You guys sure have been quiet and absent as well...

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!

I will be going during the August week. I have been checking out the local hotels. Has anyone stayed at Northwoods? Are the rooms OK? Is there parking? Is the restaurant OK? Any insight would be appreciated.
It looks like rooms are already getting hard to come by so I better get this tied down quickly.

I'm going during the August week and bringing rinkmates from home again (not sure how many). I've heard good and bad about the Northwoods. One of the bads is that there's a restaurant/bar on the first floor, so if you're on a lower floor it can be noisy into the night.

I'll be there as well with a big crew from Connecticut including CanAm.

Turns out I'll be at the Northwoods since it was the cheapest place I could find within close walking distance to the venue. What do you want to bet my room is right next to the bar!

Dave D.

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- "I'd like to skate well some decade and I hope it's this one"-

I can't wait, I'll be there next week! I like to go in June since it's a little less crowded.

Lara

That is pretty funny! WE usually are the noisy crowd in the bar! LOL!

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Warm Regards,
Kathleen

"It is never too late to become what you might have been."
George Eliot

At what level do most people skate? A friend and I have discussed going, but she is concerned that she is not a strong enough skater. She can do waltz jumps and 1-foot spins and salchows and toe loops when her coach nags her into trying them.

For those of you who have gone, do you feel you get your money's worth? I know there is unlimited skating time, but how much time can you actually spend on the ice before you exhaust yourself to the point that you have to crawl home?

I've been trying to make a decision between this and a music workshop that ends on August 17. If I follow my usual pattern, though, I'll put off making a decision until it's too late to do either.

I've gone three times (not this year, unfortunately). There is a very wide range of abilities; I've seen skaters there who are just learning 3-turns and mohawks, up to skaters working on (and landing some) doubles. There is also a large contingent of ice dancers.

I definitely think I get my money's worth, between the ice time, meeting people, catching up with friends, and learning from other skaters as well as coaches!

Sorry to hear this. I stayed at the Northwoods when I went to LP for Adult Nationals in 2000. I hated it! My first room was right over the bar. Imagine the sound of pool tables right under you, plus the music and yelling. I made it until 11:00 pm the first night, when I went down and had them move me to another room.

I thought the place was a dump in general. The restaurant didn't open early enough for skaters to get something to eat before an early practice or warmup session. The staff couldn't have cared less that I was there; in fact, they seemed rather put out that I interrupted them when I checked in. The elevator was not just slow -- it was a death trap. Other skaters and I got stuck between floors for a long time. After a few days, most of the skaters learned that lesson, so we usually schlepped our skate bags up several flights of stairs. The heat had two temperatures: Arctic and Hell! Oh, yeah ... and they gave me a coffee maker and a little bag of coffee, but no filters that fit the machine. They wanted to charge me a couple of bucks for filters! I swear.

I hope you have a better experience there than I did. Good luck!

Thanks for the info, LoopLoop. If I don't make it this year, I can always try for next year. I think I'll stay away from Northwoods, though, after Skaternum's description.