VERY big club.
NOT a training centre.
Just nuts, that's all.

Here, here!!! I am very thankful my rink is pretty much drama free too (well, okay maybe it's more I don't see the drama that does happen since I'm only on the FS sessions like once a week, but even when I was training for AN, it was QUITE nice!!! We're all pretty supportive of one another, whether or not we're adults or kids. (Those of you that are in my Facebook should see that QUITE a few on my friends list are teenage kids/younger adults.) It's quite nice, actually!

Okay, we're NOT a trainer center for elite skaters, but we do have the occasional elite skaters sightings here!

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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!!!

Try a home with TWO of them!

Skating has more nuts than a peanut farm. The worst experience we ever had was with a small club. Joined a smallish branch of a big club after that, and when that branch self-destructed following the president's lack of interest and lack of tact due to her daughter's loss of interest, we went independent and have stayed that way. I'm now working at a rink with no home club and there is still drama. They finally had to ban one girl because of her mother's behavior and the daughter's following suit on the ice. I felt sorry for the kid, but pretty much everyone else was just glad to be rid of them, and I do understand why.

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April and May is the Annual General Meeting Season. For some people, being the President of the Skating Club is Very Very Important.

(capitals on purpose to emphasize my sarcasm)

Maybe I'm just oblivious, but at my current rink there's not a lot of drama. I'm not sure if it's the most competitive rink in town (I don't get out enough!) but it is pretty competitive, but people seem to get along pretty well from what I can see. It's really a pretty nice environment.

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Gordon Zaft
http://sk8rboi.blogspot.com
School figures are skating's equivalent of the Latin Mass.

I don't notice anything either, although I'm sure stuff goes on. I think guys in general are more oblivious to these kinds of things. Also, I'm a big guy who can skate fast which might intimidate some people into leaving me alone.

This is just as true for hockey as for figure skating, and although the teenagers in our figure skating club love to create dramatic crises, the hockey coaches and parents are just as bad! I've coached hockey as well as figure for the past three years and the coaches are just about as bad as teenage girls. They complain about each other, they don't get along, and you should have heard the complaining when USA Hockey started requiring the coaches to wear helmets. They could not get over having to have sweaty, matted helmet-hair. One guy used to vanish off the ice the second the buzzer rang without helping move the nets or pick up the pucks and it turned out he was skating away as fast as he could so that he could switch his helmet for his baseball cap in private so no one would see his hair. Plus a lot of the guys get divorced and then marry each other's wives.
And don't even get me started on the parents. Some of them come right down to the bench so they can instruct their kids during games (and these are the parents who can't skate, which is usually why they're not coaching). When they're told not to do that they make up hand signals so they can instruct the kids during the game. I am not making this up!!!!!! AND THESE ARE ALL GUYS!!! Definitely not a gender issue!!!

Yep, and there is JUST as much drama in competitive swimming too; except that the skintight bathing suits encourages references to body type, which is quite offensive on many fronts.

I've also seen it in competitive (and recreational) dance, gymnastics, baseball, softball, hockey, lacrosse, soccer ... etc etc etc.

Any sport, it seems, where there are PARENTS and CHILDREN engenders drama. Which is sad ... and, as a teacher, I see the fallout in the classroom - encouraged arrogance and rude behaviour on the sports field can spill over into arrogance and 'attitude' in the classroom. Kids model what they see; they learn by example; and setting a bad attitude ANYWHERE helps develop a bad attitude EVERYWHERE.

I also note that many of the most "dramatic" parents are former or ex skaters, swimmers etc., who were either quite successful - so know better than anyone - or NOT successful, so are now living vicariously thru their children.

And spoiling it for a whole bunch of well meaning, good, positive parents and their children.

Done with venting ... it was a rough night at the 'ol arena last night