earplug danger or speakerphone annoyance?

[jjane45]

Some rinks explicitly ban earplugs and some don't, I've seen public skaters with ears completely covered in large headphones and freestyle skaters with one earplug, although not frequently. Some coaches also choreograph for students by carrying a portable music player around on speakerphone.

There are times when skaters need to practice with music but cannot play them as much over the rink sound system due to rules limitations or capacity issues. I'm sure playing the metronome thru rink speakers for more than a minute would annoy a ton of people, based on the power circle music track comments.

I certainly don't feel comfortable to skate with an earplug on ice with more than 5 people, even with extra low volume and lots of caution, it's just too dangerous. When I practice dance or moves with a metronome (cellphone with speakerphone on), I also feel guilty for being a major noise source moving around - for me to consistently hear the metronome sound, everyone within five feet is forced to hear it too.

What is your take on people skating with portable sound sources? Is there a good solution?

[Sk8tmum]

Absolutely not allowed on any rinks in our region; it is a safety issue.  Skaters will earphones on cannot hear other skaters; if they're loud enough, they can't hear rink patrols or rink "emergency" announcements; and it does tend to 'distracted' skaters.  We won't discuss texting while skating also a huge no-no.

I know you guys have different setups as you do freestyle/dance etc on public ice.  We don't allow figure skating of any sort on public ice, figure skaters use private or figure only ice with music systems available.

[Query]

It's very common at my rinks.

Not just for skating music. Lots of them skate during cell phone conversations. Sometimes video conversations.

Wee!

[AgnesNitt]

It's 'verboten' at all the rinks I've skated at.

But on public none of the rink guards enforce it for the (always) adult men in hockey skates who have ear plugs in. I don't remember seeing it in kids, since they're there to socialize.

Freestyle? I've seen it a few times, but it's rare.

[icedancer]

My rink allows it but they prefer for you to just have one earplug in.  I have been using my ipod to work on my dances during public sessions lately.  I do miss the rinks where you can play your own dance music.

The rink just got a new sound system which is GREAT but sometimes they play it too loud and so I only use the ipod to work on my dances.  I find that if I'm listening to something that I like skating to in general the rink sound-system noise is too powerful and I find it totally distracting.

Just for dance practice then.

[VAsk8r]

It's not allowed at my rinks, but the rule isn't enforced. I've only seen a couple of cases where the guilty party was a figure skater practicing a program, but what I see more commonly is a coach following a skater around with an ipod or CD player so the skater can hear the music.

Like a lot of rules, this is probably one that exists because many people on a public session lack the common sense or courtesy to realize how dangerous it can be. Most of the people I see with headphones on are also skating very fast, and they just seem to be completely in their own world, oblivious to how their behavior affects other. Your sense of hearing tells you a lot about your environment; lose it, and you're not going to be as aware.

Of course, at my home rink, the music on publics is sometimes so loud you can't hear anything anyway  .

I think a dancer listening to a metronome low enough that you can hear what's around you is perfectly fine. I'd be more concerned about what happens if a little kid going every which way gets right in front of you, or one of the super-fast people cutting you off.

[AgnesNitt]

On freestyle if they're not playing music, I can tuck my iphone in my bra and can hear the music from the internal speaker well enough to practice dances to.

I'm not one of the in-crowd, so I don't ever ask them to turn off the non-program classic russian background music. (due to scary russian coaches, who have been perfectly nice to me, but really chew the life out of their skaters, I just pretend they're not there. They just pretend I'm a butterfly they can crush with one glance from their laser eyes).

I hate to put my music on the machine
a. can never find the belt since some kid still has one on from her program and another kid has the OTHER one on so she can run through her program--I am so going to the dollar store and getting a  construction workers vest. I hate the fact that the rink has two belts. I can't tell who's in program, both kids are just skating around waving their arms, doing dramatic poses, and jumping.
b. When I do put my music on the machine, I can't hit the beat. It's embarassing.

[jjane45]

b. When I do put my music on the machine, I can't hit the beat. It's embarrassing.

On freestyle if they're not playing music, I can tuck my iphone in my bra and can hear the music from the internal speaker well enough to practice dances to.

Keeping phone in the pocket is probably distracting others, and um I do not have the luxury of yours. Really need to play the metronome to work on dance, maybe I could attach the earplug near my neck but not inside the ear.

[aussieskater]

jjane, I wouldn't be too concerned about being a "major moving noise source" - a metronome makes less noise than a coach carrying a boombox following a skater around, and you're moving all the time.

I use a clip-on metronome & clip it on my collar/neckline near my ear.  Works a treat.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Seiko-DM-50-Clip-Style-Metronome-/140723371259?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c3c43cfb

Mind you, I have had a couple of puzzled looks as I've skated past and people have heard the "BEEP beep beep beep"...  Once they realise what it is, the response has invariably been "What a great idea."  (They don't want to listen to 142 iterations of the 14step music any more than I do!!!)

[jjane45]

Clipping an ear plug to neckline I could still hear the dance music to some extent, will give it a try next time. Or maybe an armband for my phone, so it could be heard at a lower volume compared to pocket position.

[sk8lady]

I routinely wear an ipod with both earbuds in at our 2 closest rinks. If the music is at a reasonable level, you can hear people coming. I also pay attention to others. I only do dances and my programs to the music and I have virtually never had an accident, or even close call, when wearing earbuds. However, I HAVE had to avoid lots of people NOT wearing earbuds who are irresponsible and/or oblivious to others. The 2 worst collisions I have had involved either teenagers or hockey dads who were not paying the slightest attention to anyone but themselves. If you are a responsible person, there is no danger.

