Today I witnessed an interesting crash between two skaters.
Visualize this: A skater is working on her double lutz. She is 'in lesson' with her coach watching from the boards. Let's call her LutzGirl. There's another skater, also in lesson, at the same end of the rink. Let's call her BackwardSkater.
LutzGirl is doing an approach to the lutz circle. She raises her pick-in leg and then BackwardSkater skates behind her, through the lutz circle.
LutzGirl's free skate rams BackwardSkater in the stomach (edit) with her skate. LutzGirl falls forward onto her knees, lets out a small scream of pain and rolls in agony onto her side. BackwardSkater is bent over moaning.
Who's at fault?
Here are some thoughts:
LutzGirl had the right of way to the lutz circle, but shouldn't her coach have been watching the area around her?
BackwardSkater did not have the right of way, but LutzGirl would do a lutz then skate to the boards and confer with her coach. So the lutz circle would be open for say 5 minutes at a time, then LutzGirl would abruptly keave the boards and do a lutz approach.
However, LutzGirl had been doing lutz approaches off and on for 15 minutes.
Neither coach called out a warning.
Again, who's at fault?
(FYI; Both skater's recovered and finished freestyle)
Showing posts with label freestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freestyle. Show all posts
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Friday, October 11, 2013
The White Jacket on Freestyle Post
I never know when I'm going to hear a tidbit that makes a good post, this one comes from a dinner I was having with a couple of coaches and some higher level skaters.
I don't remember what started it, but the coach was ranting about how dangerous white jackets (or shirts) were on freestyle.
Apparently, as all skaters who are much faster than I am probably know, as you're practicing on a crowded freestyle you don't want to stop and check everyone's movement and path prediction out. You want to glance across the ice and start your pattern, yielding as necessary and others yielding to you as well. So when you glance across the ice, you don't predict the exact position everyone's going to be at, you estimate their future positions and start to skate, relying on your mental and physical skills to refine the other skater's positions as you skate, turn, jump and spin.
Because you're mentally updating the other skaters' future positions with only a fraction of a second of visual contact, this coach maintains that a white jacket delays recognition that another skater is headed your way.
A stealth skater so to speak.
On the other hand, this imprecise mental update can work in certain skaters' favor. This coach recalled a skater who wore an orange shirt under her jacket, so when she wanted to practice without interference, she would slip the shirt hem down below the hem of her jacket. Other skaters would see the orange out of the corner of their eyes and, thinking it was the 'in program' belt, yield, even though the skater wasn't in program.
Sneaky Skater.
I don't remember what started it, but the coach was ranting about how dangerous white jackets (or shirts) were on freestyle.
Apparently, as all skaters who are much faster than I am probably know, as you're practicing on a crowded freestyle you don't want to stop and check everyone's movement and path prediction out. You want to glance across the ice and start your pattern, yielding as necessary and others yielding to you as well. So when you glance across the ice, you don't predict the exact position everyone's going to be at, you estimate their future positions and start to skate, relying on your mental and physical skills to refine the other skater's positions as you skate, turn, jump and spin.
Because you're mentally updating the other skaters' future positions with only a fraction of a second of visual contact, this coach maintains that a white jacket delays recognition that another skater is headed your way.
A stealth skater so to speak.
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| Invisible Skater |
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| Maybe I have right of way, Maybe I don't! |
Sneaky Skater.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Residual Horse Show Reflexes
Mostly, I'm the beloved adult skater who helps out with the club, stays out of the younger (faster) skaters' way on freestyle, and smiles a lot when I'm on ice. But occasionally, I run into someone who just can't stand adult skaters. This experience happened in 2008.
Alas, this is my last Xtranormal video. The animation service is closing down in a few days.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Very Cheap Freestyle
Like many rinks in the summer, mine has an evening public session. Ours is right after a freestyle, so when I step on the ice, it's filled with pretty much the same people that skate on freestyle.
Then I realize the rink is quiet. No music at all on the loud speakers.
There's no pop, no rock, no hip hop, no rap, no punk, no Electropop, glitchpop, hip house, nu-disco, synthpop, New Wave, new rave, trance, house , Hi-NRG, dance-pop,electroclash, electro-industrial, drum and bass, dubstep, glitchstep, liquid funk, electro house, glitch house, progressive house, breakbeat, hardstyle,dubstyle, drumstep, technopop, hip hop, Baltimore club, trap, or moombahton. Instead the sounds of the Dutch Waltz and Cha Cha waft over the ice.
