So I went to Aviator Sports today to check out the ice rink. First, when I got there, I thought maybe they made a mistake on teh website because there is still plenty of construction going on, and I had no idea where to enter because there were construction guys everywhere. I saw somebody in an Aviator tee shirt, asked him where to go, and he pointed me towards it. I was literally, teh only person on the ice besides the skate guard for an hour. The skate guard didn't even want to be there, but they said if there is one person on the ice, than there has to be a skate guard also. But he stayed out of my way, so it was fine.

The ice felt really nice. It was all smooth, and it's pretty cool to know that all those lines on the ice are yours, especially the pretty ones. It's a big rink, NHL size I believe. And, because I was the only one on the ice, they let me jump and spin. It looks like when it's fully completed, it will be a great place. I saw where the climbing wall will be. They havne't put any pegs or anything in, but it's all coming along. And let me repeat, being the only one on the ice=amazing. For the last half hour of the time I was there, a woman with her little daughter came, but when you have that large of a space with so few people, it's really a non issue. Hopefully, it will always be that empty.

As for the skating, I don't know if I've gotten faster, or the ice makes me go faster, but I was doing some backward crossovers around the circle, and I think I picked up too much speed, lost control, and slid. I was doing them faster than I ever had before, but oh well. My spins sucked, my jumps were great. I set a new personal record for waltz jump distance. Take it for one of those days, or blame the ice for getting rid of my spins. But I always had crappy jumps, but today, they were great. Go figure.

Anyway, if anyone else goes, make sure to take hard guards to walk from hte bench to the ice. Like I said, the place is still very much under construction. They were installing benches today, putting doors onto the locker rooms, things like that, so there is a bunch of dirt and sand lying around. It was also a bit too warm for my liking. It was actually really warm. I don't know if this was because a few doors leading outside were open, or if it was the temperature in the rink, but I was pretty hot. Also, the bathrooms are really far from the rink, so if you need to change, you have to schlep all the way there and then back.

The public skating rink doesnt have any bleachers, but I peaked into the other rink and they have bleachers nad seating, so I guess that's where all the hockey games will go. There were a few people in suits who stopped in to the rinks, asked me how I liked it. Not sure who they were, probably the guys who paid for the whole thing. All I can say is $8 for essentially private ice. I will definitly try to make it for a weekday public session again.

I stayed for about an hour and a half. The session goes from 11-3. I thought it started at 12, so I showed up about 10 to 12, adn the rink was completely empty. I asked the skate rental what time it started, and she told me 11. I couldn't believe I would be able to cut up the nice, clean, pristine ice. Such fun. I wanted to stay longer, but I forgot my knee brace, and it started wigging out on me, so I figured it would be safer to leave then to push through it. But I'll be back with my knee brace next time. Don't worry.

I'm SOOOOO going there when I visit in December!!!

Thanks for the report!!!

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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!!!

Where is this rink?

It sounds like their ice was new (well, obviously) and very high quality, which is why you were able to go so fast and get good spring off of it.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

It's in Brooklyn, NY at the Floyd Bennet Fields, right off of Flatbush Ave. It used to be an airport, or an air force base, somethign like that, so once you enter, it's a bit confusing where to go to find the center. There were some signs, but once you turn, yuo basically go down a mile until you see the parking lot. And I wasn't even sure if it was it or not because there is nothing outside that says Aviator Sports. They could make it a but more apparent, but now that I know where it is, I don't think I"ll have the same difficulties.

And you have no idea how thrilled I was to go. I decided last night that if I got called to work today, I wasn't going. I wanted to go skating instead. So when the y called, I said, sorry I'm busy. But I'll work Thurs. and Fri. so it's OK. Maybe I'll have to take a day a week off to go skating. Especially when it's so empty.

hope you got a car , if you do, can I hitch up with you?

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Tim David's Website

I was going to go today, but got up late and decided not to. If I had known you were going, I would have made the extra effort.

What did you do with your things? They don't have lockers except for members.

I'm definitely going tomorrow, because I'm working on Staten Island later in the day, so I will skate for myself and then go to SI early to do my shopping first. Let me know if you are going again tomorrow.

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Floyd Bennett Field was a remarkable airfield in its heyday.
Amelia Earhart and Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan were some of the famous pilots that flew out of Floyd Bennett.

As for the Aviator Sports Arena, it's a brand-new facility.

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I didn't decide until I was going to bed last night. I thought, Wed. seems like a good day to go ice skating. I just left my bag on the bench. Seeing as how I was the only one there, it wasn't such a big deal. I don't know what to do if it's a bit more crowded.

I wish I could go tomorrow, but I already promised I would sub, so no dice. Same for Friday. And after speaking to my orthopedist, I'm not technically supposed to be skating other than going around in circles, but that'll just be my little secret. I figure if I'm having knee surgery next year anyway, might as well get some use out of my right knee while I still can. But I don't know how going 2 days in a row would work. In order for my knee to not become the size of a basketball, I need to have some sort of break anyway. I am thinking about trying to make it down next week, but I have a doctors appointment at 10 in Union Square, hopefully be out around 11, so maybe I can make it back for the last couple hours, but I'm not too sure.

