Michael Phelps Rink Purchase Story (Baltimore, MD)

[pairman2]

Re: the Baltimore scene

http://wbal.com/apps/news/templates/news.aspx?articleid=11233&zoneid=2

[Debbie S]

Some more articles:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/olympics/bal-phelpsrink0819,0,4224436.story

http://www.explorebaltimorecounty.com/news/2398/after-more-than-half-century-northwest-ice-rink-close/ (this is linked on IceNetwork)


I think it's terrible the way the rink ownership handled this. Apparently, the deal was reached earlier in the summer and they chose to wait until now to tell coaches and staff. And it's still supposed to be hush-hush. WTF?! Coaches need to make arrangements with their students for lessons elsewhere, staff needs notice to find other jobs, and the club needs to find a new home rink and arrange ice time. :evil:

[looplover]

How horrible! This is totally souring me on Michael Phelps. You'd think he wouldn't want to tear down an existing sports training center for another olympic sport.

Some more articles:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/olympics/bal-phelpsrink0819,0,4224436.story

http://www.explorebaltimorecounty.com/news/2398/after-more-than-half-century-northwest-ice-rink-close/ (this is linked on IceNetwork)


I think it's terrible the way the rink ownership handled this. Apparently, the deal was reached earlier in the summer and they chose to wait until now to tell coaches and staff. And it's still supposed to be hush-hush. WTF?! Coaches need to make arrangements with their students for lessons elsewhere, staff needs notice to find other jobs, and the club needs to find a new home rink and arrange ice time. :evil:

[Isk8NYC]

This will be interesting to see how it plays out.

It's quite possible that the rink will remain part of the facility; I skate at a rink that has pools as well as exercise facilities. The two sports are compatible.

Since the current rink managers are retiring, it's possible the "new" rink manager hasn't taken charge yet. That would explain the lack of fall schedules and class plans.

Perhaps someone's waiting in the wings - it would be silly to close a revenue-producing facility if you still have to get approvals for renovation and construction.

I'm going to move this to a new thread, since it's a news item unrelated to the On Ice section. Very interesting - thanks for posting the info!

[looplover]

This will be interesting to see how it plays out.

It's quite possible that the rink will remain part of the facility; I skate at a rink that has pools as well as exercise facilities. The two sports are compatible.


HA HA how did I not consider this as well?!? :mrgreen:8O

The article seemed to indicate the rink was closing but maybe they won't be jerks and tear it down.

[Debbie S]

The rink is definitely closing and the building has been sold. It's possible that Meadowbrook might choose to run the rink, but I think the chances of that are pretty nil. The idea of the swim club expansion is interesting - the area is in a flood plain and there are restrictions on building there. I imagine it will take a while to gain the necessary permits and such, and they may have to scale back their plans, but then again, Michael Phelps is a local hero and I'm sure TPTB are very interested in having a major swimming training facility with his name on it.

Northwest is an older rink, with a smaller than standard size ice surface, which is why I don't skate there very often. To continue to do good business, it really needs improvements. I suspect that was part of the equation in the owners' decision to retire and sell, plus it's getting more and more expensive to run a rink in general these days.

[pairs_guy]

None of the stories confirm that M. Phelps plans on buying the rink. It's sad to see them waiting till the last minute to tell them it will be closed. But don't blame Phelps, the blame goes to the current Owners/management team running it. Until we hear for sure that Phelps bought it we shouldn't speculate and tarnish his name, common guys he just won your country 8 gold medals!!! :giveup:

[Isk8NYC]

HA HA how did I not consider this as well?!? :mrgreen:8O
Ha! I thought I missed something in the articles - seems like it COULD be the same situation Laura_H had last year - a hush-hush closing only to reopen a few months later. (Hope her rink's making money.)

I see Debbie's point though - if they can't build new because of the flood plain restrictions, switching over an out-of-date ice rink to a renovated swimming facility is a way around the restrictions. Here's hoping that they include a modern, NHL-sized rink in the renovation plans.

Our current rink's renovations will put exercise machine rooms above the ice rink, overlooking the skaters.
Gives us something interesting to look at as well instead of a cinder block wall and a bunch of hockey banners. lol

I'm still sad when I go by the old Ice World in Totowa, NJ that became a Rickel's and is now something else. Two sheets of ice in a fairly convenient location on the highway, gone with the wind. (I loved that rink!)

