Public sessions - worrying

[cassarilda]

We were at our rinks public session last night (did I mention there is only ONE rink in the entirety of Melbourne? ;) ), and I was rather shocked and worried that there were a group of public skaters whose ankles were at a 45 degree angle from their skates... and so were their skates from the ice!!! 8O 8O 8O 8O They didnt have their hire skates laced all the way up (just to below their ankle like you would normally do up sneakers), and they were wondering why they couldnt do it...

I was horrified!!!! I went up to two of them, and told them they should be laced all the way up nice and tight.. otherwise they could break an ankle... some of them eventually did... but I was extremely worried about them...

But what can you do? 8O

Oh yeah, and then there was the idiot who brought out his hockey stick and puck and tried to dribble it (?? dont know the term - you know, hitting it back and forth in front of you as you skate) with all the figure skaters, dancers, and beginners on the ice as well... he couldnt even skate well enough to keep the puck anywhere near himself... he got told off pretty darn quickly! :roll:

[Kevin Callahan]

Public sessions can be a nightmare.

The rental thing you can't do much about; I don't even try. Most of these people will never find themselves on the ice again for a long time, so it almost doesn't even matter. And even if it did, rental skates are so bad that even if you lace them tightly as possible, you still will find them to seriously lack support.

As for crazy public sessions, take today's. Normally a public session in the middle of the day is no problem. A lot of us figure skaters use it because the younger folks are in school. However, today, there was a rink field trip and basically, the ice was flooded with sixth graders from a nearby middle school. The three of us that were actually figure skaters ended up working on edging only; jumps were too dangerous. And I still had two people collide into me. :roll:

[EastonSkater]

Public sessions have been generally ok for me. Although, there are always the bad times when you get idiots just colliding into you when you're simply skating in the normal direction.

On the weekend, this girl had no clue how to skate and was well away from the boards .... it was fairly crowded. She was toppling around and then decided she'd just grab on to me to stop herself from falling. We both fell. Her rental skate got caught on my boot and wouldn't come off .... and she's making all these stupid hysterical sounds and thrashing her legs around all over the place, trying to free her skate. And in the meantime, I was just hoping her stupidity was not going to end up with my leg cut by her skate. I ended up yelling very angrily to stop her stupid struggling and thrashing. Unhooked her skate. Then told her not to do that kind of stuff, like thrash around after falling over. My legs and boot were fine...not cut by her skate.

But later, another idiot just runs their rental skate with toe picks into the side of my boot. So now my boot is scraped by a damn rental toe pick. These are the things you just have to live with when you're skating with people that don't give a damn what kind of damage they can cause by skating in any which way they like in rentals. I don't mind them running into my skates with rentals without toe picks....but I really feel the anger build up when reckless people run their toe picks into my boots.

And in the same session, I noticed that somebody was going to topple, so I decided to slow right down behind them to avoid them, and then that person changes direction and skates into me....again kicking their skates up into my boots as they lose control of their balance. It's a no-win situation basically.....but I just think why the heck are they so inconsiderate, especially when I myself used the walls when I was learning, and never did anything stupid to become a nuisance when I was a beginner.

[Kevin Callahan]

If someone damages my boot, I'll make them pay for it. I don't know about your skates, but I assume they're not cheap. Mine cost around US$650, and if someone puts a gash in it, I look at it the same way as if someone put a gash in my car. If you can't drive your skates, get off the ice. I know plenty of people who skate irregularly with rentals and don't get anywhere near my investment. And that's exactly what my boots are, an investment. You don't just drop hundreds of dollars for the hell of it.

What really, really, ticks me off? People who talk on cell phones while skating. I actually do yell at these people. A very gruff "DRIVE YOUR SKATES" usually does the job. Jesus, if you're not supposed to do it on the road, what makes you think you can do it on unstable, unsupported, rental skates which are part of a sport you do not even participate in? How on earth can this seem like a good idea?

