What would your ideal ice rink/arena be like?

[cassarilda]

Ive been to a few ice rinks, and so has my husband, during our skating times, and we've always come away with the impression that they arent quite what they should be...

So we've come up with wishlist of attributes for the best ice rink (that, like most ice sportspeople, we would love to build one day :D ):

- At least 2 rinks - one dedicated to ice dance/figure practices during non-competition times, and the other dedicated to public sessions and hockey sessions.

- An upstairs or mezzanine cafe of glass windows for parents waiting etc, but also acts as a promo area as people can watch the practicing dance/figure skaters in the 2nd rink.

- Downstairs cafe near the public rink for the public skaters.

- seperate entrance for competitors at competitions

- Some external glass so its not so damn dark inside!

- Warming pads on the seating! ;)

- BIG dance studio and fully equipped gym for off-ice training.

- seperate rooms for birthday parties and other events so they dont take up the whole room in the cafe!

- Oh and decent hire skates!!!! (for friends ;) )

Our main one is the 2 rinks - as ice dancers we've been booted from the rinks often enough by the management wanting the money that hockey training can bring in, that its a bit hard to get in practice! As far as we know, there are no twin rink arenas in Australia.. and ice hockey has a bit more exposure than ice dance or figure skating, so I can understand why managers prefer hockey over us... but its still annoying! :frus:

So... anyone else want to add their own wish list?

[Mel On Ice]

4 rinks - hockey, figure skating, speed skating and public. I miss seeing my doctor and his speed skating club on Sundays.

hockey gear decontamination/fumigation area 8O

how about a NICE figure skating club locker room, with lockers and space for all? and toilet stalls with doors, not curtains.

figure skater's paradise pro shop stocked with adult dresses, boot covers, and a music selection and mixing station

ballet/fitness room with free classes

zambonied ice every hour for fresh ice, with skate dads taking turns driving so they are having fun too

lounge with happy hour :bow:

cold enough the ice surface is perfect, not so cold I'm skating in layers

a CD player that doesn't freeze, skip or otherwise not work

an awesome sound system

rinkside hot chocolate/coffee/tea dispenser

[flying~camel]

how about a NICE figure skating club locker room, with lockers and space for all? and toilet stalls with doors, not curtains.


AMEN to that!

[JumpinBug]

I'd like to add mirrors and a harness system to the figure skating rink, please. :)

[Isk8NYC]

How about a child-care / babysitting facility? There's lots of Moms at my rink who want to skate, but they have youngsters. They bring the kids for lessons, but don't have enough time for themselves. Others have babies that need a warm spot to sleep in while Mom and another child get some ice time in!

And, I'll add to JumpinBug's suggestions: how about ice markings that are for figure skating, not hockey? Patch lines, ice dance boundaries, MITF patterns would all be nice. Maybe there's some universal markers that would accommodate everyone. Lots of circles, too, in different sizes!

[Rusty Blades]

EASY QUESTION!

It would be all MINE - admission by invitation only! - and it would be attached to my house :) Of course, when I am not using it, it would be available CHEAP, 24 hours a day, to figure skaters only.

The walls would be all glass (plexiglass) so it would be like skating outside. The off-ice areas and dressing rooms would be as plush as a high-end private club. There would be (lockable) offices available to coaches and lockers for each regular skater. Food service would be available, restaurant style without getting out of your skates - no greasy bergers! - real nutritious and enjoyable food. Everything would be tailored to the needs of the figure skaters - no hockey, no NUTHIN! - just the ideal figure skating facility.

What do you figure? About $2 million to build and $100,000 a year to operate? 8O

Ahhh it's nice to daydream!

[Shinn-Reika]

To be honest I'd rather have a rink that's full of friends and familiars than an expensive one, and that's exactly the kind I go to.

Heck it is even attacked to an arcade with DDR, though I wish they would get time crisis II.

[VegasGirl]

My ideal dream rink would be a nice secluded smoothly frozen over pond in the middle of nowhere... with trees all around and mountains as a backdrop!