Dance Coach is teaching students. And somehow, he has convinced the rink to give him control of the music on a public session!
And the without angry music playing, the annoying little hockey boys are pleasant and polite.
Good on ya Dance Coach!
Okay, maybe just high fiving 2 angels, Still it was a nice public session!
Then I realize the rink is quiet. No music at all on the loud speakers.
 |
| It was like skating in the 50's |
Dance Coach is teaching students. And somehow, he has convinced the rink to give him control of the music on a public session!
And the without angry music playing, the annoying little hockey boys are pleasant and polite.
 |
| Heavenly |
Good on ya Dance Coach!
Okay, maybe just high fiving 2 angels, Still it was a nice public session!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
So, You're in LTS and You Want to Skate a Freestyle Session
So, you're in Learn to Skate and you want to practice your new skills, but you find public ice just too crowded. You've heard of this mysterious thing called 'freestyle' ice, where there's only a handful of skaters on it. So you check the schedule, you pay the fee and you get on Freestyle Ice.
Sadly for you, you've just violated one of the sacred rules of figure skating. As a skater for you to get on Freestyle Ice one of 4 things needs to happen:
1. You have passed Basic 8 (or Delta in ISI)
2. If you have not passed Basic 8 or Delta, you are in lesson with a coach
3. A coach (probably the skating director) has approved you to skate on freestyle sessions even though you're in LTS (I don't know how rare this is, but it doesn't seem to be frequent)
4. In some rinks (apparently training rinks) you have to get the skating director's approval to go on freestyle
The skaters on a freestyle session are relying on all the other skaters to know freestyle etiquette, be able to skate and observe the other skaters, and be able to avoid other skaters. If you don't have good heads-up skills and good stopping skills, you can irritate the heck out of the other skaters and maybe be a safety hazard.
If you are in LTS and you don't understand the problem list below, that's an indicator you shouldn't be on freestyle.
1. You don't yield properly to skaters in program or lessons
2. You hang around harness alley
3. You hog the lutz circle.
4. You can't stop quickly enough
5. You don't have a sense of where the other skaters are headed and you get in their way
I've never seen a figure skater kicked off a freestyle session for not being qualified, though I suppose it does happen. Coaches will not talk to you in case you are another coach's student, so don't look for any help there. Initially people will be polite and avoid you, but eventually they'll get frustrated with you in the way. What may happen is some of the other skaters will find you an irritant and may do, shall we say, ice bullying to get you off. They may skate really close to you, they may spin in your path, they may jump close to you, or try other ways to physically intimidate you to get you to leave.
This is not bullying of one freestyle skater by another (bad enough in itself) but bullying of someone who doesn't know the rules, and doesn't belong on the session. It's their only way of letting you know you don't belong. Because:
"The skaters on a freestyle session are relying on all the other skaters to know freestyle etiquette, be able to skate and observe the other skaters, and be able to avoid other skaters. " You are a danger to them, and their polite actions to avoid you means they waste precious training time, so eventually they get more forceful.
So you're frustrated with the ice tourists getting in your way? Multiply that by 10 and you have the frustration of a freestyle skater avoiding your LTS self.
Yeah, frustrating, but you'll have to keep practicing on public for a while longer.
And before you cry 'It's unfair!', there are certain sessions I avoid because they have a higher proportion of high level skaters. So, even in freestyle, there's divisions.
 |
| Oops! Maybe you shouldn't be there. |
1. You have passed Basic 8 (or Delta in ISI)
2. If you have not passed Basic 8 or Delta, you are in lesson with a coach
3. A coach (probably the skating director) has approved you to skate on freestyle sessions even though you're in LTS (I don't know how rare this is, but it doesn't seem to be frequent)
4. In some rinks (apparently training rinks) you have to get the skating director's approval to go on freestyle
The skaters on a freestyle session are relying on all the other skaters to know freestyle etiquette, be able to skate and observe the other skaters, and be able to avoid other skaters. If you don't have good heads-up skills and good stopping skills, you can irritate the heck out of the other skaters and maybe be a safety hazard.
If you are in LTS and you don't understand the problem list below, that's an indicator you shouldn't be on freestyle.