[Isk8NYC]

None of the stories confirm that M. Phelps plans on buying the rink. It's sad to see them waiting till the last minute to tell them it will be closed. But don't blame Phelps, the blame goes to the current Owners/management team running it. Until we hear for sure that Phelps bought it we shouldn't speculate and tarnish his name, common guys he just won your country 8 gold medals!!! :giveup:I don't care who buys it - sounds like the owners wanted out so they could retire. I just hope the skaters aren't shut out.

Anyway, I'm a Mark Spitz fan - he didn't go to the Olympics with a PR team and an agent.

The Olympics have outlived their usefulness, IMO.
Just call them all professionals and have an Olympics every year so people born "in between" have a solid chance at a gold medal.

[looplover]

I'm still sad when I go by the old Ice World in Totowa, NJ that became a Rickel's and is now something else. Two sheets of ice in a fairly convenient location on the highway, gone with the wind. (I loved that rink!)

I miss that rink too! That's where I got my spiral chin scar :P

(I felt I was so advanced as an ISI alpha skater)

True about Phelps though, maybe he wouldn't even like the idea of taking the rink away.

[Debbie S]

Today's article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/olympics/bal-phelpspool820,0,2279067.story

Gotta love this comment from Phelps:
"But I'm not really sure exactly. I never know what I'm really talking about, I just say things."
Translation: My agent and coach now tell me I made the announcement too soon and I'm freaking out the community association and the figure skaters, so I need to act stupid so they can make the big announcement after the rink closes so it will look like I had nothing to do with it and everyone will still buy the 'specially marked' boxes of Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes that I'll be on.


And this from Katie Hoff, who also trains with the NBAC:
"I heard something about the ice rink being turned into [a pool], but I don't know."

I heard that Saturday, a bunch of reporters were at the rink and the owner hid in her office to avoid talking to them - yeah, that's a strategy that will make them go away and not write anything. :roll: And when she told the coaches last week, she told them they weren't allowed to tell anyone, even their students - they were like, WTF? So they're supposed to set up their fall lesson schedules and then 2 weeks later tell their students "Oops, never mind, let's change everything"?

I wonder if this was all calculated to make the rink closing look separate from Michael Phelps' business endeavors?

[Isk8NYC]

Or they're still in negotiation to make the purchase and Phelps spoke too soon. (Just to cut him some slack - he may not know what day it is, he's been a little busy. lol)

That's disappointing to hear that the rumor has the rink being turned into a pool.

The skating community needs to make a statement now. The controversy will help keep the rink in place. Press releases, letters to the editor, that sort of thing. I mean, unless they WANT to let the rink go down...

[Skittl1321]

I think even if the rumor is true that Phelps is buying the rink to turn it into a pool that Phelps can't be completely faulted for the rink closing. He wouldn't be able to buy the rink if it wasn't offered for sale. I don't think you can do a hostile takeover of a rink, the owners had to agree with it.

And as bad as it is for the skating community, the swimming community is going to be thrilled to have extra pools. The arguement that the rink is good for the city, isn't going to be as strong here as when the rinks are just shut down, or turned into business parks, because a pool, and a training center, are also good for the community.

I'm sad to see a rink close- especially under such suspicious circumstances, but I would hardly fault Phelps. How involved could he possibly be in all the backroom dealing going on right now- he's been a bit occupied these past few weeks.

[Debbie S]

I'm sad to see a rink close- especially under such suspicious circumstances, but I would hardly fault Phelps. How involved could he possibly be in all the backroom dealing going on right now- he's been a bit occupied these past few weeks.I didn't say I faulted Phelps. I fault the rink owners for selling in secrecy and not telling anyone until the last minute. But obviously the perception of many people will be "Michael Phelps took away our rink." Phelps's handlers are smart; I'm sure they knew that this would and could happen, and tried their best to time everything to minimize negative perceptions.

By the way, for those in the area who are interested, the annual (for the last time :( ) adult skating exhibition is this Sunday at 2. And I got an e-mail about a "one last time" skate - I think organized by one of the coaches for anyone who has skated there presently or in the past - on the public session on Saturday, Aug 30 at 6:30 p.m.