Another thing that is annoying me of late is the tendency of younger skaters ("skate civilians" and surprisingly some actual figure skaters) to pick up snow and throw it at each other. If I see it happening, I skate up to the individual say "No" and skate away. Usually works. If they think I work for the rink, so much the better. The few times I've been caught doing this by a skate guard, I've been backed up. But it helps when you know everyone who works at your rink.

It all comes down to respecting the ice and the equipment. We do it, because we realize just how dangerous our sport is. Perhaps it's arrogant of us to think that "skate civilians" should be as respectful, but I believe at least a pretense of respect is not too much to ask.

[EastonSkater]

Yep ... I know exactly what you're saying there Kevin. It ticks me right off. The chatting on the cellphone while skating thing is pure brain fade. The snow throwing thing is ridiculous as well. The rules at our rink are clearly broadcasted a few times through the rec session, and kids still scrape ice, shape into snowballs and throw them. And not all the kids are that young either. I'm thinking that sooner or later that some innocent person is going to be blinded by these fools that don't follow the rules.

[stardust skies]

If someone damages my boot, I'll make them pay for it. I don't know about your skates, but I assume they're not cheap. Mine cost around US$650, and if someone puts a gash in it, I look at it the same way as if someone put a gash in my car. If you can't drive your skates, get off the ice. I know plenty of people who skate irregularly with rentals and don't get anywhere near my investment. And that's exactly what my boots are, an investment. You don't just drop hundreds of dollars for the hell of it.


That would be true of a freestyle session- if you can't skate then don't go on them. But on a public session, it's the beginners that have right of way, not freeskaters with $700 boots. I am sure you would be more careful with your car if you had another car in front of you that said "student driver". Same thing. People on public ice don't know how to skate, they're not expected or required to. It's skate at your own risk, so if you choose to put yourself amongst people who don't know how to skate with these extremely expensive skates, then that's your own choice and responsibility. They have absolutely no obligation to pay for anything if they damage your skates, because your decision to skate on public ice with them could easily classify as carelessness. If you buy $700 skates, then you're a good skater. If you're a good skater, then you belong on freestyles, and if you don't want to pay for them or drive the distance for them (I've driven 3 hours each way for freestyles in the past), then it may not be your FAULT, but it's still certainly your informed decision, and you can't blame someone who doesn't know how to skate for being where they belong just because you are not.

I can't believe anyone would actually be upset at a poor kid/adult who doesn't know how to skate for hurting your expensive equipment. Just like I wouldn't wear my Chanel dresses rock climbing, or even wear my competitive skates to teach kids on Learn to Skate sessions (I use an old pair of boots for that because I KNOW they'll trip over me because they don't know how to skate and plus I don't want to ruin my new Gold Seals and constantly need sharpening on them because the ice on publics SUCKS and ruins your edges....). I would never wear my competition boots and blades alongside people who don't know how to skate. That's asking for problems.

On another note, in my state, it's completely legal to use a cellphone while driving. I personally can talk on the phone AND use my turn signals, something most people can't even do when they are off the phone. As far as their usage on public ice...so long as walkmans are allowed, I think it'd be hypocritical to ban cellphones as walkmans usually take up both ears, while cells only take up one. But just like the boot issue....at some point, these people will get knocked over from behind and their phones will break, and then they will have learned their lesson. Public skating isn't a place for people to tote around valuable items. Same for Ipods....how many of those get broken weekly at public sessions accross the country? It's stupid to bring them.

