I'm speaking of the center when it's reserved for lessons and FS. As usual, the rink guards do next to nothing, but I find that if I shoo intruders out, it's distracting to my younger students. It puts me in a difficult spot, because I need the space; I want to be safe and for my students to be safe, but don't want the interruptions.

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I've always enlisted the rink guards to protect that space. They "station" themselves with one guard skating around the middle instead of goofing around with the other guard. They're usually helpful that way if you ask them in advance nicely.

Of course, the payback is that I have to be the "bad guy" who tells the freestylists to stop doing doubles and flying camels on the public session.

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Our guards are generally nice guys, and do respond, but seem to have the attention span of gnats. Someone commented over the weekend that at least half the skate guards should be female. Comment was made after the guards present decided to race around the rink in a "gang" to show off how fast they could go and how closely they could cut in and out of the crowd.

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And then someone complained to management about the lunacy and it somehow got garbletranslated into a complaint about figure skaters jumping in the public session?

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It's all about the dress!

Wow, that must be what happened at our rink! Thanks for clearing that up!

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