1. You don't yield properly to skaters in program or lessons
2. You hang around harness alley
3. You hog the lutz circle.
4. You can't stop quickly enough
5. You don't have a sense of where the other skaters are headed and you get in their way
I've never seen a figure skater kicked off a freestyle session for not being qualified, though I suppose it does happen. Coaches will not talk to you in case you are another coach's student, so don't look for any help there. Initially people will be polite and avoid you, but eventually they'll get frustrated with you in the way. What may happen is some of the other skaters will find you an irritant and may do, shall we say, ice bullying to get you off. They may skate really close to you, they may spin in your path, they may jump close to you, or try other ways to physically intimidate you to get you to leave.
 |
| If you can't play by the freestyle rules, they want you gone |
"The skaters on a freestyle session are relying on all the other skaters to know freestyle etiquette, be able to skate and observe the other skaters, and be able to avoid other skaters. " You are a danger to them, and their polite actions to avoid you means they waste precious training time, so eventually they get more forceful.
So you're frustrated with the ice tourists getting in your way? Multiply that by 10 and you have the frustration of a freestyle skater avoiding your LTS self.
Yeah, frustrating, but you'll have to keep practicing on public for a while longer.
And before you cry 'It's unfair!', there are certain sessions I avoid because they have a higher proportion of high level skaters. So, even in freestyle, there's divisions.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Secret Adult Freestyle
At my first rink, I was a regular. I skated public several times a week, and I'd made friends with the the two pairs of ice dancers, the skating director, and the adult freestyle skaters. I was just learning, but unknown to me, I had a reputation for being alert on the ice (thank you horse show peripheral vision). So, one day the skating director said, "Why don't you come to Secret Adult Freestyle."
"I'm not out of Basic Skills."
"Oh, that's okay. You're aware of other skaters. A lot of people aren't."
So, she told me the schedule. "Sunday, 8-10."
I looked at the freestyle schedule on my way out, I'd never bothered before, there was nothing on the schedule Sunday before 11 am when there was stick and puck.
For some reason, I got the impression that every rink had invitation only secret adult freestyle. I was new to figure skating and I thought this was one of those little secrets of the sport that you only learn about if you know the right people. It makes perfect sense to have invitation only secret adult freestyle. One person to open the rink on a Sunday morning when there's dead ice is all it takes, and then pass the word out to the adults. Bam! Profit!
Ours was the honor system. There was an envelope and a sign up sheet. You shoved your $8 for an hour (oh, halcyon days of yore! EIGHT DOLLARS! I now pay EIGHTEEN!) in the envelope and got on the ice.
One day kid skaters started showing up for the session to get ready for a comp. After a few weeks of this I said to my friend, a male skater, "I miss when it was Secret Adult Freestyle."
He gave me a funny look. "What are you talking about?"
I told him about the invitation, my vision of clandestine freestyles in rinks across the U.S.
He burst into hysterical laughter. "It's not 'secret', it's on the schedule!"
"No it's not. I checked."
He pulled out the schedule and there it was. "See! It's not SECRET adult freestyle. It's SUNDAY adult freestyle."
"I'm not out of Basic Skills."
"Oh, that's okay. You're aware of other skaters. A lot of people aren't."
So, she told me the schedule. "Sunday, 8-10."
I looked at the freestyle schedule on my way out, I'd never bothered before, there was nothing on the schedule Sunday before 11 am when there was stick and puck.
 |
| Invitation Only Secret Adult Freestyle |
Ours was the honor system. There was an envelope and a sign up sheet. You shoved your $8 for an hour (oh, halcyon days of yore! EIGHT DOLLARS! I now pay EIGHTEEN!) in the envelope and got on the ice.
One day kid skaters started showing up for the session to get ready for a comp. After a few weeks of this I said to my friend, a male skater, "I miss when it was Secret Adult Freestyle."
He gave me a funny look. "What are you talking about?"
I told him about the invitation, my vision of clandestine freestyles in rinks across the U.S.
He burst into hysterical laughter. "It's not 'secret', it's on the schedule!"
"No it's not. I checked."
He pulled out the schedule and there it was. "See! It's not SECRET adult freestyle. It's SUNDAY adult freestyle."
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Oh, The LOOKS I Get on Freestyle!
Sometimes, I skate on freestyle at a rink in another town. Let's just say, some of the skaters there can be a little pretentious about their skating.
The little girls on freestyle give me looks like this:
I ignore their expressions.