[Skittl1321]

Our rink it is very normal for skaters to wear ipods.  Most wear both earphones.  I haven't seen any collisions due to this- the clueless little girl on Wed though ran into THREE people.  I don't think she ever looked where she was going, not earphones involved.

The freestyle skaters tend to hold their ipods (it is really hard to spin with something in your pocket) while doing walk-throughs, I don't think I've seen anyone do more than an axel holding them, no doubles.  The dancers seem to put them in pockets.

We are a pretty easy going rink as far as playing your music though.  So it isn't too tough to get something on overhead to practice to.  One coach does follow his skaters with a boombox.  He is pretty well known for playing the same music 5+ times on a session over the speakers, so I think that he decided maybe it wasn't the best idea to do more than that.

[turnip]

Its becoming increasingly common at my rink. I don't like it, cause you can't hear other people coming near you if you have headphones in. In my lesson once I had to stop a spiral pattern because someone got in the way with headphones in and therefore couldn't hear my coach calling "excuse me!"

[MadMac]

Does anyone else share my issue with earphones?  If I put them in both ears it throws my balance off. Also can make my spacial awareness funny. Makes me feel like I'm under water. I really depend on my ears for much more than hearing!

[hopskipjump]

Earplugs are not permitted at our rinks.  It is a hazard.

[icedancer]

Does anyone else share my issue with earphones?  If I put them in both ears it throws my balance off. Also can make my spacial awareness funny. Makes me feel like I'm under water. I really depend on my ears for much more than hearing!

I also have this problem and don't put both ear buds in ever - and I only use it for dance as I find it too annoying to enjoy general skating practice with earphones.  I would rather just get the people at the rink to put on some "decent skating music"  !!!

[Orianna2000]

I would never try listening to music while I skate, not unless the rink was totally deserted. I have trouble hearing if I just wear a winter headband. The sounds get muffled and I can't hear approaching skaters, or my coach talking to me, or anything. So blocking my ears completely would definitely not work. I do see others at our rink skating with headphones or earbuds, though. I've noticed it during Freestyle and public sessions, both. Of course, I've also seen public sessions with people who are texting or chatting on their cellphones and I seriously want to yell at them for creating a dangerous situation.   

[jjane45]

What do skaters/coaches do when they choreograph? Normally it's not a good idea to play the same music 10+ times in one session... unless you visualize it perfectly?

[techskater]

We've had the docking station on the boards and work near the boards for the first part then play overhead and do it where it's supposed to be.

[Sierra]

What do skaters/coaches do when they choreograph? Normally it's not a good idea to play the same music 10+ times in one session... unless you visualize it perfectly?

My coach takes home the music and works out a rough outline of a program for it. Then she'll teach me the choreography. We only play the music maybe twice.
I've never seen anyone at my rink use earphones or carry around boomboxes for program music.

When our highest level girl brought in a choreographer, he had the music playing on repeat. For the entire. hour. long. session.

[hopskipjump]

What do skaters/coaches do when they choreograph? Normally it's not a good idea to play the same music 10+ times in one session... unless you visualize it perfectly?

My daughter's coach will break it down into parts.  Then once she gets the idea of that part they play the music - just the part she is learning.  She might play it twice in a session.  More than 2xs in a session is considered rude if there are other skaters practicing.

[Sk8tmum]

Well, choreography generally take several hours - it's spread out over a few weeks - and yes, the music "chunks" get played over more than once.  But, it's done with courtesy, and everyone cooperates to be sure that everyone's music gets played - and, as most/all of the skaters have a choreographer, it's just understood that during "choreography" season, that's the way it's done. 

We have had choreos on rare occasion bring in boomboxes. Very much frowned upon, as it's highly distracting to the other skaters, confuses right of way too as have a strict "skater in a lesson with music" priority on our ice.

[skatingmum2]

My daughter currently has bilateral ear infections (the doc thought her right ear drum looked about to pop so started quite high dose antibiotics). She hates the deaf and off balance feeling - apparantly worst with camel spins and layback spins when her head is tilted. Couldn't imagine her wanting to replicate the feeling using earphones.

[Query]

My daughter currently has bilateral ear infections (the doc thought her right ear drum looked about to pop so started quite high dose antibiotics). She hates the deaf and off balance feeling - apparantly worst with camel spins and layback spins when her head is tilted. Couldn't imagine her wanting to replicate the feeling using earphones.

I bet the off-balance feeling isn't common - otherwise ear buds wouldn't be so popular.

I had some ear infections before I learned ways to clean out ear wax, using fingers, ear drops, and warm water bulbs. My ear canals are too narrow for my thumb (which they usually say is all you should use) to be effective.

It's good you are seeing a doc - ear problems are often permanent, so this is one thing where it is really worth seeking really good professional advice, quickly.

Probably didn't help with my ear infections that I was into water sports, in dirty river water. Sometimes cold water, which might have made it worse - there is a syndrome caused by immersion in cold water, called "kayaker's ear" or "surfer's ear", involving an ear bone growth that narrows or blocks the ear canal. So if your daughter is into non-sterile water sports too, you might ask the doc whether she shows any signs of it. (I don't count skating, because I've never seen ice get into the ears.)

[AgnesNitt]

So bumping.

This has changed at my rink at the unofficial level. One earplug in--okay.

The only ones who skate with both plugs in are high school boys and a few grown men.

I've never, not once, seen a woman with both plugs in.

I never use my earplugs except on the rare occasion the music on public isn't playing.

Reason? The rink upgraded the speakers so the sound is loud from some 8-12 speakers around the rink. You cannot get away from it at all. Why bother with headphones.

(Also music is thumpa thumpa--with some occasional melody--Thank you autotune)