Ok, back to reality... I found my ideal ice rink right here at the Las Vegas Ice Center... nice ice, super friends even better coach and comfortable environment... I'll be sorry to leave!!! :(

[VegasGirl]

I'd like to add mirrors and a harness system to the figure skating rink, please. :)

Got that... go check out the Athletic Arts Academy in Vegas... unfortunately the rink is really small and the ice not that good, but they do have mirrors and a harness system (from one who knows how it's done... Peter Foy himself :) ).

[EastonSkater]

2 rinks, 1 for hockey type skating, 1 for figure skating.

2 Zambonis ...each does half the rink to cut down on waiting time between an ice-make.

Free gear lockers.

Open 24/7 with video surveillance and security guards.

With the most modern facility and styling available.

[EastonSkater]

My ideal dream rink would be a nice secluded smoothly frozen over pond in the middle of nowhere... with trees all around and mountains as a backdrop!

Sounds exactly like Keystone ice rink in Colorado. It's open during winter. Massive area on a lake...I mean...massive. Zamboni cut as well, so it's nice and flat. You might find some cracks in the ice in parts, but if you just scout around, you'll find big areas where there's no cracks at all for doing whatever kind of skating you want.

[EastonSkater]

EASY QUESTION!

It would be all MINE - admission by invitation only! - and it would be attached to my house :) Of course, when I am not using it, it would be available CHEAP, 24 hours a day, to figure skaters only.

Mine would be full size, attached to my house, and only I'd be allowed on it. Not even my friends or family members would be allowed. Because they'd be skating on the other full size rink attached to the other side of the house.

[Schmeck]

The figure skating ice surface in the 2 rink complex would have no plexiglass, no hockey box, no torn netting, no signs about refraining from spitting, no marks all over the place from pucks and sticks, no bits of hockey tape to get stuck to blades...

I second the external windows, and how about some nice plants to freshen the Zamboni air?

[Chico]

I have ideal situtations. GOOD ice. Clean bathrooms. Trustworthy staff.

Chico

[iskatealot]

Definitely Two Ice surfaces. One for Hockey and skating competitions, the other being a true skating rink, without boards. Definitely mirrors along one side of the rink and windows would be good too. There should be a coffee shop with windows along both sides so that you can see both rinks. There should be two figure skating locker rooms. One for the little kids (like under 12) and one for the teenagers and adults. And the locker rooms should have a locker for each skater, that is big enough for our giant bags. There should be a really good sound system, and they should have all the skaters videotaped. Weekly club meetings to watch the videos can take place in our club room. Oh and there should also be a ballet studio and a workout room.

[cassarilda]

Thanks all!! Keep em coming! :D

I went to one of the worse rinks Ive ever been to the other day... the ice was horrible and hard, and didnt look like it had been cut for a week!!! 8O

Also, dripping ceiling and the rubber mats on the floors were half missing and cut up... Plus it was a hockey rink so hubby kept on almost hitting the edges during his routines he was practising (dance)...

I would LOVE to build our own rink, and make it everything everyone wants... anyone know how much they cost to build and run? Or know where I can find out? ;) :D Really, if you have public sessions, 7x a week, charge $10pp including skate hire, get about an average of 100ppl in per session, thats $7000pw income, and about $350,000 per year (50weeks)... even if it did cost $100,000 pyear in cost, you'd still be making a profit... Especially since that doesnt include money in through classes, rink hire for hockey and dance/figure practise and events, and corporate etc :idea:

But I dont know the full costs... I would love to talk to someone about it, but Im sure managers wouldnt tell me cos they'd be "protecting their interests".... :frus:

Oh well... I can still dream :D

[cassarilda]

May I ask, as a non-figure skater, and one who lives in Australia so is kind of out of the loop anyway, whats the harness for? Im assuming its for practising jumps? How would it be hooked up? :D

[EastonSkater]

May I ask, as a non-figure skater, and one who lives in Australia so is kind of out of the loop anyway, whats the harness for? Im assuming its for practising jumps? How would it be hooked up? :D

It's just a set of straps you put onto your body and the back of it has a thing to attach a cord/rope that dangles down from up above. You connect the end of the rope to your harness and the coach or friend controls how much tension there is in the rope. So you mess up in a jump, the rope can be pulled tight to stop you from falling hard onto the ice.