The look the teenage girls on freestyle give me looks like this:
I ignore their expressions, too.
Mainly because when I barrel down the ice, it's a game of Newton's Third Law. They may be fast, but I have mass.
All but one coach generally acknowledge me with a nod. They've seen me for years. They never know when I'll need a new coach.
The one coach who doesn't is a Grumpy High Level Coach with a skater at Nationals. The looks I get from him are always this:
Meh, whatever. He looks at everyone that way.
The little girls on freestyle give me looks like this:
 |
| "Old people should stay home." |
The look the teenage girls on freestyle give me looks like this:
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| "That a skater of MY caliber should have to share the ice with that old woman that moves like a snail." |
Mainly because when I barrel down the ice, it's a game of Newton's Third Law. They may be fast, but I have mass.
 |
| If you run into me on the ice, you will cushion my fall. |
The one coach who doesn't is a Grumpy High Level Coach with a skater at Nationals. The looks I get from him are always this:
Meh, whatever. He looks at everyone that way.
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Perfect Number of People on Freestyle
Saturday I was taking a lesson from Madam Mim and she was doing her usual act of being the sweetest person ever while still being 'tizloy' tough underneath. I can't get away with squat. Somehow she just makes me rise to the challenge of doing stuff that scare me witless.
So as we're working on the swing mohawk transition from forward to backwards crossovers, I notice that no one's jumping into the corners and giving us dirty looks because we're camping out on TWO end circles. There's a competition somewhere and the only people on the ice are a guy working on gold moves, Madam Mim and me, and a smattering of skaters who weren't ready for the comp.
In fact, I realize, there's the perfect number of people for freestyle on the ice.
1 is scarey. What if you fall and no one sees it and comes to help out?
2-4 is worse. With 2 to 4 there's so few people on the ice that no one looks out for each other and inevitable crashes result. (I was once checking out my tracings when a girl skated backwards into me and whacked me in the face with her hand. Yep, we were the only two people on the ice.)
5 puts one person in each corner and the fifth one is working on some power pattern from silver or gold moves and expects everyone else to move out of the way--because there's plenty of space.
6 means theres at least one skater working on a program--over and over--with no one else to break up the replays of the program music (although this irritates the coaches too. I've seen a coach tell a girl, "3 times in a row is the limit." I don't know if that's a local rule, or what.)
7 With seven there's one in each corner, one in the center and two working on a program. Everyone seems to spread out like that, each has a patch (maybe it's instinctive) and the program skaters really really resent the person in the center (who for some reason always seems to be the skater who will.not.move)
But with EIGHT, now there's just enough people to override the instinctive need to camp out, there's enough skaters moving around to keep everyone on their toes, variety in the music, and enough space between the skaters to make it comfortable to do big things.
Eight, the perfect number on freestyle.
And, off topic, what's that little boy doing in the video? Mohawks? It goes so fast I can't make it out!
So as we're working on the swing mohawk transition from forward to backwards crossovers, I notice that no one's jumping into the corners and giving us dirty looks because we're camping out on TWO end circles. There's a competition somewhere and the only people on the ice are a guy working on gold moves, Madam Mim and me, and a smattering of skaters who weren't ready for the comp.
In fact, I realize, there's the perfect number of people for freestyle on the ice.
1 is scarey. What if you fall and no one sees it and comes to help out?
2-4 is worse. With 2 to 4 there's so few people on the ice that no one looks out for each other and inevitable crashes result. (I was once checking out my tracings when a girl skated backwards into me and whacked me in the face with her hand. Yep, we were the only two people on the ice.)
5 puts one person in each corner and the fifth one is working on some power pattern from silver or gold moves and expects everyone else to move out of the way--because there's plenty of space.
6 means theres at least one skater working on a program--over and over--with no one else to break up the replays of the program music (although this irritates the coaches too. I've seen a coach tell a girl, "3 times in a row is the limit." I don't know if that's a local rule, or what.)
7 With seven there's one in each corner, one in the center and two working on a program. Everyone seems to spread out like that, each has a patch (maybe it's instinctive) and the program skaters really really resent the person in the center (who for some reason always seems to be the skater who will.not.move)
But with EIGHT, now there's just enough people to override the instinctive need to camp out, there's enough skaters moving around to keep everyone on their toes, variety in the music, and enough space between the skaters to make it comfortable to do big things.
Eight, the perfect number on freestyle.
