I've thought of suggesting to the rink nearest where I live and where I skate most often (let's call it "home rink" since I'm so tired of calling it "rink nearest where I live," lol) that they make up some rules for public skating. They don't have any posted and I think maybe they need them, in large part for parents who turn tiny kids loose on the ice and don't supervise them/teach them how to be a considerate skater. It wouldn't be a big deal if it was just an annoyance for me, but it's not too long since I've been a beginner skater just trying to get around the rink without falling, so I know how dangerous (and terrifying) it could be to have obstructions in your way, whether it's a fallen kid who doesn't get up for ten minutes, or an abandoned ice walker that you don't see because it's white AND you're busy looking at your feet, or a hockey puck flying in front of your feet...

There are no ice monitors so it's not like there would be someone watching to make sure the rules are followed, but maybe if they were posted, then A. people would see them and realize that they may be doing something rude/dangerous without realizing it, and B. other skaters could complain about rude/dangerous behavior, knowing that there were official rules on their side and there would be no "but I didn't know I couldn't do that!!" arguments or being told by management, "sorry, we don't have rules, deal with it."

Here are some of what I came up with, based on what I've seen posted at other rinks and problems I've observed; please add any others you've commonly seen:

1. No loose objects on the ice--hockey sticks, pucks, gloves, etc. [this comes from many little kids I've seen who'll throw their hockey gloves around to each other and the gloves go sliding around on the ice...luckily there've been no mishaps but if someone who's not good at stopping/avoidance has one glide into their path, or if it suddenly gets tossed under the feet of a skater who's spinning or skating too quickly to notice, there could be disaster. And the glove thing definitely happens on a regular basis, so it's not just a one-time thing I'm complaining about]

2. The center is for tricks only--no skating "across" the center circle. [this comes from oblivious folks who aren't paying attention, usually, and sometimes requires the person working on moves in the center to stop and wait for Oblivious Person to pass]

3. If working on moves, each skater chooses a spot and sticks to it [this usually isn't an issue, and was more inspired by a public session where there were more figure skaters as usual and we just fell into this pattern and it worked great, but just in case...]

4. Skate in the proper direction only [I feel bad about this one because there's a regular who's all over the place who is very good at avoidance and I don't have a problem with him and don't want to cramp his style, but the clueless folks who think going against the grain is a good idea....]

5. "Ice walkers" are kept behind the front desk and only given out to people who need them. [currently they're just kept rinkside and there are always a bunch of kids who clearly know how to skate messing with them and sliding around with them and such and it's ridiculous]

6. If a kid has an ice walker, a parent MUST be at their side at all times, no exceptions, no excuses. [If your kid can't even stand up on the ice, for heaven's sake don't leave it by itself while you skate off, or even worse, you're not even on the ice. At best it gets in peoples' way because the poor thing hasn't a clue what it's doing and is tripping around willy-nilly and falling all over the place; at worst it falls down and cries for five minutes in a heap because you're not there to pick it up]

7. Ice walkers must be in someone's possession at all times and must NOT be just left sitting on the ice while you skate off.

8. No skating while carrying your child. [This one I'm somewhat ambiguous on...but when I see parents doing this I keep thinking, "OMG what if you FALL???" Maybe I watch too many of those YouTube videos with the pair skaters where the guy drops the woman, I dunno! But it's gotta throw your balance off and also make it more difficult to see where you're going (and with thigh-height kids zooming around that are hard to see anyway, having your kid obstructing your vision makes a collision/fall easy I would thing)]

9. No cell phones, etc. on the ice! [Yes, I actually saw a girl on a cell phone once while skating. Not at this rink, but I'm sure it's bound to come up again. And yes, while at least she wasn't a stumbling-all-over-the-place beginner skater, she wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to where she was going anyway]

10. No playing with the orange cones. If they're used for a lesson or game, they must be kept in the center of the ice where they're not in traffic flow, but they must be stationary-- no skating around with them (for example, using them as makeshift ice walkers and pushing them around the ice).

11. If a skater falls, s/he should get up immediately and either leave the ice or continue skating. [This would eliminate groups of kids who stand around and laugh about it for ten minutes when their friend falls and watch said friend flail around on the ice for comic effect]

12. Do not stand around socializing on the ice--either skate, or leave the ice to talk with friends.



Okay, that's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more later...

I'm confused by this one. I guess it works for people on low-level moves in the field who are using lines for edges or turns, but a lot of moves patterns go around the rink so it would be difficult to "choose a spot." Unless you mean people are skating around the rink in a certain order, but then it would be difficult to correct anything or go back to a certain point in the pattern and work on a specific transition or what not.

