Summer Skating--Clothing

[Orianna2000]

What do you guys do about dressing for skating in warm weather?

I started skating in October, so it was never a problem to dress at home with my tights, and fleece pants, and several layers of shirts. Now that it's turning warm, though, it's becoming more uncomfortable. We have a 45 minute drive to our rink, and in the summer it gets into the 90s with high humidity here, so there's no way I can wear skating tights and fleece pants in the car on the way to the rink. I'd die!

So what do you guys do? Get dressed at the rink? That's the only thing I can think of. But it's not going to be fun to try and change clothes in a bathroom stall. Our rink tends to be not as cold when it's warmer outside, so I assume I won't need quite as many layers, but I still prefer to wear pants and tights, rather than a skirt.

Any thoughts?

[Skittl1321]

In the summer I wear thinner leggings (I get fashion leggings at target, in the winter I wear NY2Sportswear skating pants) and a tank top to skate.  I often change in the rink bathroom if I come straight from work. Lots of skaters change in the bathrooms.

[Clarice]

Yup, bathroom.  Even now, I often train at a rink two hours away and don't dress in skating clothes to drive.  I change when I get there, and again after I skate.  If the handicapped stall is free, I use that for more room, but it's really not that big a deal.  I suppose they'd open a locker room for me if I really insisted, but it's not worth the hassle.

[MadMac]

I know what you mean about changing in the bathroom stalls -- not my favorite dressing room, but a necessity. Be sure to take an old towel to spread out on the floor -- makes the whole experience much less uuuggie

[hopskipjump]

Dd wears the same leggings all year (Chloe Noel-but when these are outgrown it will be a different brand). She wears skating knee hi's - not full tights.  In the summer, the only change is that she wears a tank top instead of a tee shirt on the ice (she starts with a skating jacket but gets warm quickly).  Sometimes, depending on what we do after skating she will change to street clothing.

[Orianna2000]

I like the suggestion of putting a towel on the floor. My skating bag doesn't have enough room for clothing, but if I grab some kind of tote bag, I could fit a towel, along with my jeans and sneakers. Still, I hate the idea of dressing at the rink, because it means having to get there an extra 5-10 minutes early . . . and we're pushing it to get there on time as it is.

I guess I need to wait and see how cold they keep it at the rink in the summer. If it's warm enough, I can switch to thinner pants and a t-shirt or exercise tank instead of the fleece pants and long-sleeved shirt I wear now.

[Skittl1321]

I just keep my socks on when I change in the bathroom, and then take them off when I go to put my skates on. 

I really think our bathrooms are cleaner than the locker rooms are...

[Isk8NYC]

In the summer, I typically pull on a pair of sweats over my shorts, add a turtleneck or jacket over my shirt and I'm good.  Our summers can get into the 100's, but I rarely have to change clothes otherwise at the rink.  When I do, I just loosen my sneakers and slip into/out of them to change so my feet don't touch the floor. 

We have an aquatics center in the same building, so even a towel wouldn't keep our feet dry in the shared restrooms.  You could use a couple of paper towels and just throw them in the trash when you're done.

[SK8N]

I live in Florida, so it's always warm here (or at least usually).

I always wear the same thing: leggings and a t-shirt.  I use trouser socks, not tights and I just wear a jacket while skating.  Occasionally the rink will be cold enough to justify fleece pants and I will just put those on over my leggings.  I do have a large skate bag though.  I keep my jacket and skate pants in my skate bag at all times.

I do change in the bathroom though, either before or after skating.  If I skate in the morning, I change into work clothes and if I skate in the evening, I change out of work clothes.  I don't go home between skating and work.  I also will just loosen my sneakers so my feet don't touch the floor but I don't really care if they touch the floor for the few minutes I'm changing.  It's no different than walking outside barefoot, and I do that too

[Isk8NYC]

I keep a bag in the trunk of my car with pants and jackets, just in case we get to the rink and realize we forgot warm clothing.  I keep all skating socks/knee-highs in the skate bags over the summer since the kids usually wear sandals or crocs without socks. 

If you MUST keep your skates in a hot car or trunk, put them inside a cooler bag with a "blue ice" pack so they don't get too hot.  Heat is bad for skates: it speeds break down of the boot and can cause heat-moldable skates to change shape. 

[Orianna2000]

I've been telling my hubby not to keep his hockey skates in the trunk of the car, but he forgets and leaves them there. Sometimes he goes to the rink during his lunch break, so he likes to have his skates handy. But I'll remind him again.

[Skittl1321]

I don't know about hockey skates but it might not matter- aren't they more synthetic material than leather?   

It is the leather the heat is bad for.

That said, in the summer, I keep my skates in the trunk, though it stinks up the car to high heavens.  I love the feeling of putting my skates into a warm boot- sometimes the hooks are very hot though.  They get way too cold and hard as bricks if I do it in the winter though.

[karne]

I made myself a practice skirt, and I also have a pair of dance shorts. I just wear footed tights underneath, and a t-shirt (or tank/singlet top if it's a really hot day) on top.

In terms of getting around, I just put on my tights when getting dressed that morning and throw my pants for the day on over the top. When I get to the rink all I have to do then is go into the bathroom, take off my pants, and put on the bottom of my choice.

In summer I also keep a towel in my skate bag, because the ice tends to melt. Splashdown is not fun and it's even less fun when you stand up and the water immediately starts running into your boots! 

[davincisop]

I just wear fewer layers. Today it's a scorching 80 degrees out so I'll be wearing my skating pants and two tank tops to the rink and when I get there put my jacket on. And as I get warmer I take off layers. (obviously not to naked, but I take of the scarf and jacket).