And, off topic, what's that little boy doing in the video? Mohawks? It goes so fast I can't make it out!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
First Time on Freestyle?
One day you'll pass all your group lessons, or maybe your coach will say, "I think you're ready for freestyle."
Serious stuff up front:
If you are on freestyle for the first time and don't know the rules, it would be polite to skate around the perimeter until you figure them out. Different rinks have different rules. Your coach should give you a quick run down. There's lutz corners and harness alley, and so on. I'm not going to summarize them here 'cause every rink is different.
Freestyles are usually assigned a specific time period. Freestyles are not like public, you don't play a flat fee for the hours you skate. You pay in chunks of time. Each rink is different. I've seen by the 1 hour, 45 minutes, and by 15 minutes. You pay for your chunk of time, and if you get off early, you don't get your money back Some rinks allow 'bridging'. With that, effectively you can get on the ice at any time and skate until your time is up. .
And now for fun....
Sign in with the ice monitor
On some rinks you'll see pairs or ice dancers working on new lifts.
Or maybe you'll be lucky to have an elite skater zip right past you and you'll feel the wind brush your face.
There will be people doing things through the center of the rink. These people are probably practicing a program, or working on Moves Tests. At first you'll feel like a cat with a rubik's cube, but after a few weeks you'll learn to recognize what they're doing and where they're heading. They have the right of way (generally).
I hope you enjoy your first time on freestyle. After you get off, there's just one thing to do.....
Serious stuff up front:
If you are on freestyle for the first time and don't know the rules, it would be polite to skate around the perimeter until you figure them out. Different rinks have different rules. Your coach should give you a quick run down. There's lutz corners and harness alley, and so on. I'm not going to summarize them here 'cause every rink is different.
Freestyles are usually assigned a specific time period. Freestyles are not like public, you don't play a flat fee for the hours you skate. You pay in chunks of time. Each rink is different. I've seen by the 1 hour, 45 minutes, and by 15 minutes. You pay for your chunk of time, and if you get off early, you don't get your money back Some rinks allow 'bridging'. With that, effectively you can get on the ice at any time and skate until your time is up. .
Just like taking lessons on public, don't interrupt someone in lesson.
And now for fun....
Sign in with the ice monitor
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| Know the rules for paying the ice monitor. Some rinks, you pay the monitor, others the desk. If you're paying cash, it's nice to have exact change. First time freestyle? May be too early to buy a bunch of tickets for the discount |
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| You'll be tempted to 'dress up'. It's not necessary. Dress how you're comfortable. |
 |
| Assuming you're there for a lesson, say 'hi' to your coach, but don't interrupt a lesson. Catch their eye, and wave to let her/him know you're there is all that's needed. Skate around and warm up. If you haven't passed Basic Skills you may only be allowed on ice with your coach. Ask. |
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| There will probably be overdressed little girls. |
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| And some scary teenagers who resent you on 'their' ice. But mostly people will be there to skate, not judge you |
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| You'll feel enormous next to the other skaters Don't worry, that will fade |
On some rinks you'll see pairs or ice dancers working on new lifts.
Or maybe you'll be lucky to have an elite skater zip right past you and you'll feel the wind brush your face.
 |
| Wow, who was THAT! |
There will be people doing things through the center of the rink. These people are probably practicing a program, or working on Moves Tests. At first you'll feel like a cat with a rubik's cube, but after a few weeks you'll learn to recognize what they're doing and where they're heading. They have the right of way (generally).
 |
| Don't worry, you'll learn what the Moves Patterns look like and who has the right of way |
 |
| Say hello to Mr. Nap! |
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The Mystery of Freestyle Ice
I have 3 rinks within driving distance of me. These are their drop-in charges.
Rink A charges by the quarter hour--$4.50 a quarter. $18 an hour. (allows bridging)
Rink B charges a flat $10 an hour. (Bridging unknown)
Rink C charges a flat $14 for three-quarters of an hour. (And *no* bridging)
These are the 3 rinks' freestyle qualities.
Rink C has ice as hard as diamond, but more coaches than leaves in the fall, and freestyle hours coming out of the yin-yang. HUGE ADULT SKATER COMMUNITY...Did I say the ice was crap?
Rink B has 'okay' ice (it's sometimes rough, but not hard), but I don't know any of the coaches. But in addition to being the closest, it's also the cheapest. And ice times that are incredibly convenient. But NO ADULT SKATER COMMUNITY.
