After a long delay,
The new double surface ice rink at the Ballston Mall is open for business. Located on the Metro Orange line on top of the 8 story parking garage!
As of right now they are offering a Wednesday evening Adult Only (20 and up)Freestyle session that starts at 7pm with MIF and continues from 7:15-8pm with freestyle!

Just thought I would post to encourage DC/VA/MD area adults to support the session and for visitors to know that there is a place to Skate INSIDE the Beltway!

I will be going for the first time on Wednesday night...see y'all there!

This rink is about 8 minutes from my work! I am thrilled!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

Let us know what the public sessions are like. I wish I work in Ballston then I can skate during my lunch hour.

do you know if they have a website??

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http://www.capitalsicecenter.com/

I'll be skating there tomorrow morning (8:45am), before Metro-ing to work--an easy 12-minute subway ride to downtown DC.
I'm desperately looking for a change of rink environment, so I hope taking lessons directly before heading to the office works out.
I'm still <grrr> that my coach quit teaching at my main rink.

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Are there any well-known coaches teaching there, or is the rink so new that no freeskating program has been established yet?

I think just a few of the well-established coaches in the area just flocked there.
I'm not aware of any big names that were brought in to teach.

__________________
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Yay--the rink and the ice are awesome! And there was no one else on the ice for my lesson.

There is a Sky Walk from the Metro directly through the Ballston mall to the elevators (that you take to the 8th floor).

Parking (they are completing the deck on the 8th floor) is $1 for up to 3 hours.

__________________
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Ice is a little hard, like hockey ice. I've been told the skaters' locker rooms will be up and ready next week. There are two entrances to the garage that I was able to find. I don't know which streets the entrances are on but if you are looking over head at the Ballston mall block, the more clockwise of the two entrances is closer to the ramps which take you all the way up to the top floor of the garage.

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Whatever!

Much cheaper than YB... you don't wanna know ... (Well, unless I'm going in early, then I can park on the street for free!!! )

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Ok there were only about 5 of us at the adult freestyle! Let's get out there DC/VA/MD adults! We dont want to lose this time! The ice was great! I like the rinks!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

That really sound wonderful ... Space ....

Do you really want to advertise that there are only 5 people on the ice and that you want more to be on it? I would enjoy the space while it last.

The point is it won't last long if only 5 adults show up every time. The rink will open it up to everyone or sell it to hockey.

My coach is working at the new rink and said he is going to shuffle some people at his other rink so he can coach me on Wed night at the adult freestyle. There seems to be a great deal of interest from adults at the Ballston rink. The adult group lesson is large and the first night of adult public was well attended.

It would be nice to have 10 adults on the freestyle session at 7:15 on Wednesdays!

I am out of town this week so I will return after Tgiving!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

Hey MSF, do they have any qualifications for the freestyle ice? Some rinks around here (cough Reston cough) allow ANYONE to skate on freestyle; at that rink I've seen kids in helmets and rental skates having lessons on swizzles in one corner while a senior lady works on triples and a junior dance team practices their straightline footwork over and over and over... sessions like that are in my opinion a waste of money as well as being dangerous.

Personally, I think that adult sessions are nice in concept, but if I'm paying for freestyle ice rather than public, I'd rather skate with mid-level kids than beginner adults. I don't have anything against beginners of any age, mind you, but as we've talked before on skatingforums, I don't think they belong on freestyle sessions.

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Where are those knives when I need them?
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I need a detachable left foot!

I'm hoping to use the session for program practice (if, when I get a new program ...). It will be nice to practice without Shirley Dearest, Edgy & Scratchy, and the rest of the evil funhouse gang.

__________________
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

There is an adult public session on one rink (7:45-9pm) AND an adult freestlye session on the other rink (7-7:15; 7:15-8pm). To quote that Guinness commercial, "Brilliant!"

As for the freestyle qualifications, let's remember to ask tomorrow, eh?

__________________
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

The website states that ISI FS 1 and above may skate on FS ice.