My rink club holds an exhibition (anyone can enter - all levels... from beginners doing sculling, drags & 2 foot spins, all the way up to senior level!), skateUK competitions several times a year (for members & non members) and closed competition once a year (club members only). We also have silly games & costume days at Christmas / Halloween / Easter.
Patch ice is organised through the skating school rather than the club. Club costs £25/yr to join + £4.50 /week entry to our only session (1hr 45min).
Pros- Spending time with my skating friends. It's one of the rare times we're on the ice at the same time anymore!
- 2 x 15 min dance intervals.
- 2x30 min lessons on a coned off bits of the rink included in the entry cost (1 aimed at skate UK level, 1 dance) I do the dance one.
- Club members can get a key to the club changing room. No more changing in the evily decorated loos after patch! Club room lockers = free which saves hiring one from the rink at a similar cost to the yearly club fee.
Cons- Insanely busy. 50 skaters is the average I think!
(half adults, half kids)
- simpler forward dances in the dance interval need emergency stops on a regular basis so you don't run people over as all abilities of skaters try them!
- Practicing anything that takes up a bit of room means you have to take it in turns to use the space... Means you get an audience praticing small jumps & spins etc and no chance of camel spins, spirals or fast entries to jumps unless you want to kill someone.
- All the coaches have to be in for the SkateUK lessons straight afterwards so they all coach this session too. (We have a dozen or so coaches!) Lots of lessons to try and avoid getting in the way of...
Both Pro and con!- Drop in SkateUK lessons on straight after club so lots of people watching the last dance interval. Nice ego boost when it goes well... not so good when it goes horribly wrong in front of LOTS of people!