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"Without a struggle, there can be no progress" ~ Frederick Douglass

I'm talking about public sessions, not freestyle where people ARE free to run programs and such. I've been there where, say, I'm working on two-foot turns, and somebody else is working with their coach on spins, and somebody else has a patch to work on their jumps, etc.

Mostly trying to avoid situations where, for example, there was once a small class being held and they couldn't stick to one spot--I'd be working in the area just outside the hockey circle (where there's the empty space between the circle and the traffic) because the class was at the area on the other side, then they'd come across and start working where I was, so I'd switch to the other space, then they'd come back to that space and I'd have to keep stopping and switching to avoid them...

There was a Dad in a parent & child class who regularly used his phone to talk (not take pictures) during the lesson on the ice. I asked him to step off the ice to use the phone, so he would spend half the lesson in a hockey box on the phone. I don't know what he did for a living, but I felt bad for his son who we worked to keep involved in the lesson without the parental assistance.

I decided to pretend (in my own strange, little mind) that he was a doctor giving out life-and-death advice - obviously that was important enough to miss most of the lesson and the time with his son.

"Electronic devices" would cover phones, radios, ipods, and cameras. Just a suggestion.

"Trick skating" isn't a term most of the rinks I've been to use - they usually say "backward skating or figure skating." Trick skating to me means jumping over barrels or skating on stilts. (God rest Fritz Dietl.)

"Working on Moves" is tricky because it's directed at figure skaters specifically. I think the rink will argue that Moves should be done on a Freestyle. That might cause the rule to be rewritten to "No Skating Moves (or Dance) Patterns." Be careful.

I would add no camels or spirals - they're really dangerous on a crowded public, especially backward spirals.

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^I thought about the no spirals/camels thing, but there really isn't a problem with them that I've seen, so I'm not worried about it. As far as figure skating moves...there's no way they're not well aware that there are figure skaters on the session and even that upon occasion there are figure skaters having lessons with their coaches, so I'd think if they have a problem with it, they'd have said so already. (And as far as wording "tricks"--that's what most public skate folks will think of to refer to stuff that isn't just skating in circles...say "figure skating" and they'll have no idea what is being referred to)

Added more above.

Ok,I am not sure just how busy a Public Skate we are talking here. Or like at my Rink,it just depends on the day and week,and even season that it is (as my Rink has Public Skate year-round). But at my Rink during a Public Skate, everyone kind of keeps an eye on each other. With one girl (I don't really know, or remember if she said how long she's been skating) who comes there during a Public Skate just to pratice HER Spirals,other moves,etc.for her lessons...and she has been very helpful too everyone. As far as making sure people stay out of the way of others and all...and even let's other skaters know if they should be doing (or)helps them with THEIR moves. She has even taught ME a few things.Talk about a Role-Model Skater!!!! She HERSELF stays out of the way too. If she's NOT an avanced Skater. She cutainly skates like one!!!!! I don't know if YOU have anyone like that at your public Skate. But it wouldn't hurt to find out. I can't really comment on behavor. As I haven't seen any bad behavor at MY Rink yet. But I must agree that unnessacery behavor of ANY kind at a Rink. Weather Public,Freestyle,etc. SHOULD be delt with,and I agree should not be toleated!!!

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FSWer

yeah is true that, it cause distraction and you can fall , but is like extreme that about socializing on the ice ....

We used to have the walkers, they were removed after a lawsuit was threatened (skater A abandoned theirs, skater B fell over it, got hurt, got a lawyer etc). Walkers disappeared shortly afterwards. You may now "rent" large traffic cones for $1/session. Renting them means you are responsible for them...parents are usually stuck like glue to "theirs" and when the kids abandons it, mom/dad scream at the kid to retrieve it before someone else makes off with it (quite comical at times).

We don't restrict the center ice for spinning-absolutely NO WAY to keep people out of the center, although the figure skaters are being taught (properly) to spin in the center and typically congregate there. We don't expect skaters to stay in one spot-the flow of the rink needs to move so people don't get run over. If you want to work on something "standing still" then one goes to the end-zone (at my rink). We work our moves and patterns around the other skaters-in no way are we to expect public skaters to yield to us-it's a public skate not a freestyle session (we had this discussion at our club meeting last week-skaters do not have to yield if you are teaching on public ice, only freestyle ice).

We have some of the other rules about "no loose objects", and I have retrieved pucks (they go into my pocket until I can find the parent), hockey gloves, sticks, etc...

