So what would you do?

Eastern Iowa Invitational is coming up - it's about 2 hours from where I live and we are not getting a hotel...and a hotel wouldn't help in this situation anway...since I have to work Sunday am

Sat 8:15 am my daughter tests Novice Moves. 6 pm that evening I compete - pre bronze adult free style.

I guess really the only sensible thing to do is drive home, rest, and drive back? Hanging around the competition all day, which believe me, I've done many times, seems to not be the best way to prepare for a competition It's in Cedar Rapids and there's really not much to do there either.

Wouldn't it be nice if rinks could have little lounges for skaters to hang out?

j

I agree the schedule (for you) sucks, but if I were in your situation, I wouldn't drive back and forth. That would make me more stressed than hanging out at the rink - after all, what if there's a traffic jam either way, or if you get into an accident, and then you have to figure in the cost of gas. Is there any warm place in the rink building where you could sit and watch bits of the comp during the day? Are you sure there's nothing to do in the area? You and your daughter could just go out and have a long lunch at a restaurant near the rink (to celebrate her passing her test? ). That would kill some time.

Are you sure you don't want to get a hotel room for Fri night? I assume your daughter will have to be there 1 hour before test time, and if you live 2 hours away, that's a very early wake-up time, esp with you competing so late in the day Sat. And if you get a hotel, you can go back after the test and check out and such, and that will take up some time.

Good luck to both you and your daughter!

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

Actually, since she competes Friday afternoon, I think I will get a room that night. ANd maybe I could get a late check out --even if I could check out at 2, that wouldn't be so bad, hanging out at the rink.

But I had to laugh at your suggestion of traffic....this is Iowa...that's not a problem, unless it was a one lane highway and I got behind a slow truck

j

Can you nap in your car or borrow somebody's caravan or camper?

Late check out is a great idea - you could even get in a nap before checking out. You could hang out in the lobby or a coffee shop.

If the hotel has a pool, be aware that several board members have mentioned in the past that it's not a good idea to go swimming/hot tubbing before a test or competition. Not good for the skating muscles.

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All of our coaches have always forbidden swimming before a test or competition.

I have napped in the car and so has my daughter in the summer, but it is Iowa and unless I kept the car runnning probably not a good idea.

j

It would certainly be worth it to get the room and pay for a late check out, especially after you consider the cost of gas.

PCAS is only 40 miles from my house and I'm getting a room close to the rink. I compete at 10am and 7pm. The 40 miles is through the heart of Los Angeles and Saturday traffic is awful. It's going to be well worth the extra $$ to me. Sitting in traffic makes me nuts! Maybe I should move to Iowa

My sister just retired and lives in Burbank and I've been using both the traffic and cheap rent argument to get her to move out here

j

Oh oh! I had better ask about that. I will be in the competition city 3 days before the event (to acclimatize to the altitude) and was thinking of spending a LOT of time in the hotel pool. I guess I had better talk to the coaches. The pool party might have to wait until after the comp.

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

When my daughter and I compete in Cedar Rapids, we usually kill big blocks of time by driving back to Coral Ridge Mall outside Iowa City. It's only about 20 minutes away, and has a rink, if you care to do any more practicing.

I'll keep that in mind - we are skating our regular club ice Fri am and I was going to try to buy some practice Sat am--but I'll check that out.

J

It's not a good idea the same day as a competition - the night before is fine. At the Mountain Cup the skaters spend hours in the hot tub at the Residence le Diamant (hello, Raye!), and in the pool there, particularly during the camp when we have been on the ice for three hours during the day.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Coral ridge is my home rink- and was definetly a practice spot during the iowa games with skaters who traveled down from Cedar Rapids. The nice thing about it is that they allow figure skating on public sessions- which means ice time is not tough to come by. It takes less than 30 minutes to get from the Cedar Rapids rink to the coralville Ridge Mall. (Which has good stores if you are from rural iowa and want to shop- but suprised me that it doesn't have great stores, since it is apparently either the biggest or second biggest mall in iowa.)

I don't know how much there is to do in Cedar Rapids, but I do know that the rink has plenty of hanging around space, that is not right by the ice- so you won't get cold

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

I'm near Ames and Des Moines so we don't lack shopping My daughter is holding out for when we go to Adult midwesterns (she's going to put me on the ice!) in Edina - Mall of America to buy her prom dress so she can be sure to get something no one else has. Last year we bought her prom dress while at a Kansas City competition.

j