How to get more serious?

[sarahspins]

It's amazing how there is so little ice time for beginning or developing adult skaters.

Ice time is problematic for developing skaters at any age.  I think it's easier for me as an adult skater to get more than enough ice time in because I can skate daytime public sessions - it's typical at my rink for there to be fewer than 5 skaters on the ice from 12-2.  Of course I say that because my schedule allows me to skate during that time.  My daughter on the other hand, basically gets to skate saturday after LTS classes and maybe one other day a week - it's just not enough, and she can't skate on freestyles yet, but even if she could, it would mean getting to the rink before school with the super high level skaters, or trying to make it to the rink for one of only two 45 minute evening freestyles during the week.  We live too far away to make getting to the rink after school an option.. I've tried, it just doesn't work well.

[AgnesNitt]

It's amazing how there is so little ice time for beginning or developing adult skaters. This is a problem everywhere, even in skate-crazy Massachusetts. All public sessions seem to be between 10 a.m.-noontime, or on Friday nights when the rink is likely to be overrun by throngs of teenagers. Even freestyle sessions that accommodate no-test or low-test skaters always seem to be right after school gets out--not late enough for any adult with a typical weekday work schedule. Evenings seem to be reserved for hockey games. Yes, it is hard to find appropriate ice time. I lobbied for years at my club to have an adult skating session on a weeknight not so much for me (I can skate on any session and I also work afternoons) but for my husband who is an advanced no-test beginner who works during the day. He would love to develop as a skater but he can't find ice time to do it.  Even when I was working in New York, I found the rink schedules on Long Island were the same as those in the Boston area: public skating between 10 and 12, freestyle after school, and hockey in the evenings. The Chicago area must not be that much different.

I'm glad you were able to solve your ice time problem. Best of luck to you!

I used to skate at a rink that had "Secret Adult Freestyle".

Ice time was going to waste Sunday mornings because even hockey wouldn't take it. So the skating director opened up the rink on Sunday so she could practice w/ her pairs partner, and invited a couple of other people. By the time I arrived it was an invitation only adult freestyle from 8-10. It was not on the schedule. You signed in and stuffed cash in an envelope. Because it was initially invitation only it was the honor system.

It . was . wonderful.    Then the rink closed. 

For the longest time I thought every rink had Secret Adult Freestyle. MAybe they do, and I'm just not invited. 

[davincisop]

Back at my old rink, because I worked there my boss would let me skate on dead ice (it was rare that there was any and you had to grab it before the boys did for hockey). Because I am friends with my old boss' daughter and she worked there and could check the schedule she would let me know when it was dead, she would ask her dad, and she, her sister and I would grab the ice for an hour to two hours early on a Sunday morning before hockey came in. The guys always were mad when they'd find out we got it, but they got dead ice EVERY NIGHT that they were there. So it was only fair lol.

At my current rink, it's quiet but the rink manager said that if I came early (6:30am) he'd punch my card for the 7:00 and I could skate 6:30-7:15 before work. Now that I'm freelancing I don't have to worry about that and I just skate the midday public with the figure skater hater.

[sarahspins]

When I worked at the rink 15ish years ago we could skate on any "dead" daytime ice we wanted to, but now there isn't that much that is free but I don't think we could skate on what little is even if we asked nicely.  We'd be expected to pay for "private ice", just like anyone else.  I used to be able to skate freestyles for free back then too but now under different management I'd have to pay (which is okay with me, the schedule doesn't really include any sessions I'd like to skate).  That said, when the ice is empty before adult skate (as it often is on Wednesdays) we normally get out and skate at least 15 minutes early (but sometimes as much as half an hour) and no one says anything.. the same goes for public.  I showed up at the rink early today and the ice was empty and already resurfaced.  Back when we had another facility and two more sheets of ice, EVERYONE would show up early for adult skate and stay late, sometimes we'd milk 2+ hours out of an hour session, and management didn't seem to care unless the ice was booked for something else after... in which case our signal to leave was when the resurfacer came out.