The hard part about skating on un-monitored ice is to be diligent but not overbearing about it. If there is a safety issue (i.e. parent CARRYING child, kids playing dangerous games) then it takes a bit more persistence to get people to exhibit safer behaviors.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I would like to say too. That for me. When I want to rest,I either stop in an area of the ice wre not very skaters are. To give them enough space. Or go to Rinkside when I talk. BTW. what are walkers?

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FSWer

RED RAMPS OF DESTRUCTION!!!!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Oh that's a horrid device! It looks so unstable.

We have these

or these



But I just found this in a blog, isn't it cute:


I'm in Canada. Our public skating is counter clockwise, forward only and the teenagers chatting in the middle checking out the hockey dudes.

Hi

Well, at my home rink in Singapore, they have the following rules:

1.) Walkers are only for children below 1.45 cm. (You saw teenagers using them, normally, they will be shouted at by the other coaches.) For myself, I also do not like walkers, as when children are tired of using them, they just leave them aside in the rink, and this can cause hazards.

2.) Children below the age of 4 are now allowed on the ice. (This is for safety reasons.) My home rink does not care too much about this rule. An 8 year old freestyler has a 2 year old younger sister, and the younger sibling is almost always allowed on the ice. For your info, the younger sibling is not learning with a coach at all. This just means that the public has to watch out that the little girl is somewhere on the ice.

3.) Gloves must be worn at all times in the ice rink.

4.) Shoes must be worn at all times in the surrounding areas of the ice rink.

5.) No skating in chains of more than 3 people, as it is just plainly too dangerous.

6.) Always skate in anti-clockwise direction.

7.) No reckless or dangerous behaviour allowed on the ice.

8.) Always listen to the ice steward's instruction.

The rest of the rules are almost the same as what Kat12 posted here.

And the penguin thing, is used in winter skate rinks, such as Somerset house in London, but they are only for toddlers and small children.

You're right in that safety must always be a consideration. The rules regarding safety issues (no laying on the ice, no carrying children, the evil walkers, no talking on the phone, etc) are definitely something that should be in place.

However, the socializing ones and picking a spot to work on something don't seem very realistic. Yes, there are figure skaters who want to work on things on these sessions. However, it is a public session. Unlike a freestyle, figure skaters do not have the right of way nor should they be allowed to take over certain spots. Public sessions for many people are places to socialize and just have fun while skating (or trying to, as the vast majority likely do not skate regularly). You have the right to be able to work on things as well, but the public skaters also paid to be able to use the whole ice. If they want to socialize (while still being safe) they have that right. Maybe the rule should be more along the lines of if you want to just stand and socialize, do it near the boards rather than in the flow of traffic.

The class you talked about probably should have coned off an area where they were going to work, but if it is just individuals working on different things it is really not right to restrict them to a certain spot so they don't interfere with your "spot." It is actually better etiquette (and safer) if you work in different areas of the rink on different things rather than staying in one spot, unless you are in the center and it is coned off for figure skating only.

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"Without a struggle, there can be no progress" ~ Frederick Douglass

Metric isn't my strong suit, but that is one TEENY child!

(yeah, I know it's a typo, but it made me laugh)

But you know, assuming it meant to say 1.45 m- that's pretty tall. I did a conversion and I'm only 1.54 m tall

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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)

Yeah, but don't those cute little kids in their cute little dresses with admiring mom/dad get under your feet! At least you might spot them with an ice walker

Now some rules for the patch to keep the spinners from congregating across the corners would help

Hi

I think that I made a typo mistake in my mail too.

It should be walkers are for children below 1.45 m (I will check again when I go ice skating this week), not 1.45 cm.

Well, I am 1.73 cm tall.

Basically, in my rink, if one has to use the walkers bending down their body, that means that they are too tall to use it. That is according to the coaches and ice stewards.

londonicechamp

Hi

Sorry, my tempo mistake again.

I am 1.73 m tall, and not 1.73 cm.

londonicechamp

If I were to impose any rules they would be as minimal as possible:

1. We are all here to have fun. Be polite, and don't harass other people.
2. Try not to hurt other people.
3. If you break these rules, we will kick you out.
4. If you see someone break these rules, come get management. Non-rink personel who take it on themselves to regulate other people's behaviour, short of assault or immediate danger, will be kicked out.
5. Paid instructors and coaches must be approved by management.

Too many rules make for a less fun and useful rink. Rules always tempt people to break them. Most people act most politely, when there are few rules, or none. So too many rules create more problems than solutions.

Kids especially love to see what they can get away with. Watch how they respond to anyone who attempts to impose a rule on what they can do. Typical kids will begin doing it constantly, out of site of that person, or see how far they can go just short of prompting a response. Some adults behave that way too.