Rink A has DIVINE ICE. I know all the coaches. And two hours of freestyle a day at the most inconvenient times. HUGE ADULT SKATER COMMUNITY.
Sorry, had to get that out of my system.
Rink A charges by the quarter hour--$4.50 a quarter. $18 an hour. (allows bridging)
Rink B charges a flat $10 an hour. (Bridging unknown)
Rink C charges a flat $14 for three-quarters of an hour. (And *no* bridging)
These are the 3 rinks' freestyle qualities.
Rink C has ice as hard as diamond, but more coaches than leaves in the fall, and freestyle hours coming out of the yin-yang. HUGE ADULT SKATER COMMUNITY...Did I say the ice was crap?
Rink B has 'okay' ice (it's sometimes rough, but not hard), but I don't know any of the coaches. But in addition to being the closest, it's also the cheapest. And ice times that are incredibly convenient. But NO ADULT SKATER COMMUNITY.
Rink A has DIVINE ICE. I know all the coaches. And two hours of freestyle a day at the most inconvenient times. HUGE ADULT SKATER COMMUNITY.
Outside: I'm all Hillary Clinton. Worldly, mature, aware that others are in pain and need my help and sympathy.
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| Madame Secretary |
Inside: I'm 8.
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| Why can't I have cheap freestyle, near my house, with coaches I know, with GOOD ICE! And an adult skater community! LIFE IS SO UNFAIR!!!! |
Sorry, had to get that out of my system.
Monday, July 2, 2012
The Awkward Phase
I'm at that awkward stage. Too fast for public; Too slow for freestyle.
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| Freestyle skater |
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| Public Skaters |
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| Me: not fast enough for freestyle, but look at that posture and edge! |
Monday, June 25, 2012
Freestyle After a Hockey Session
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| Freestyle ice after Stick n' Puck |
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| Then some hockey players pay the freestyle fee and get on the ice |
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| It makes you feel like this |
 | |
| Oh, please, like you all haven't thought this. |
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Wear the Vest Willya!
My home rink does not have reliable weekend freestyles. Sometimes there will be a couple of hours when the hockey team is off someplace playing, but it's not something I can count on. So I bop around to other rinks' freestyle sessions on Sunday. They have widely varying customs.
The closest rink to my house (but it's not my home rink) has a power class followed by an hour of freestyle. And it's the cheapest freestyle around. The skaters in program wear a ribbon around their waist to indicate they're in program. It looks like a piece of cop tape, but when I hear program music I glance around and I can usually spot the skater. The skaters at this session seem to be small. So maybe this ribbon is a nice compromise as it fits both the adult and the child skaters. It can be hard to see, but it's something.
The freestyle session at Big City Rink has the skaters wear a full up florescent vest. There's some high level skaters here (no elites, but you see some occasional triples), a strong ice dance program, and a lot of skater traffic. As I said, full up vest. Most of the skaters at this session are either adults in ice dance or teens. I've only seen a rare child skater. So the vest is the norm.
My home rink.
No Vest.
Zip. Nada. Zed.
I guess you're supposed to use psychic powers if you're a visiting skater.
My previous home rink (the one that closed) had no vests either. The skating director told me:
1. Hockey boys steal them (my comment--because coaches leave them lying around)
2. Everyone knows everyone else's music so they know who's in program
As a visiting skater, I hear music and I look around for someone in pose. But, there will sometimes be more than one skater practicing a pose, or I'll look around too late and miss it. I lose a lot of time guessing. If Dance Coach is with me, he'll just tell me to move to the boards if it's necessary. Otherwise we keep going in lesson. If I'm at a rink and EVERYONE skates to the boards, I know to follow. Someone fast with big jumps is out there.
Strangely enough, in a sport with all sorts of custom tchotchkes and custom costumes, I'm rather surprised no one's come up with something that will work for skaters.
Anyway, I need to work on my psychic powers, for next week's freestyle. I sense.... I sense.....that girl over there is in progam! (I hope).
The closest rink to my house (but it's not my home rink) has a power class followed by an hour of freestyle. And it's the cheapest freestyle around. The skaters in program wear a ribbon around their waist to indicate they're in program. It looks like a piece of cop tape, but when I hear program music I glance around and I can usually spot the skater. The skaters at this session seem to be small. So maybe this ribbon is a nice compromise as it fits both the adult and the child skaters. It can be hard to see, but it's something.