[rlichtefeld]

The Northwest rink is where Phyllis and I trained when we skated together. It is a smaller rink (not NHL sized ice) and doesn't have any locker rooms. It was privately owned, not sure about now.

It's interesting that he'd want to buy the properties there. It regularly floods, and access to it is closed from time to time.

But, I guess it's "home" to him.

Rob

[Debbie S]

It's interesting that he'd want to buy the properties there. It regularly floods, and access to it is closed from time to time. Well, Meadowbrook is right next to the rink, and the post office is across the street/driveway, so it's a logical place to expand, except for the flooding issues. To avoid floods, the whole complex could be rebuilt somewhere else, but it's expensive to rebuild something like that, with 2 swimming pools, plus the new facility. I don't think the Meadowbrook building itself has flooded that often, so Phelps and his people probably figure that they'll be OK. Their plans may also include some sort of flood wall or regrading along the portion of the property that faces the stream.

[Isk8NYC]

Maybe they'll make a "flood pool" and have swim parties when it rains, lol.

[JazzySkate]

Originally Posted by Isk8NYC
I'm still sad when I go by the old Ice World in Totowa, NJ that became a Rickel's and is now something else. Two sheets of ice in a fairly convenient location on the highway, gone with the wind. (I loved that rink!)

I'll second that! I skated there once, unfortunately didn't get the chance to go back as I lived in Manhattan at that time. Rumor has it the compressors are still there.....wish it were still there despite Floyd Hall....

[Isk8NYC]

Ice World's build has changed hands and undergone reconstruction multiple times. It would be interesting if the compressors were still there.

Montclair is nice, but not as convenient.

[Allskate]

I can't stop Michael from buying out Northwest. But I do wow to never buy a product that Michael endorses. Skaters and hockey players unite, we could make a dent in Michael's future earning potential!

[flo]

I've been in contact with the CEO of the swimming club. He has been saying that he has had "no discussions" about buying the property, then the next day was quoted in the paper saying he was expanding the swimming facility by obtaining the ice rink property. The current rink manager/owner has agreed to sell the property to the pool. The pool and the rink were at one time jointly owned. This changed after one of the hurricanes and the rink was sold.

Michael Phelps and his coach are returning to Baltimore to run and expand the swim club/facility. This whole matter has been handled very poorly by everyone involved including Michael Phelps (who did a major backstroke after stating he had bought the pool). He, his coach and the current CEO of the pool/swim club have been giving out conflicting information, and have shown little to no consideration of anyone but themselves. There's also been a question as to what conditions were placed by the swim group and how much the rink owner can say prior to contract settlement and the Olympics and Michael's swims. There are now clubs (including the oldest in the country), teams, skaters and coaches scrambling for ice time at other rinks that has already been purchased.

And I'd like to know what idiot thought they could keep a secret in an ice rink!

[looplover]

I wrote a comment to a Baltimore Sun online news story about this, and it was up there for about an hour before they removed it. :roll:

I heard from a skater whose coach used to skate there that the rink is still privately owned and the owners have wanted to sell it for some time.

The whole mess is being handled horribly.

[Schmeck]

Which synchro team is being affected by this mess?

[Debbie S]

Which synchro team is being affected by this mess?I don't think they are synchro teams in the strict sense of the word - I believe the teams are called "production teams" and compete in ISI comps that are similar to Theater on Ice. The rink's group lesson program is ISI, so a fair amount of skaters there compete in ISI comps, even those that join the USFSA club at the rink and also compete and test USFSA.

[Query]

It's a rink with many friendly people, very convenient to a grocery store where you can buy food, sandwiches and snacks.

Maybe new management can be convinced to keep the rink open, especially if skaters organize to buy or lease it. It would be hard - the area isn't wealthy, and the rink is below standard NHL size, but perhaps it is possible. The rink might do better if they budgeted for outside advertisements, and placed free ads places they could - like local ballroom dance spots.

A local pro shop says this is a hard time for rinks, because people have less money to spend on recreation. People and organizations try to make reasonable decisions. I think Isk8NYC was hinting that attacking them is a suboptimal strategy. It makes them less likely to negotiate.

I have placed a suggestion that people organize to keep it open on my list of local rinks

http://www.geocities.com/grunes/dcicerinks.html#nwf

The club page

http://www.iceclubofbaltimore.com

instead suggests people move their business elsewhere before they close.

