Rink Ice Water Composition

[Bill_S]

Fog and condensation aren't good for figure skating either...



This was before my local rink got their de-humidifier fixed.

[AlbaNY]

Bill, that ice stalagmite is… wow.  Unacceptable doesn't even cover it.   
I would be upset by a bump of a quarter inch let alone that!  I did a belly flop in a spiral from something that doesn't even compare (yet I remember it well.  )

Query, yes.  They paint the white base with a huge boom then put down some ice layers before the lines get marked and painted.  Something about posting rink painting videos on my YouTube really killed the algorithm for my channel, but I think the ice maintenance stuff is neat and will post that anyway.     It just takes a lot of time with the transatlantic move, having too many videos, and using an external drive that is finicky without my computer…. Once the white is down and protected with a few ice layers the lines are marked with yarn and hand painted.  It’s rather neat!  I was very confused by the discount store yarn.  It seemed so improvised but is the usual routine and has been for many years at all the rinks in the capital region of NY apparently.

I might be able to get a part time job at one of the rinks here as a Zamboni driver too once I’m eligible to work.  They have actual Zamboni machines around here much to my surprise.  The ice is rather bad so far, but no giant lumps.   
Fog shouldn’t be a thing, but I guess that someone tries to save money on the dehumidifying?  We didn’t do the ice in the morning, just around midnight instead after hockey, but it really ought to be resurfaced in the morning ideally.  My rink had a driver/manager/sharpener/janitor/everything person there whenever open since one guy did it all including unlock the building, but it was rare anyone would do a cut in the morning since hockey happened before figure skating anyway.  My boss would have been really upset about fog let alone mould!

[Query]

The rink I was thinking of that used to have non-working dehumidifiers, had ice stalagmites, too. They were colored, presumably due to live mold, not an attractive ice ingredient. Conceivably it provides nucleation sites, like IceMax, but the mold that was presumably in the air is not healthy. Which is another very good reason to avoid fog.

I wonder whether mold, IceMax, and similar ingredients tend to wear down edges, and therefore cut blade lifetime. I know outdoor pollen and dirt does.


AlbaNY, once you get your working papers, good luck finding a job in New York City (if that's what "NY" stands for)! All the rink related experience you have should help. And there must be other sports management jobs, where prior rink management experience would be a huge advantage. Maybe you can start your own sharpening business?

Because of all the competition from people unsuccessfully hopeful of jobs in theater, music and dance, I've heard NYC is a pretty difficult place to get a legit job. Maybe especially for immigrants.

Some ice rinks hire helpers for LTS classes who don't need as high qualifications as coaches, though they also don't get paid much. But other rinks only trade ice time for "volunteers" who do that. I suppose volunteering might be a way to make yourself known to current rink management.

NYC also has artificial (plastic) ice rinks. Never skated there, but ugh. Hope you don't have to work there.

[AlbaNY]

Query, colourful stalagmites sound… really gross.  Yuck!

The NY is for the state and a play on my nickname since Albany is the capital, and my friends when I moved to Spain called me Alba instead of using my real name. 
I lived in NYC for over ten years and in the downstate part they call “upstate” another five or so, but I’m from the real upstate.  I (foolishly) studied and worked in fashion there.  It was more brutal than the movies and cliches would have people think.  I did have acquaintances who successfully worked in theatre though: a guy with a grammy from Hamilton (among other awards  ,) another who worked on the sets for the Lion King, and a childhood friend who painted backdrops too.  Overall, I highly recommend people not move to NYC unless they have a really good job offer.   
Now I’m navigating work permits and however it is done to get employed in Germany.   

One day I may check out the plastic rink near a friend’s place, but so far I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my sharpening.  I used a friend’s artificial ice setup (for her hockey playing son) once when I first began skating, and it was pretty bad.
The biggest perk of working for the rink was to skate for free, so I wouldn’t mind a similar thing here.  I talked to the Zamboni driver at the nearest rink, and it may be an option depending on transportation and childcare logistics?

I just re-read, and the effect on sharpening lifespan is worrisome.  The hockey people are used to constantly sharpening, but with figure blades that is a much bigger concern!

[Query]

Hockey folk too, even on real ice, put a lot of money into sharpening and replacing new blades - some of them several times / game. Artificial ice must be ridiculously expensive for such folk.

In any event, one of the things I love about skating is that it takes so little energy to move. That wasn't true on the type artificial ice I tried skating on.

But I haven't tried the most modern high end artificial "ices". Maybe they are somewhat better, both from an edge wear standpoint, and from a low friction standpoint. But smooth ice at ice rink temperatures is an incredibly low friction surface. It must be almost impossible to make an engineered substitute as good.

I mostly grew up in upstate New York, in and around Ithaca, but didn't skate much. Are there any good pro shops in upstate NY?

You sure move around a lot. At least you get to see the world.

[AlbaNY]

Yes, the hockey people seem to budget for very frequent sharpenings.  They are lucky to be more able to replace blades than figure skaters.
My friend lives walking distance from a big rink, but I guess her son mostly did stick handling practice on the artificial ice?  I hope?

That ease of glide is what I loved about biking before I began to skate, and skating is even better.  It’s part of what I find so unenjoyable about inlines as a replacement.

For a shop I like Northern Ice and Dance in up in Potsdam.  There is a good fitter/tech in Skaneateles, but my favourite tech now by far is in Troy (North American Hockey Systems.)  There is a shop in the Boston area that is good for online orders, and Westside Skate in Queens has been good to me for in person stuff.  So, basically a span of the entire state and beyond. 

I hope I’m done relocating.  It’s rough!  I don’t even like change