 1930's, Rocker Foxtrot and Blues invented here, independently owned, very slightly run-down, centre of Streatham. Guildford: new rink in about 1995 in award-winning leisure complex with multi-pool swimming, gym, cafes, squash, bowling, in parkland, run by local council. Skating: Streatham: informal, cheap, beginners classes Monday evening and Saturday mornings, some good coaches, but fewer people training seriously, you must be having lessons at Streatham to skate on training ice, dance club Monday evening about 6.30pm. Guildford: organised timetable, inexpensive, beginners classes Saturday mornings, slightly more good coaches and slightly more people training seriously, training ice up to 11.30, for training ice you need a membership card which you can only get if you are having lessons here. dance club Tuesday evening about 7.30pm. The other accessible rinks are Leisurebox in Queensway, W2 (35 minute tube ride to Bayswater or Queensway, small rink, amateurish, but nice "figure and dance" atmosphere on Sunday morning) and Alexandra Palace (Wood Green tube, a long journey about 60 minutes, international size 25m by 50m, many serious skaters who are competing and testing) Mikawendy's right. Richmond Park is huge, eight miles in perimeter, stocked with deer, plenty of high ground with views over central London and Surrey, big oak woods, lakes, plenty of wildlife, historic buildings, nice afternoon tea in Pembroke Lodge Gardens yeah! Last edited by dooobedooo; 10-04-2002 at 09:08 AM. |
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Just thought I'd add my tuppence worth
I've not skated at Streatham but my kids did a competition there and really liked it. Check out the 'art deco' ceiling if you go! I thought it had a nice friendly atmosphere and you get the added benefit of meeting Annabel! Guildford; I've only skated the public sessions but it's handy having all the other facilities there as well and they usually have the Russian AllStars doing their show there around May sometime - not on the main rink but on a temporary ice pad downstairs somewhere. There's a good ice dance club there on a Sunday morning which I have yet to get to but maybe one day. I have to confess I'm not a fan of Ally Pally - perhaps because I did my first ever competition there. Plus it is a night mare to get to I think. I was going to compete there next week but unfortunately it clashes with my day in college. Bracknell and Slough are further out along the M4 but Slough has Monday evening dance classes and Bracknell has some good classes for adults if they are available during the day (mornings from 10.30). Off-ice training and 'Annies Edges' on a Monday, beginner adults on Tuesday, Dance class and Dance Moves on a Wednesday and a 'Housewives course' (with free coffee!) on a Friday. There is at least one adult who comes in regularly from Richmond to skate at Bracknell so I guess it can't be too arduous a journey. Hope your friend enjoys getting back into skating wherever she ends up! |
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
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I just remembered a couple of other rinks ....
Annabel mentioned Sobell in Islington N1 - don't know it personally, it is quite small, but it is quite an active rink. Islington is a long way from Wimbledon, though, about an hour on the tube. Winter Outdoor Rinks in Central London Then there are two winter outdoor rinks, both small but very enjoyable, and if she is working in City or West End they might be handy for a lunchtime practice: Broadgate, Liverpool Street EC2 (November to March) (Liverpool Street tube) Somerset House, Strand WC1 (December to January) (Temple or Covent Garden tube) Last edited by dooobedooo; 10-04-2002 at 09:00 AM. |
#12
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Quote:
The Broadgate rink is a permanent rink - it is only open in the winter, but it is on a dedicated site, and has proper instructors, learn-to-skate classes and so on; the Somerset House rink is more of a Christmas jolly. Great fun, I understand from those who have skated there, but you only get about 20 minutes for what is really quite an expensive subscription.
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
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Just found this useful link with maps and web links of ice rinks on the London inline skating site:
http://www.londonskaters.com/faq_ice_skating.htm Your friend may also be interested in their inline skating meetings in Hyde Park near Marble Arch on a Wednesday or Friday night. You can hire inline skates from London Skate Shop in Queensway, though they ARE different from iceskates - be careful! |
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Useful, but an awful lot of the information given is just plain wrong, as in the buses that go past Streatham Ice Arena - many of those listed go nowhere near, although the ones that do go past are correct. Talking of which, there is now a new bus link between Camberwell, the Elephant, Victoria, and Shepherd's Bush, which will go straight past Queen's if anybody is wanting to go there - it's the no 148.
