Can American USFS members skate on Cdn club ice?

[drskater]

Please forgive my ignorance of the Canadian system. Here in the US, skaters who belong to the USFS can skate on freestyle sessions at non-home rinks, provided they pay the drop-in rate. I usually visit Toronto or Edmonton almost every year, but I've never been able to find out if I could skate on a club or freestyle session in those cities. I visit in the summer and sometimes at Christmas. Whenever I've (or my Canadian friends) called around I'm told that nothing is available. Does anyone have suggestions or advice? It seems so wrong to not be able to figure skate in Canada!

[Earltwirl]

  I don't know if you can skate on club ice but Mariposa offers many freestlyle sessions through the day.  Mariposa International Skating Centre is located at the Allendale Rec Center, 190 Bayview Ave., Barrie, Ontario.  The office is open 9:00 AM-4:00 PM Mon. thru Friday.  Hope this is of some help.

[Sk8tmum]

You can if the club permits outside skaters; clubs will vary in terms of their rules and regulations and in their skating qualification requirements for different sessions.  You should look for "ticket ice" for open freestyle (pay as you go) ice.  In Toronto, Ice Galaxy, for example, runs ticket ice throughout the day and into the evening and on weekends; for individual club rules, you would need to look for the club address and contact number and contact them directly to find out your options. You will need to provide evidence of your USFS membership.

Remember in Canada clubs are exactly that: private clubs with membership fees. They have the right to restrict access to the ice that they have paid for. 

[Query]

Different rinks I've skated at in the U.S. have different rules too. E.g., one USFSA club only let you skate on their ice if they were your "home club". Some rinks let anyone skate any time, some make you join something or buy in advance. Many rinks and clubs let you do freestyle moves in uncrowded public sessions - in fact, some publics are better than some freestyles.

Generalizing is dangerous. Maybe the best people to ask are the specific rinks, and the contact person for the specific clubs.

I know a couple people who just got back from a kayak trip off northern Canada. There was ice outside. Can you out race a polar bear?  

[sk8lady]

Check online and contact someone from the club. I have had success in the past emailing a club officer in Canada and asking if it would be possible to skate on freestyle ice, explaining my USFS affiliation and levels.

[Sk8tmum]

Your best bet in Toronto is Ice Galaxy out at Centennial arena in Scarborugh.  Their schedule is extensive; the ice is designed for figure skaters; and if you're lucky, some of the Ice Dance Elite teams will be practicing ice dance, as that's their home ice (my kid got to skate with Crone and Poirier, and was thrilled). It's some of the best ticket ice in Toronto, and easily accessible. IF you're out in the West End, check the Canadian Ice Academy; they also will have ticket ice available.

[drskater]

Thank you all so much for this helpful advice!

I've tried to find publics during the summer, but, believe it or not, these are few and far between. In Edmonton, where the city parks and recreation runs many skating programs, "publics" are actually free--but full of hockey skaters. I do like the rink in WEM, though, and it is open in the summer. Toronto is another story. Gosh, it would be soooo cool to skate at the Mariposa--isn't this the Broadmoor of Canada?

[Sk8tmum]

There is the Mariposa School of Skating - which is a skating academy where Jeff Buttle and many other high-level skaters train/have trained, then, there is the Mariposa Winter Club, which is a skating club - however, they share the ice. There is a difference ... Canadians have to belong to a Skate Canada club, but, may be members for training at a skating academy in addition if they so wish. Training at the Academy means that you don't have to lose your home club or regional affliation.

Barrie, though, is a bit of a hike north of Toronto!

Link to Mariposa:

http://www.skatemariposa.com/index.php

Public Skate in Toronto is exactly that - it is public - anyone skates, it is a lot of hockey players and kids, and generally you cannot figure skate, and the ice is often not particularly great.  You can go happily around in circlesm often for free. However, as they are publicly funded, many of the arenas do shut down in the summer - there are lots of reasons why Toronto (T.O.) recreation facilities are not as available as people would like, primarily, cost and funding.

