just wondering why some rinks don't allow double-bladed skates?

is it along the lines of "if they lack the motor-skills to stand on a single blade, they have no business being out on the ice with other skaters"?

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I've never seen double-bladed skates that work well. They don't glide, and kids I've seen wearing them just sort of clump around on the ice. They don't help develop skating skills, so they're not really a viable stepping stone to "real" skates. I've seen 2-year-olds balancing perfectly well on single-bladed skates, so I don't see any need for double-bladed ones in the first place. Why not just start out on single blades?

Additionally, skating is done on edges, and the double blades don't have edges. Even if they did, it would be impossible to use them correctly.

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Some rinks won't allow them on public sessions because the double-runner skaters are in danger. The skates don't glide, so the kids trudge around veeeery slowly and rarely pick up speed. (If they did, it would be time for single-runners.) Since they're "standing," the parents don't always stay near the little ones, putting them further at risk. (On single-runners the parents would stay nearby or hold the skater's hand.) Others, who are skating and gliding, have to dodge these small, unescorted kids that are moving very slowly.

ETA: If a child can stand on one foot at a time for five seconds, off-ice, then they have the balance to skate on single bladed skates. Double runners are for the parents convenience more than anything else.

Our rink allows them, although not for lessons, and I have no problem with them for tiny tots as long as the parents stay with the skater. Interestingly enough, these parents rarely think to bring gloves/mittens and I've never seen a helmet in use. In a way, it's for their own good that they're not on single blades. *snicker*

Some rinks also ask people to leave the ice if they're just hanging out, regardless of what skates they're using at the time.

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Our rink does allow them on public sessions, but they drive me nuts! Parents are often surprised when I tell them that the rink does not provide double-bladed skates, but I tell them that kids can't do anything in them except clonk around since they don't glide, and therefore it's better just to start them out in a single blade. Then they understand.

A fellow coach had a little tot that she was getting ready for competition, and his parents bought him brand new double bladed skates. A bit of a problem when SWIZZLES are a required maneuver! I forwarned the parent that he wouldn't be able to use them because, well, you can't do anything in them, and he's never been in them since.

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I had double runner skates but the blades were very close together. I could move pretty fast too. I was a very upset little girl when told I needed to have single blades. It wasn't much of a transition though.

Our rink does allow them, but doesn't have them for hire - I've only seen them where a family with one very little child ( < 2 years old ) all skates, and they use them so the little one can have a five minute go with mum or dad instead of always being rinkside.

I'd have to say, yeah, if they don't have the motor skills to stand up in real skates, they're not safe out on the ice with whizzing, often not able to stop kids and adults. I mean, you wouldn't think they'd be safe stood out there in their shoes either, and it's really not very different. They need a bit of speed and a bit of manoeuvrability before they're safe away from an adult who can pull them out of the way of a disaster, and double blades aren't going to give them that, unless they're sufficiently coordinated that they could use single ones anyway.

Our rink does allow them, but then our rink allows outside shoes on the ice during public FAMILY sessions (that's why they wipe the ice twice after public FAMILY sessions). They also allow sleds and the like on family sessions, and also a Dutch kind of skates called "botjes", which are essentially single-bladed wooden skates tied under your shoes. They're a traditional thing.

I'd have to say that in general, I'd be glad if they would forbid the botjes, double-edge skates and sledges. I'm seeing a lot of dangerous situations arising with them. Also they slide away from underneath people's shoes and people just don't learn to skate on them. Their speed is also so low that they obstruct the path even for the people who are learning to skate by the boardings!

But, fortunately, all this is only allowed on family sessions and I'm not stupid enough to go practice on family sessions (in the weekends) because those usually have like 300-400 people on the ice. So really I don't care that much.



That being said, my first skates were double-bladed too. I was a lake skater, well, everybody back in Russia was one, I mean everybody could skate a little bit. And in winter I'd skate with them on the lake, and in summer on my grandmother's polished parquet... Grandma's parquet became rather scratched. After I did that, they sold the double-bladed skates and bought me ones with toepicks! Bad call. I was the first child in kindergarten to be able to tie her own shoes, because I figured out very quickly I could tie skates the same way. Grandma's parquet next had holes in it. My grandma started hiding the skates away on the very top shelf of her closet, but the shelves would hold my tiny weight and I'd climb to the top shelf and retrieve the skates there. Then pour water over the parquet and skate on the slippery parquet. Until the wood of the parquet started to come up out of the floor. After that, they started hiding the skates somewhere else - I never did find out where.

Anyway my point is, there's not really a problem with double-bladed skates, but they shouldn't be used more than a few times. After that, a child should get into real skates.

Our rink has a very few pairs but doesn't advertise the fact - they are usually only used for rink staff's and regulars' only-just-walking toddlers, who go into proper skates just as soon as their feet are big enough. It does give them a chance to be taken out on the ice, and usually one of our elite skaters will pick up the child and skate round with him or her (spinning is particularly popular!) for a few minutes, by which time the child has nearly always had enough and needs a nap anyway!

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You'd be surprised at how many parents ask me why I do not allow my students (even the ones in Tots) wear double-bladed skates. My main reason is because, as dbny said, they do not allow the child to skate on edges, which is essential in skating.

Additionally, I think some parents underestimate their child's ability. Regardless if he or she is 2-years-old, a skater will catch on fairly quickly on just a single blade, which is more beneficial in the long run if he/she begins using them from the start.

My rink has no hard-and-fast rule against double-runners, but none of the Learn-to-Skate programs allow them on their sessions for the simple reason that skating on double-runners does not teach the child anything about skating. The child might as well just run around the ice in snow boots.

I've also heard the rink guys complain that the double-runners slice up the ice like knives.