[flo]

Query, I've been a member and officer of The Ice Club of Baltimore for years. There was no notice and therfore no chance to organize anything. That's why people are so upset about this whole mess. I do not and will not support the rink the club is suggesting until they stop charging the pros commission.

[Debbie S]

Query, I think it's safe to say the rink sale is a done deal. As others have noted, there was no time for anyone to get a group together to buy the rink. But even if there had been time, I don't think anyone could have matched the money coming from Phelps. I'm not sure what you mean by the area not being wealthy - actually, the general neighborhood and surrounding areas are among the city's (and county's) wealthiest. But we're talking upper-middle class, not superstar athletes with millions in endorsement deals.

I've been to the Reisterstown rink (my club bought a bit of ice time there when they first opened) and I found the ice to be hard and crunchy, and the entire place was frigid. Based on that and their FS schedule (or lack thereof), I would say they're much more interested in hockey. And as flo said, they do charge coaches commission, so my coaches, and pretty much all others in the area, won't go until the rink changes its policies. But it doesn't seem that the rink wants figure skating business anyway. I hope that ICOB can work something out with the rink, though (commissions don't apply if it's club ice) - it would be a shame for a club with such a long history, and very adult-friendly, to disband for lack of a home.

[mdvask8r]

A bit off topic . . .
How does the no-commission thing work? do coaches have to pay for the ice they teach on? or is it truely no commission. Do these rinks have a guest coach policy?

PS - I DO hope the club finds a home quickly!!!

[Debbie S]

How does the no-commission thing work? do coaches have to pay for the ice they teach on? or is it truely no commission. Do these rinks have a guest coach policy?I'm not a coach, but as I understand it, to coach on a rink's FS sessions around here, all a coach needs to do is give the rink a copy of their liability insurance. In the case of club ice, I believe coaches have to get permission from the club to teach on it, which I think really only involves providing a copy of their insurance, although if there are reasons why the club board thinks the coach shouldn't teach there (such as past problems at other rinks), they reserve the right to deny the coach permission.

If there are problems with a coach (bad behavior, parent complaints, ethics violations, etc), the coach can be banned from teaching at the rink or club. Teaching at a rink or club is considered a privilege, not a right, but coaches around here do not have to pay any money to a rink/club or report their lessons, etc.

[Isk8NYC]

IT is unusual to have a no-commission setup, as was pointed out. Some rinks charge the coach a flat admission fee in lieu of commission. Usually only works if the coach has enough students scheduled to make it worthwhile for him/her. If you're teaching a $30 lesson and have to spend $10 on admission, that's worse than a 10% commission.

Wonder when the closing's scheduled?

[Debbie S]

Wonder when the closing's scheduled?As the articles have stated, Aug 31 (this Sunday) is the last day.

I went there last night - the FS session was more crowded than usual, probably b/c everyone wanted to get in one last skate. Another issue for some of the skaters is that they are testing next Monday, the 8th, at the one rink in our area that will be open in Sept, but this other rink is actually cutting back on its night FS sessions a bit in Sept and it's hard for people who live near Northwest to get up there by 4:30 or 5:30 b/c of traffic (and parent work schedules). And the coaches now have to teach all their lessons at this one rink, and with the decrease in sessions....

[Isk8NYC]

Sorry, I didn't mean "when will the rink close?", I meant the legal property closing. That would create a public record and give more clues about the proposals that might be in the works. Since it's a holiday weekend, I'm guessing 9/1?

[Debbie S]

Sorry, I didn't mean "when will the rink close?", I meant the legal property closing. Oh, sorry, I didn't realize that. I have no idea - the closing may very well have happened already and is just scheduled to take effect Sept 1, who knows. Property records are found at this website: http://sdatcert3.resiusa.org/rp_rewrite/ (subdivision is Baltimore City, rink is on Cottonworth Ave.) It usually takes several weeks before closings get posted on the website. I suspect we'll hear from the media before we see it online. :)

[mikawendy]

I just got back from one of the last public sessions there. A whole bunch of figure skaters and hockey players came to the session as one last "goodbye" to the rink. It was neat to see everyone--skaters, coaches, judges, parents, etc. There were people there who hadn't seen each other in decades.