The freestyle session at Big City Rink has the skaters wear a full up florescent vest. There's some high level skaters here (no elites, but you see some occasional triples), a strong ice dance program, and a lot of skater traffic. As I said, full up vest. Most of the skaters at this session are either adults in ice dance or teens. I've only seen a rare child skater. So the vest is the norm.
My home rink.
No Vest.
Zip. Nada. Zed.
I guess you're supposed to use psychic powers if you're a visiting skater.
 |
| Madame Zelda senses GLENDA is in program! |
My previous home rink (the one that closed) had no vests either. The skating director told me:
1. Hockey boys steal them (my comment--because coaches leave them lying around)
2. Everyone knows everyone else's music so they know who's in program
As a visiting skater, I hear music and I look around for someone in pose. But, there will sometimes be more than one skater practicing a pose, or I'll look around too late and miss it. I lose a lot of time guessing. If Dance Coach is with me, he'll just tell me to move to the boards if it's necessary. Otherwise we keep going in lesson. If I'm at a rink and EVERYONE skates to the boards, I know to follow. Someone fast with big jumps is out there.
Strangely enough, in a sport with all sorts of custom tchotchkes and custom costumes, I'm rather surprised no one's come up with something that will work for skaters.
Anyway, I need to work on my psychic powers, for next week's freestyle. I sense.... I sense.....that girl over there is in progam! (I hope).
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Paying the Coach
I've read about rinks with elaborate schemes for paying coaches. You have to get a card, or you have to get a ticket, or you have to check in at the front desk and pay there, or you have to sign in and give a copy of some ticket to the ice monitor. I get confused with all the ticketing, and signing. The rinks I skated at, I paid cash.
Cash to the ice monitor, and sign in. Meet my coach on the ice, give him/her cash after the lesson.
When I first started skating, I paid by check. Then I had a coach who looked at me and said, "Babbette, let me tell you something, coaching is a cash business." So ever since then, I've always paid my coaches in cash. I've never skated at a rink with complex billing systems (except Lake Placid and that doesn't count). What happens between a coach and the IRS is none of my business. I assume they report every penny.
But these easy days of forking over some of my walking around money in order to go on a freestyle session are coming to an end. I'm about to start Freestyle sessions at a new rink. I was going through their freestyle rules when I found the payment chapter:
I'll never see the like again.
Cash to the ice monitor, and sign in. Meet my coach on the ice, give him/her cash after the lesson.
When I first started skating, I paid by check. Then I had a coach who looked at me and said, "Babbette, let me tell you something, coaching is a cash business." So ever since then, I've always paid my coaches in cash. I've never skated at a rink with complex billing systems (except Lake Placid and that doesn't count). What happens between a coach and the IRS is none of my business. I assume they report every penny.
But these easy days of forking over some of my walking around money in order to go on a freestyle session are coming to an end. I'm about to start Freestyle sessions at a new rink. I was going through their freestyle rules when I found the payment chapter:
-
- Payments for freestyle sessions are made at [rink] Guest Services using a [rink] Debit Card, [rink] Gift Card, credit card, check or cash. Please note that there is a $50 minimum for placing funds on [rink] Debit Cards.
- It is the responsibility of the skater and parent to pay for each session BEFORE the session begins, including morning sessions. Bridging half of one session and half of the following session as one session is not permitted. Skating for any part of a session counts as skating for a full session. No exceptions will be made for lessons.
- Skaters must register at Guest Services before every session and leave a copy of their paid freestyle receipt. It is the responsibility of the skater and parent to notify Guest Services if they are having a lesson, and to name the coach and duration of their lesson. Each skater must sign-in and attach his or her receipt to the Freestyle Log.
- All lessons are scheduled in advance. Instructors must be notified at least 24 hours in advance of a lesson cancellation. Coaches will charge students the full lesson fee for any absence from a lesson that is not cancelled at least 24 hours in advance. Outstanding fees must be paid before lessons can continue.
- Payments for freestyle sessions are made at [rink] Guest Services using a [rink] Debit Card, [rink] Gift Card, credit card, check or cash. Please note that there is a $50 minimum for placing funds on [rink] Debit Cards.
- 5. Salutes will be rendered to the ice monitor when stepping onto the ice. (Just kidding.)
Permission to enter the ice?
I'll never see the like again.
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