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
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Mrs Redboots,
Do you know the exact location of the proposed new replacement Streatham Ice Arena? I can't imagine where they will put it , unless it is round the back somewhere ...? Or maybe across the road? Thanks. PS. I just found some history on this venerable rink ... http://freespace.virgin.net/sisag.nicky/history.htm Didn't realise they invented the Viennese Waltz there too! And people have told me about the original Mighty Wurlitzer that used to play for dance intervals (now long gone). Really it should be a listed building ... Last edited by dooobedooo; 10-08-2002 at 01:23 PM. |
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
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OK, it took me forever...
....(almost six years) but I'm the girl Dani was talking about in this thread. I finally started ice skating this year in February and had a few false starts while I sorted my skates out. My ancient figure skates (c. 1950) didn't have enough ankle support (OK, they had none) and my coach insisted I needed new ones which finally arrived a few weeks ago.
I skate mostly at Streatham (and have even done so with Mrs. Redboots) but have also skated in a few other rinks (most recently Ice Forum at Town Center, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA) a week ago. I just wish I'd started skating again when this thread was started (it was really an archaeological dig updating this thread). I might be able to skate by now if I had! I expect to skate again in the USA in the next few days before I return to London on Monday next week. Sarah |
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Surprising how everyone is being polite. No one really metioned the main attraction on the rink - the hill - which gives you unique opportunity to practice jumps downhill! I wasn't aware of the dance club. Wasn't it cancelled several years ago? |
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...and I get to skate at Ally Pally with hanca on 10th October
Sarah |
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
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Too bad I didn't know you were in town. I skate at the Duluth IceForum rink and our club (Georgia FSC) operate out of both IceForums. If I couldn't have made it over to see you, I could have had several adult skaters get in touch with you.
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Geriatric Figure Skating Crew - President for Life! Georgia Figure Skating Club - President (again) ____________________________________________ "I'm too old to die young, and too smart to be happy" - Kinky Friedman, The Mile High Club 2010 Adult Nationals - earning a gold - "Priceless" 2009 Adult Nationals - competing with a cold is not much fun. 2008 Adult Nationals - Too little sleep, too much vodka! |
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Thanks for that. I will definitely be back again and will let you know in advance next time. I used to work in the Atlanta area (well, Griffin to be precise) so still come over to see friends now and again. This trip I saw rain - a lot of it! Sarah |
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Hi Sarah
Good luck with your skating when you are back to the UK. By the way, Somerset Ice rink (outdoor) is going to be open from 17 November to 24 of January 2010. Maybe you and your friends want to go for some leisure skate there this year. I was there last year, rink a bit too small, besides doing lemons (forwards and backwards), stopping, forward crossovers in the centre, there is not much that I could do. I fell into the trap of joining their skate school. I rang them up and the person who picked up my phone said that their lessons are for people who want to improve their skating skills, not novice. I went, and immediately the coach taking the lesson knew that I should not be in that group class. londonicechamp |
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Hi londonicechamp, thank you for the kind thoughts I will certainly be planning to do several of the outdoor London rinks this year but will keep my lessons in Streatham.
I managed two skating sessions today (with sunbathing on the beach between). The skating sessions were the afternoon public session at Incredible Ice in Coral Springs, FL and the evening session at Glacier Ice and Snow in Lighthouse Point, FL. This second session was the first time I got to skate with Dani who started this thread all those years ago It's taken long enough! We expect to fit another skate together in before I head back to London on Sunday. Sarah |
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Hi Sarah
Well, you should really go skating in Somerset House and Canary Wharf. I was in these two outdoor rinks for a couple of times last year when they opened. Hi Mrs Redboots No, you do not get 20 minutes for skating in Somerset House. If you turn up early, then you will get the full hour; if not (coz you arrived late), you still get at least 45 minutes. I skated there for 4 to 5 times last year, really cool. londonicechamp |
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