[AgnesNitt]

In the winter I wear a sleeveless gym shirt under a long sleeved shirt. In the summer, I just lose the long sleeved shirt.

I always have to wear at least a light jacket. It's an old lady thing.

I also ditch the hat in the summer. I look old lady cute with a pony tail.

[Orianna2000]

Normally, I wear a camisole under a long-sleeved shirt, with a short-sleeved t-shirt over that. If it's really cold at the rink, I'll add a lightweight exercise jacket. Then I have skating tights and fleece pants. I can wait to put the jacket on at the rink, but I'm not sure what to do about all the other layers, except to dress at the rink. The fleece pants will kill me in the summer! I suppose I could try skating in a skirt; it would certainly be cooler to wear outside. But I'd have to buy or sew one first, and I sort of feel like I'm too much of a novice skater to have the "privilege" of wearing a real skating outfit (i.e.: a skirt with tights). The other girls I see at Freestyle are wearing Chloe Noel skating pants with plain jackets, or exercise tanks. They only wear skirts when practicing for upcoming shows. Maybe I'll just switch to lighter-weight pants, but I hate to pay $60 for Chloe Noel when I only paid $20 for my fleece pants at Target!

[CaraSkates]

I love summer skating. The rink is the perfect temperature! I wear a pair of footed skate tights year round. Occasionally I wear knee high tights instead. In summer, I wear Under Armour All Season Gear (mid weight) or other lycra skating pants that I've made. On top, I wear a t-shirt and a lightweight jacket that I usually lose after my warmup.

In winter, I add many layers. I skate in frigid rinks. Tights, powerstretch fleece leggings, Under Armour Cold Gear top, t-shirt, thin fleece zip up jacket, thick fleece jacket, gloves, mittens, ear band, scarf. I lose the scarf, earband, mittens and top jacket after the warm up and sometimes the thin jacket too.

I skated before and after work all summer and spent a lot of time getting changed in ice rink bathrooms. I shower when I get home at the end of the day so it doesn't bother me.

[davincisop]

Normally, I wear a camisole under a long-sleeved shirt, with a short-sleeved t-shirt over that. If it's really cold at the rink, I'll add a lightweight exercise jacket.

Sorry, it's late and I'm tired but your first sentence read to me like this....  :angel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z29YHKzbuuc

[Orianna2000]

LOL!!!

[sarahspins]

My general skating wardrobe (year round): 2 layers of body tights (comes up like a camisole - I've found this eliminates the need for wearing a really good sports bra - I can get away with "anything" when I skate with the body tights), under armour cold gear pants on bottom, then a LS running tee on top and two pairs of gloves.  If it's really cold in the rink I'll add a shrug or a SS tee.  Our rink is ALWAYS cold inside.. usually 55˚ or colder.

In the summer, the heat doesn't bother me as much getting to the rink as going home (I actually like being a little warm when I get on the ice - my muscles naturally feel looser).. so I usually bring a change of clothes so I don't have to leave in hot sweaty skating clothes, otherwise I wait to change until I get home and can shower. 

[techskater]

I am a leggings and tank/t shirt at the rink all year round.  (fleece until warmed up).  It's what I wear over it in/out of the rink and the speed with which the fleece comes off that changes...

[Orianna2000]

I'm looking for some leggings or exercise pants that are lighter in weight than my fleece pants, in case the rink is warm enough this summer. Trouble is, it's hard to get to the store, so I'm looking online and it's hard to judge thickness and fit. I'm also looking for gray, not black, which is harder to find. I bought a couple of tank tops with built-in bras, figuring I could wear my jacket over them until I get warmed up.

My hubby took some pictures of me practicing last week and I must say, I look like a coach! Only more dorky-looking. All the "skater girls" at our rink wear either Chloe Noel pants or tight black leggings. I'm a bit self-conscious about wearing tight pants, so I went with straight-leg fleece pants, which, coincidentally, is what many of the coaches at our rink wear. I hadn't realized that it made me look like a coach, so I may need to rethink this.

[Skittl1321]

coincidentally, is what many of the coaches at our rink wear. I hadn't realized that it made me look like a coach, so I may need to rethink this.

Think of it more as "looking like an adult" than looking like a coach.

I wore track pants until I got to backspin.  Once I got to backspin I caught my blade a few times and got over myself and started wearing leggings.

When I run to Target (right next to the ice rink) after skating, I actually prefer to go in my skating skirt (I rarely wear one)- then people know I'm in a "costume".  I worry they will think the leggings are a real outfit. Outside of the rink, I have no business being in leggings!  But they do work great for skating.

[SK8N]

I wear leggings mostly so I don't get my blade caught.  I've caught my blade in my pants while doing a scratch spin and a loop jump.  Destroyed both pairs of pants and ended up on the ice.  My coach also likes the leggings because she can see my legs better to determine knee-bend and position.  I am not a fan of skirts, mostly because I really don't like tights.

I buy the cheap leggings from Wal-mart or Target.  They are thin, which is great for summer.  Just be careful of length.  Many leggings are actually capri leggings, but they don't always say that on the package. 

[Orianna2000]

I managed to find some gray leggings at Kohl's.com. Seriously considering getting them. I'm scared of catching my blade when I learn crossovers, so leggings mightn't be a bad idea. I just hate clingy pants that show off every lump and bump I have. I'd consider a skirt with tights, but I don't feel advanced enough. I'd feel like an imposter wearing something like that! Plus, the skirts are expensive.