[blades]

May I ask, as a non-figure skater, and one who lives in Australia so is kind of out of the loop anyway, whats the harness for? Im assuming its for practising jumps? How would it be hooked up? :D

either hooked up to a wire on the overhead or carried on the end of a "fishing pole" your coach holds...

as for the ideal ice rink...check out the redwood empire ice arena in santa rosa, california build by charls schultz back in '68 & '69 for approx. $2mil (bocou bucks in them days)...billed as "snoopy's home ice" it even has the "warm puppy lounge"...one of the nicest rinks i've enjoyed...

check it out here:

http://www.snoopyshomeice.com/

[Isk8NYC]

May I ask, as a non-figure skater, and one who lives in Australia so is kind of out of the loop anyway, whats the harness for? Im assuming its for practising jumps? How would it be hooked up? :D

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_skating

Some rinks use harness systems to help skaters learn jumps faster in a controlled manner. The rink installs a heavy-duty cable that is securely attached to two walls of the rink. A set of pulleys ride on the cable. The skater wears a vest or belt that has a cable or rope attached to it. That cable/rope is threaded through the movable pulley on the cable above. The coach holds the other end of the cable and lifts the skater by pulling the cable/rope. The skater can then practice the jump, with the coach assisting with the completion.

[Summerkid710]

My ideal ice rink would have enough surfaces to adequately balance freestyle, moves, ice dance, and synchro with a basketball court sized gym so if you can do decent off-ice practice.

A weight room with hot tub would be nice, too.

No hockey or broomball at all.

*I'm angry at broomball because the zamboni guy didn't want to do the ice four hours before they had a broomball game scheduled. We totally would have it scratched up again by the time of the game.

[Isk8NYC]

I really don't know much about broomball; just the basics, ie. brooms + ball.

I'll go out on a limb and guess that choppy ice is better for that sport because the players don't wear skates?

True or false?

[blades]

8-)

depends on the location...in squaw valley and sun valley, we always played broomball in skates...t'was a brutal game sometimes but a hellava lot of fun!!!

[Tonichelle]

I'd like to add mirrors and a harness system to the figure skating rink, please. :)

Didn't Kurt Browning's "You Must Remember This" tv program feature a training room/rink with mirrors?

[Diana]

Ive been to a few ice rinks, and so has my husband, during our skating times, and we've always come away with the impression that they arent quite what they should be...

So we've come up with wishlist of attributes for the best ice rink (that, like most ice sportspeople, we would love to build one day :D ):

- At least 2 rinks - one dedicated to ice dance/figure practices during non-competition times, and the other dedicated to public sessions and hockey sessions.

- An upstairs or mezzanine cafe of glass windows for parents waiting etc, but also acts as a promo area as people can watch the practicing dance/figure skaters in the 2nd rink.

- Downstairs cafe near the public rink for the public skaters.

- seperate entrance for competitors at competitions

- Some external glass so its not so damn dark inside!

- Warming pads on the seating! ;)

- BIG dance studio and fully equipped gym for off-ice training.

- seperate rooms for birthday parties and other events so they dont take up the whole room in the cafe!

- Oh and decent hire skates!!!! (for friends ;) )

Our main one is the 2 rinks - as ice dancers we've been booted from the rinks often enough by the management wanting the money that hockey training can bring in, that its a bit hard to get in practice! As far as we know, there are no twin rink arenas in Australia.. and ice hockey has a bit more exposure than ice dance or figure skating, so I can understand why managers prefer hockey over us... but its still annoying! :frus:

So... anyone else want to add their own wish list?
i really agree with you :D
the people only think of hockey, and figure skating is always the last sport of the list, it's sad, but it's like this everywhere :roll:

[EastonSkater]

I really don't know much about broomball; just the basics, ie. brooms + ball.

I'll go out on a limb and guess that choppy ice is better for that sport because the players don't wear skates?

True or false?

True. The ice after a very busy rec skate session is better for broom ball. The rougher surface does help a fair bit. Nice physical work-out in broom ball, but the boring bit is not being able to change directions quickly.