If you do go tomorrow, you turn into FBF right before the toll plaza if you're coming up from Flatbush Ave. There's a light, and that's where you turn. Then turn left again, and drive for about a mile, and then there will be this little sign that says Aviator Sports, you turn into that parking lot. And unless they change the entrance, go in through the doors behind the airplane. I'm not sure if that's the main entrance, or just the one that they were using while they finish up on everything else, but like I said, it took me a bit because I didn't actually think they were even open yet.

i wish i could say i skated there today...after calling to confirm yesterday and rechecking their website last night i dragged myself out of bed before dawn to make it to their 6am session to skate before work. well i got there and the only person there was a security guard no other workers to speak of except some construction workers in their cars taking a doze before their work day. to say I'm annoyed is quite an understatement. I think it is highly unprofessional for them to post times and not stick to them. This is in addition to the fact that I spoke with the director last week and he took my number insisting he will call me back and never did. I really hope this is just a one time experience that does not get repeated. I was so excited to skate there since the times and location work so nicely into my work week so it's been quite a disappointment thus far.

Thanks. I've been there three times already, just haven't skated there yet. Right now, the only way in or out of the ice arena is the doorway you described.

It's such a shame that the bathrooms are so far away from the rink, as they have the best rentals I've ever seen (the director's choice), and the blades are going to go downhill fast with that hike by people who don't have a clue.

froggy, I just met the director, Ryan Hunka, on Monday. He's very nice, but very, very busy. He's way behind in his email and is spending long hours at the arena, so I'm not surprised he didin't call you, though he surely should have.

I'm PM'ing you both with my numbers in hopes that we can manage to get together there soon.

TimDavid, I have a car, and if you are willing to take the subway to Brooklyn, I would pick you up at a station (not Flatbush, there are better trains) and drive from there. My numbers are on their way to you too.

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I finally got to Aviator to skate today, just barely. I had to get up before 9 (early for me) to make a camping reservation for next summer, couldn't get back to sleep, and then slept until 1:30 . I'm a master of the quick getaway, and was on the ice by 2:05 . There were a few other adults with a couple of tots. The skate guard didn't know how to stop, so I showed him a snowplow, one foot snowplow and hockey stop, all of which he picked up pretty quickly. Then one of the adults said he wanted to learn stopping also (he is in their Tues night adult classes), and he picked it all up plus a T stop! He has some quad roller experience, which accounted for his ability. The ice was hard for figure skating, but hockey players would probably have liked it. They really need lockers and they really need bathrooms close to the rinks, not at the other end of the building, down a long hall and around staircases.

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hmmm..... you had your skating costume and skates on already before you left your place? heheheheehehe

Had showered the night before, cold coffee in the fridge, 1 min to warm up the bread, skates and jacket live by the front door, and I've been known to drive like a bat out of H*ll .

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Does anybody know what that "Special Public Skating" schedule is on the aviator website? Under public skating, it says special public skating with the next week days it looks like, but I can't figure out whats so special about it.

What's special about it is that after they announced their regular public session schedule and said it was all set, they have decided to make some changes, and they still are not sure what they want. So, it is "special" because it is not "regular", because they don't have a "regular" schedule yet. I don't blame them for wanting and needing to do some fine tuning, but they did jump the gun by announcing a regular public session schedule.

So long as I don't check the web site and show up for a session that isn't when it was supposed to be, I don't really care all that much.

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OK, thanks. I thought it might have been special because they were going to offer discounts or something. No such luck there I guess then.

How I wish! When I spoke with Ryan Hunka about guest coaching, as first he said I wouldn't have to pay for the public sessions I coached on. Stupid me expressed surprise, so he ran off somewhere to check on it, and came back to say I do have to pay....of course . If he had half a clue about the great PR work I do on the public sessions where I work, he would invite me onto his staff in a minute.

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i think i may be at the aviator mon at the 2:30 session with my niece and tues at 4:30 with some friends. if you are around say hi, youll know who i am since i wear a skirt when i skate and I wear eyeglasses.

happy skating!

oh and Im pretty sure the reason why they call it "special public skating session" this week is b/c there are holidays (monday is columbus day and the whole week is the Jewish holiday of Sukkos) this week so many schools in the area are closed...so they may anticipate more skaters coming during their school break..hence they may have added on some public skating sessions.

What schools are closed for Sukkos? Unless you mean the Yeshiva's. Public schools have Columbus Day off, but the rest of the week there is school. I'm going to try to make it for the Wednesday session, but I'm not sure if I'll be there in time.

There are always a lot of Orthodox Jewish skaters at Prospect Park during the Jewish holidays, so it may make a lot of sense to have additional public sessions
at Aviator, if that's what they are doing.

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Okay, just getting a general "show of hands..."

I'm gonna be visiting NYC this year from Dec 20-27th and would like to plan for a trip to Aviator!!! I would like to get a general sense of who's gonna be in town for the holidays and see if we can arrange a "group skate" at Aviator while I'm in town!!!

Who's in on it?

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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!!!

I'm in, but I have to work around my teaching schedule.
Right now, Saturdays are bad - I teach at two rinks on Saturdays.

I am off from my day job between Christmas and New Years, so that could be good.

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if i dont plan on taking a little mini vacation ill be there!

If I'm not going away, I"ll be there. But there is plans for a ski trip in the works with a few friends (we usually do the "Jewish thing" and order Chinese food and go to the movies on Christmas, but we're in the mood ofr a change this year". But if I'm around, I'm in.