Figure skaters compete individually, or part of a pair, or maybe part of a synchro team, but in the end most of us spend our skating life practicing alone....just sharing the ice.
I know the elites may have private ice but I'm writing about everybody else.
Even though we share the ice with each other, we usually don't have the power--even with a big figure skating club---to get priority for ice time.
What would figure skating do without hockey?
Hockey is really organized. When my old rink closed, the hockey organization went out got someone to donate a bankrupt commercial facility and the hockey club built a new rink inside the building.
That's right, a hockey club built a rink and transferred the entire league to another town. I've been there. The facility may be a dump, but the ice is nice, and they're making money. People have tailgaters in the parking lot on weekends. It's an effective, useful rink with a small figure skating community.
What did the figure skaters from my old rink do? They slunk away to rinks around the area.
The figure skating club was much beloved (we even had a reunion) but for some reason figure skaters just don't seem to think in the 'community spirit' way hockey organizations do. We act as individuals, not a big league with lots of money.
So, here's to hockey! Thank you for keeping the rinks open!
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| Big Hugs to you Hockey! Thanks for the guy on guy action BTW. |
Yep. It's all about hockey here, too. That's why there are no public sessions on weeknights. Only weekends. It's taken up by hockey.
ReplyDeleteWe lost summer evening public to hockey this past year. :-( That was my only mid-week cheap ice.
DeleteYes, we do complain sometimes that they get all the good ice, but without them, would there even be any ice? There certainly wouldn't be as much of it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when I broke my ankle, some nice strong hockey players carried me off the ice and also to the car, so I'm thankful they're around for that, too, even though I don't ever want to have that experience again!
Ooooh, carried off the ice by hockey players, lucky you! Did you give them a hug?
DeleteIf I ever get to hug a hockey player, I hope it's a Penguin. They have the cutest mascot.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love talking with the hockey players at our rink (perhaps because this adult onset figure skater is also an old lady flirt) and I never forget that it's their fees and leagues and university club teams that keep our rink (owned by a hockey player) barely funded enough to stay open. I'll take a few deep ruts until ice maintenance day over no place to skate any day!