What the US seems to have, which is drop-in figure skating, does not exist as public skating, but, rather, as Skate Canada sanctioned ticket ice, where you have to have a Skate Canada (or equivalent US affiliation) membership for insurance purposes.   I've never had a problem finding ticket ice in T.O.   ... so, not sure why and am very sorry that you've had a problem doing it. If I know where in T.O. you are, I can give you some more specific places to go - T.O. is huge, of course!

[NorthernDancers]

Besides the Cricket Club and Granite Club in Toronto, which are both private clubs, there are basically 3 other high profile clubs around the area that are probably more accessable.  Mariposa (about an hour and a bit north of Toronto) information has already been posted.  There is also the Scarboro Figure Skating Club, of which Ice Dance Elite is a part. It is on the east side of Toronto.  Dance teams like Crone and Poirier, Ralph and Hill, and so on train there. 

http://www.icedanceelite.com/
http://www.sfsc.on.ca/

To the West of Toronto, about an hour west of Pearson airport, is the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.  They are known for having drop-in ice during the day and have really good facilities.  It has a full range of programs, and is the former training centre of Virtue and Moir and a whole long list of ice dancers.  Weaver and Poje represent the club still. So do KMT and Moscovitch and bunch of pairs teams.

http://www.kwsc.org/home.html

[drskater]

Many many thanks! When visiting TO I stay in the Danforth area--I suppose that puts me closest to Scarborough.  I really am hoping this will work out. I'm already madly in love with Toronto and this will only make it better!!

[Sk8tmum]

I get the ticket ice schedule from Centennial (which is where ice dance elite is, in Scarborough) sent to me regularly. If you want to use it here's some info ...

"Please call the office at Centennial RC at 416-396-4057 to make your reservations for ice time.  IMPORTANT:  Do not leave your reservation on voice mail. Reservations must be made with a person.  A reservation is not valid unless it is written onto the booking sheets.  A message on the answering machine will not be honored.  Call back until you reach a person.

Even if a reservation is made, you must check in at office and pay for session PRIOR to using ice surface.  If you do not have a paid ticket when asked, you may be asked to leave the ice."

and, the rules:

(THESE SESSIONS ARE DESIGNED AND   RESTRICTED TO FIGURE SKATERS ONLY
– THEY ARE NOT HOCKEY PRACTICE OR LEARN TO SKATE SESSIONS)

1.   ICE BOOKINGS ARE AVAILABLE UP TO ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE.  SPACE IS LIMITED TO 24 SKATERS.

2.   ICE BOOKINGS MUST BE PAID FOR AT TIME OF BOOKING OR RESERVED BY VISA OR MASTER CARD.

3.   RESERVED BOOKINGS MUST BE PAID FOR PRIOR TO USING ICE SURFACE

4.   ICE BOOKINGS MUST BE BOOKED OR CANCELLED THROUGH FACILITY STAFF, NOT THROUGH VOICE MAIL ANSWERRING SYSTEM.  OFFICE HOURS ARE 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM DAILY.

5.   CANCELLATIONS ARE ACCEPTED 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE.  PLEASE CALL DURING BUSINESS HOURS.  ICE TIME THAT IS NOT CANCELLED 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE AND NOT USED, WILL BE CHARGED TO THE CUSTOMERS' CREDIT CARD.

6.   MONEY WILL NOT BE REFUNDED FOR PREPAID ICE TIME THAT IS NOT USED.

7.   BOOKINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CANCELLATION DUE TO HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL EVENTS.

8.   DANGEROUS MANOEUVRES (I.E. LIFTS & THROWS) ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. 
      NO LAYOUTS ARE PERMITTED.

9.   WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ARTICLES LEFT ON THE PREMISES.

10.   ALL SKATERS ARE TO LEAVE THE ICE SURFACE PRIOR TO ICE RESURFACING.