[Query]

Has anyone actually confirmed with the rink management that they are permanently closed? Neither the rink website nor their recorded message mention anything.

I just called Meadowbrook (www.mbrook.com), which the rumours say are being purchased along with the rink. The phone answerer said they have not (officially) come under new management.

If the rumours are true, Phelps may only recently have had the money for such purposes, so the offer may have surprised Northwest's owners as much as its skaters. Even if you choose to be mad at rink management, and the rumours are true, you don't yet know Phelps will keep it closed.

http://www.michaelphelps.com says you can contact him at Michael Phelps, POB 1734, Olney MD 20830-1734. Receiving many irate messages from club members would be extremely counterproductive. I suggest the club officers address correspondence with him or his business manager (if you can find such) in a very polite, businesslike and respectful manner. Since he may be overwhelmed with business propositions and fan mail, the letter should have a return address mentioning the club, and a teaser on the outside like "Regarding your purchase of Northwest Ice Arena" so that he might eventually see it.

Such a letter should remind him that an Olympic training facility could be multi-sport, and hope that he is sympathetic to concerns that athletic training facilities (like Northwest) remain open.

The letter can suggest ways of making it more viable. For example, letters of intent by the figure and hockey skating club to buy ice time if a mutually advantageous arrangement can be made. Perhaps an offer by local businesses who want to keep kids off the street, or an indication that you would seek such, to slightly subsidize operational costs, would help. Perhaps an offer to help run the rink on a volunteer basis - I seem to recall some coaches and others were already doing so. An indication that the rink has not advertised as widely to the Baltimore community as would have optimized its popularity, and that Phelp's name in association with an Olympic training facility could help bring more recognition.

In short, make nice.

[flo]

Query- this has been in the works for quite a while. There were no '"surprises" to the management. Phelps and his coach announced their plans to relocate to Baltimore prior to the Olympics. The rink management and the pool, swim club, current and future (Phelps's coach) CEO have handled this without consideration for anyone but themselves.

The rink management has been in hiding and not saying anything, even to employees. That there's no announcement on the website is not a surprise.

[Petlover]

My coach is very upset about this. She trained there as a National Level Ice Dancer many years ago, and coached there also. What a shame!!!!

[Isk8NYC]

Maybe this is karma... (from Yahoo! Sports / AP)


USA Swimming suspends Phelps for 3 months

By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer 36 minutes ago

Michael Phelps was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed the Olympic great inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

The sport’s national governing body also cut off its financial support to Phelps for the same three-month period, effective Thursday.

“This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero,” the Colorado-based federation said in a statement.

“Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust.”

Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing and returned to America as one of the world’s most acclaimed athletes. Now he’s enduring a wave of bad news in the wake of the photo, published Sunday by News of the World, a British tabloid.

Earlier Thursday, cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. announced it wouldn’t renew its sponsorship contract with Phelps, saying his behavior is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” The swimmer appeared on the company’s cereal boxes after his Olympic triumph.

Phelps has acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment.” He didn’t dispute the authenticity of the photo, reportedly taken at a house party while Phelps was visiting Columbia, S.C., in November during an extended break from training.

The 23-year-old has resumed training in his hometown of Baltimore, but his plans to return to competitive swimming will have to be put on hold. Phelps had been planning to compete in early March at a Grand Prix meet in Austin, Texas.

Now, he won’t be able to allowed to compete until early May, which would give him just over two months to get in some racing before July’s world championships in Rome.

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-phelpssuspended&prov=ap&type=lgns

[manleywoman]

Well, three months of funding from swimming's governing body is hardly going to pinch his pockets, but it is symbolic. Same with losing the Kellogg's contract, if they're simply not renewing. He;ll get the $$$ for the original contract.

Personally I think it's all much ado about nothing, but that's me.

[Debbie S]

LOL! Interesting that this thread has been revived.

Last night, at the rink, I was chatting with some people and learned that the sale of Northwest never went through. There was a thought expressed that the rink owner was really just ready to retire and then tried to find a buyer. There was some some negotiation with Meadowbrook and Michael Phelps's group, but nothing was ever signed. So the rink building sits abandoned. No word about any plans to do anything with it. I would think the city would be concerned, but given the way they run the city-owned rink where I primarily skate (my club's home rink), plus the fact that the mayor just got indicted - I'm guessing TPTB don't give a hoot what happens to the rink or the building. Such a shame. I'm considering contacting the community association, somehow, b/c I know they'd be concerned.