The guidelines for management personel need to be more complex.

The interpretation of the rules depends A LOT on how many people are there, and what their skating levels are. E.g., when there are 1 or 2 or 3 people on the ice, only regulate extreme behaviour. If you've got hundreds, reasonably safe crowd control becomes a serious management responsibility.

There is a fine line between mutually fun teasing and genuine harassment. Management personel should only regulate activities that represent genuine harassment, or present substantial danger.

That said, an out of control object on public session ice can very easily hurt people, and some people need to be reminded of that. If on-ice objects are on public session ice, it should be in one small corner of the rink, during VERY uncrowded sessions, under control. And sometimes people engaging in pushing/checking matches aren't careful enough to make sure it doesn't affect people outside their mutually fun circle. For borderline behaviour, a warning makes sense before kicking the person out.

On uncrowded ice, you don't need guards - but it is important for management to check at reasonably frequent intervals, even when only one person is skating, in case someone is hurt, or in danger.

Different rinks have very different instructor/coach approval procedures. The easier it is for coaches to teach, the more coaches they get, and therefore the more skaters end up coming in the long run. But some coaches, like some skaters, behave badly, and must be kicked out.

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Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

I guess it helps to know how the rink works...for example, the center IS pretty much used for figure skating, except for the occasional Clueless Person wandering through who doesn't quite get the idea of how the flow goes. So it's not like saying "figure skating in the center only" is going to cramp anyone's style. It's also a rule I've seen posted at other rinks, so it can't be that bad.

Likewise for the "no socializing on the ice." I've seen that posted other places too. And traffic is usually enough there that it can be difficult enough to navigate around other, slower people and darting kids, that having to also try to get around a knot of stationary people and the bottleneck that ensues at that spot is annoying at best.

How about "no crazed hockey dads who don't know how to skate coaching their kids"?
We have one who stands in the doorway telling his kid what to do the whole session unless some kid takes pity on her and takes her off to do something more fun than practicing what dad thinks she ought to do (dad had to stop going out on the ice with her because he kept falling on his head). We had another one today who was standing in the center of one of the hockey circles by the crease, NOT in the center, making his kid do back crossovers, and the kid skated right into one of my students, who is in her late 60's if she is a day and fell and got a concussion last time she was on the ice. I told the kid to stop but he was oblivious (he's a former student of mine also) and skated right into my arm, which by then I had stretched out to keep him from skating into my student, who was freaking out. Dad either didn't care or was not paying attention so I bit the kid's head off and told him I would take him and anyone else who knocked my student down off the ice. Then Dad bit my head off for yelling at his kid. So I bit his head off for letting his kid run into my student. It was not very pleasant but my student got out of it unscathed and had a good time. And all the other hockey dads stayed away from me AND my student!
Get those crazy hockey dads off the ice!!! (and I say this as a hockey mom!)

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

Hi

I was in the rink for practice today, and finally saw one of the rules, which is:

Ice walkers are not to be used by children below 1.2 m, not what I typed in the post.

Sorry about the mistake.

londonicechamp

londonicechamp- That height makes a lot more sense! It's definetly a kid height, the other was almost a (small) adult one

I wouldn't expect you to have it committed to memory, so thanks for reporting back

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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 skated at Ice Forum in Kennesaw, GA, USA on Monday. It was a public session so I asked a coach what was allowed. He said I was allowed to do anything as long as I wasn't being dangerous so I was able to practise spirals and landing position without any trouble.

At Bracknell Ice Rink, Berkshire, UK I was asked not to do spirals on a public session.

My local rink (Streatham, London, UK) doesn't seem to impose any rules on practice during public sessions.

Good lord, really? Well they weren't looking very hard this morning I was doing spirals! Admittedly Monday morning is an extremely quiet session, and my spiral leg isn't anywhere remotely near hip height, but there were beginning skaters also on the ice. It must depend on how busy the session is...and whether there's actually a steward on the ice.

I end up being the meanie-on-ice when I skate on public sessions. If kids are tossing a glove and then skating around to it, I pick it up and toss it over the boards. Then, when they get mad at me, I tell them to go read the rules posted in the public lobby area...

No pucks or sticks allowed on public ice, everyone on the ice must wear skates, no chains of people, (couples may hold hands of course ) skate aids must be attended to at all times (or I take them off the ice ASAP if I see them left there) no flailing on the ice (or I'll come over and embarrass the heck out of you) and a few more that I can't remember because it's been so long since I skated! Must go be the meanie again soon!

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