Finally, I really think that you are forgetting something: "it all comes down to respecting the ice and the equipment", true, but you're forgetting that it also comes down to respecting each other. If a kid pays $12 for some public ice and to have some fun, who are you to skate up to them and tell them not to play with each other? If you wanna do that, then put an application into the rink! If anyone not from the rink came up to me (I don't skate publics but if I did...) and told me stuff like that I would laugh right in their faces. Throwing snow is not against the rules of most rinks. Throwing THINGS, like plastic balls or pucks or whatever, yes, because it can get in other people's way and that is endagering everybody. But it really seems that in the case of figure skaters who insist on using public ice, everything bothers them and they feel like they have a right to ruin a good time for all the non skaters by trying to act like this is a freestyle session and everyone who doesn't follow freestyle session rules should leave. Everyone paid as much as you did to skate, and public sessions are different than freestyles. If you want people who can skate, who won't throw ice at each other, and who'll respect the sport, then get on a freestyle! As it is, you're probably as much in everybody's way as they are in yours. If they don't complain to you, then you shouldn't complain to them- and if they are really posing an incredible threat to the entire public session, you should speak to a skate guard, NOT the patrons. That is so rude, and it's not your place at all. That would really piss me off. Everyone's equal on these sessions. I'd love to see you skate up to a kid on a freestyle session and try to tell him not to do something- you'd be viewed horribly. If you have a problem with a kid on a freestyle, you talk to their coach. In a public, you talk to the ice guard. That's why he's there. Sorry to be so hostile but that post really pushed a peeve button for me.

[cassarilda]

*sigh*

I wish I could drive 3hrs to get to another rink... ;) I wish Melbourne had more than ONE tiny piddly rink!!!!!! :frus: :frus: :frus:

[EastonSkater]

*sigh*

I wish I could drive 3hrs to get to another rink... ;) I wish Melbourne had more than ONE tiny piddly rink!!!!!! :frus: :frus: :frus:

Yep...that is a problem. The problem in Australia is limited rinks, and expensive price to pay for a session. And in a big city like Melbourne, I bet a lot of people would have to take ages just to get to the rink.

[cassarilda]

Yep...that is a problem. The problem in Australia is limited rinks, and expensive price to pay for a session. And in a big city like Melbourne, I bet a lot of people would have to take ages just to get to the rink.

But you would THINK that Melbourne would have more than ONE!!! We've got a population similar to that of Sydney!! Or even Brisbane at least (they have 3? rinks..)... we used to have 3.. but two shut down... :frus: :frus:

And I drive 1.5hrs to get to the rink... and I live in the metro, and the rink is metro too! I wouldnt want to live on the other side of the bay.

[EastonSkater]

But you would THINK that Melbourne would have more than ONE!!! We've got a population similar to that of Sydney!! Or even Brisbane at least (they have 3? rinks..)... we used to have 3.. but two shut down... :frus: :frus:

Holy dooley.....they shut down 2 rinks? That's really sad to hear actually. I definitely would have thought Melbourne would have more than 1 rink as well. I wonder what's up with that. It's a tough call maybe. I think....but have to check....in Australia, private skates probably cost 2 or 3 times the price that they might cost to buy over in USA. Whether it's figure skates or hockey skates, they often jack the prices right up in Australia. So probably a lot of people want to think a lot before parting with their money on decent skates here. Then there's a limited range of skates to choose from here, and very limited quantities. Plus limited skate shops, because there's limited rinks. So right now, things are really getting kind of nowhere.

hmmm...brisbane... at least 2 rinks. I've been to one of those.....great rink, nice ice...but the people that work at the ticket counter and reception seemed to suck big-time. They seem really up themselves....as if owning or operating an ice rink makes them think they're so cool or something - so as to allow them to be snobby. They have a lot to learn about manners and respecting customers. I was very polite when I turned up, and very friendly, and they behaved like snobs. So I doubt that I'll ever skate at the Acacia Ridge rink again. The guy that was handing out the rental skates was very cool though. He was a good guy. I had to rent that day because I was visiting my sister in Brissy, and didn't have my skates there on my trip.

[WhisperSung]

While we're on open skating pet peeves here are some others:

-people skating around with headphones/ipod ear things. If you can't hear people around you, you're going to get run over or kill someone. These people tend to skate with their heads down, too.
-hockey dads "teaching" their kids on the ice, doing drills and such. I know it's technically allowed, but the ones I usually see try to sneak out pucks and sticks or like to throw there hockey mitts/gloves across the rink for others to catch (or fall on).

The end. 8-)

[Schmeck]

There's a great forum on this board called 'On Ice', where skaters can post these types of topics. There's a great community there waiting to enjoy your input!