Hi, all. I need some input from those of you who have experience putting on ice shows.

I was diagnosed with cancer last year and finished treatments about six months ago. Now that I'm sort of functional again, I am toying with the idea of putting on a show at my rink to benefit two cancer advocacy groups I'm involved with. I have absolutely zero experience with ice shows except for having skated in one when I was 8. Undaunted, I'm plowing ahead, and have started to talk to some of the coaches at the rink about my ideas, etc.

I did speak with Carolyn B. about her Skate for Hope show, and she was very gracious to give me lots of info. The conversation made me realize just how little I know and how much help I'm going to need from other people.

One idea I did have was to contact one of the smaller professional skating production companies in the area to see if they would volunteer their time, or at least provide their services at a discount, to put on a more professional show than I could put together on my own. But I didn't know if that was a completely ridiculous notion, and also if it would be impossible to mesh with the concept of then including local skaters who would have raised money in order to participate in the show (like Skate for Hope does).

Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

It sounds like you've got a good start, but don't be afraid to continue to ask for help and guidance. Network, network, network, even if you're doing so within your own rink. Skating directors, fellow coaches, even parents of skaters can be great tools for pointing you in the right direction or providing those necessary connections that you may not have been able to get on your own with your limited ice show experience.

That being said, I don't think asking one of the smaller production companies in your area for their help is a ridiculous idea by any means. The worst they can tell you is no. Even if that turns out to be the case, at least you won't be kicking yourself wondering what-if, and if nothing else, perhaps the company will be able to direct you to someone who can or is willing to lend a hand.

However, before you contact anyone, perhaps sitting down with your skating director and fellow coaches (or whomever has been of assistance in helping you generate some ideas) and brainstorming about the direction you'd like the show to take, your budget, any fundraising efforts, time, volunteers, etc. will help you present your ideas more clearly, which may help guarantee you the services you desire from the company.

Good luck and congratulations on your success in beating your cancer!

Well not to discourage you but you unless you can get your lights and your ice donated....the likelyhood of you being able to make any money on your show are pretty slim.

We put on a big show every year, we charge the skaters an arm and a leg to be in it, charge for tickets and get quite a few donations....and we just barely break even.

But being that it is for a good cause, you may be able to get your lights and ice donated.

j

Thanks for the input. I know I can't get the show going without donated ice, so securing that will be the first step, I think. We may have to do without lighting and just go with house lights up if I can't get that part donated. Gotta start somewhere, and the first year of this will probably be a very bare bones production.

And thanks for the encouragement with contacting a production company. I'm thinking if that I can't get donated ice, that maybe I can get a production company to underwrite the ice. We'll see.

Does anyone know how much it costs to rent ice by the hour? I assume it varies by rink, but what's the range?

Where do you live?

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Hi, Blacksheep--I'm in the San Diego area.

You're correct: ice time does vary rink to rink and it can be hard to narrow down the price of a sheet of ice per hour. I'd say that you're most likely looking at a couple hundred dollars an hour.

Perhaps the easiest and quickest way you can determine how much ice will cost for a certain amount of time (or how much time you can afford with a given budget) is to speak with the management of the rink. He/she should be able to give you an estimate.

Thanks, Pgh Coach. I do plan on talking to rink management soon, and actually that is encouraging that ice may be in the hundreds of dollars range per hour. I thought it would be more than that. Will be interested to see what it actually is at my rink.

At our rink the price is dependant on what else they can do at the time. If it's dead ice that nobody wants it's cheap but the popular times it is very expensive. You may get better deals if it's not hockey season (or at least a quiet time for hockey) but why not see if they will agree to sponsor the show as it's publicity for them at the rink and it's for charity so can be good for them for tax purposes.

Our rink puts on an ice show (panto) every year and the management give some money towards a charity each year and also collect from the public at one of the shows for the same charity.

As a club we do an annual gala which is made up of skaters from the club at various levels and with a mix of free, dance and artistic as well as a synchro number and a couple of group numbers (one of which is usually a show number from one of the interclub comps we participate in each year (about 30 skaters) and some are made up for the event. Last year we had a group doing compulsory dances but to modern music - 5 or 6 skaters doing low level dances but all at the same time to Gwen Stefani and Justin Timberlake tunes with a bit of free dance in the changeover. And also a group freeskate made up by the skaters themselves and a group dance number. The other skaters represented a broad sweep of level from lowest to highest (but mixed throughout the show) and skaters performed the programmes they compete with.

We dont' charge spectators and it is mostly parents but you certainly could charge. Obviously if you can get better known skaters to come along then you will get a bigger audience and can make more money. We have parents to operate the lighting and sound/announcing (as the rink do a panto every year several parents have experience) so the costs are low. We use one of the club ice slots but I'm not sure what we pay for those.

Good luck.

dont forget about getting sanctions for skaters. USFSA will need to be notified (if and when the show takes place) so the skaterss can obtain a release.

Another idea that would raise some money without the high overhead of a show is having a skate-a-thon. Either people can raise pledges or there can be a charge to skate. This works best if you find a bigger name skater to help with your cause and skate around at the skate-a-thon. Easter Seals used to do that (with figure skaters and hockey players) and the minimum a person had to pledge was 10 dollars.

Hmm, a skate-a-thon--hadn't even thought of that. Clever idea--I'll give that some thought. And thanks for mentioning about the sanctions.

Thanks for the input on your club's show, Batika. I do plan on recruiting a national level skater or two as the draw for the show, and charging for tickets. A few years ago, my rink did organize a cancer benefit for one of the coach's spouses, and Evan L. and Jenny Kirk skated. So I figure if it happened once at my rink, it can happen again. And I really like Carolyn B's format at Skate for Hope, where there are top name people, and the local skaters have to raise money to be able to skate in the show.

while I don't have experience putting on ice shows, I do have quite a bit of experience with charity fashion shows...

We have had coverage in local publications, participation from known designers and businesses (in the form of raffle donations - which I think can be a great opportunity for you to raise money!), and audiences of 300-500.

I think what's key (at least from my experience) is to put together the most informative and professional press packet possible and approach local businesses, etc about what you're doing. And then of course, advertise like crazy!

Best of luck!

If you could demonstrate to the rink that you had the potential to get a lot of publicity for an event at the rink, which would indirectly advertise the existance of the rink, maybe they would give you free ice time or a good deal.

If I tried to do something like this, I would pick the most convenient rink for the general public, not for me. With lots of comfy seats for the audience.

Good input, you guys, thanks. And Query, I think you're right about the location of the rink. I'd thought of that, b/c my rink is not central for a lot of people, nor does it have good seating. The problem is that I don't know many people at the other rinks in the area, so it would be hard to get the coaches to volunteer to choreograph group numbers, etc. Still, I think I need to check out other possible venues.