And IMHO, Michael Phelps is an overgrown baby. He needs to grow up, seriously. Did he think he could go and smoke pot at a party and word would never get out? In this age of cell phone camera/video, Facebook, and the like? But from various snippets I've heard about him, he's apparently not very bright. :roll:

[Isk8NYC]

LOL! Interesting that this thread has been revived.I got the news item last night on email and said "Hey, Debbie S would like this article", lol!

We had a long discussion on another board about "karma" and "what goes around, comes around."

I hope the rink gets revived soon.

[Query]

So does this mean all the bad things said here about Phelps because he was closing Northwest Ice Rink - weren't true, because he had nothing to do with it?

And that people could still get organized to try to re-open it?

Let's hope he has the sense not to get into further trouble, and to stay away from unhealthy things.

[Debbie S]

So does this mean all the bad things said here about Phelps because he was closing Northwest Ice Rink - weren't true, because he had nothing to do with it?If you read my post carefully, you'll see that I am just reporting "thoughts" from other skating people I know. The only thing that is absolutely true is that the sale has not gone through. That doesn't mean it won't go through at some point in the future, and it's not clear whether Phelps's people contacted the rink owners before or after she decided to sell/close the rink.

I will say, though, that if the papers and TV newscasts reported that Phelps and his people were involved, obviously there was pretty strong evidence that was true. Newspapers and TV stations (legitimate ones, anyway) don't make stuff up. There's no way that all of that info would have been published if it had not been verified by multiple sources.

[Isk8NYC]

Debbie - if there's a volunteer movement afoot to reopen the rink, I'll be happy to pitch in with creating documents like postcards and flyers.

Let me know.

[Query]

The only thing that is absolutely true is that the sale has not gone through.

So closing it was not Phelps' "fault".

Perhaps he could save the rink, if he wanted to create an athletic training center and made the rink (or a revamped full size rink) part of it.

Maybe some of your effort should go into approaching Phelps, and other people who might support the effort, in a nice way. Though with all the bad things the skating community has said about him, he might not be inclined to be so generous.

Likewise, saying bad things about the prior management is the wrong tack, if they still might have some control over the disposition of the property, or at least tell you who to contact, or give you help in figuring out how to run it. They ran a business, and made a decision to close it - their right. Now you want to change what happens to it, and maybe you would like to learn whatever they have to teach about running a rink, so make nice.

Being impolite is often a sub-optimal way to obtain a desired result.

[Debbie S]

Thanks for the offer of help, Isk8NYC. I'll keep you posted. I really think at this point what would have to happen is for a buyer (or group of) to step forward; unfortunately, in this economy, people looking to pump several million dollars into an ice rink (this rink really needs major upgrades to be profitable) are hard to find.

I just shot an e-mail off to the editor who originally covered the story for the Messenger. He may already know about the non-sale and current vacancy, but in case he didn't, I figured I'd let him know, b/c someone ought to make this public.


Perhaps he could save the rink, if he wanted to create an athletic training center and made the rink (or a revamped full size rink) part of it. You're kidding, right? :roll: Given that Phelps doesn't own the rink, and passed on the opportunity to buy it for his own purposes when given the chance, he's hardly the person to approach about reopening it. :lol:

Politeness and "making nice" are not the issues here (and your constant blatherings about that are getting annoying, quite frankly). As Flo already pointed out, the rink management never expressed any interest in working with the skating community to pass the rink on. They never made an attempt to contact the skating club, or another area rink owner who might be interested in getting into the Balt market (they likely thought Phelps's group would give them more money). I just went back and read one of the original articles and there is a comment posted there at the end of Sept that said they hadn't paid their employees for their last month and had disconnected their phone and were nowhere to be found. Based on the way they ran the rink, and closed it, I can't say I'm surprised.

I do hope that the staff eventually got paid.

[looplover]

Maybe some of your effort should go into approaching Phelps, and other people who might support the effort, in a nice way. Though with all the bad things the skating community has said about him, he might not be inclined to be so generous.

I think he's got enough on his plate right now... 8-)

Plus, it's not even his sport!