Rink Rule - No carrying of children on the ice . . . BROKEN

[Neverdull44]

Last night was family skate night at my rink.   I usually don't go, but went to break in my new boots.

I saw 3 different parents carrying their 1 to 3 year old on the ice, the whole time.   Two of the kids were being carried around by good hockey skater dads.   One was going slow, carrying his kid upright.   The other was zooming, weaving on his edges, and carrying the kid horizontally.  No doubt he was a good skater, but the rink was also full of very bad skaters, including two guys that were skating well beyond their ability and didn't know how to stop.  The third kid was being carried by a couple wearing rentals.    The parents could stand, but not skate very well.    I will say that all three of the kids were wearing helmets...

But,  the potential of the fall would be very bad.  For the child, the fall would be  two to three times the kid's height, at speed, with an adult who could likely fall on them.  I know pair skaters can get very hurt from a fall from a lift, and worse if their partner falls on them.   I remember a male pair skater who was paralyzed when he broke his back from his partner falling on him.   I just cringed at what was going on last night.  Helmet isn't going to do the trick.

Carrying children on the ice is against the rules, but it went on the whole night.  The rink didn't stop it.  The ice monitor is a nice, young kid, but he only started skating about 1.5 years ago.    I don't think he really wants to get involved and doesn't understand the risks.   I kept my mouth shut last night.

I know that rules are usually required by the insurance companies or state law.  (Our clubhouse pool rules are in the insurance rider and state health law).      Do any of you know if carrying young children on the ice is against the insurance company standard rules?   

I worry because our rink is for sale and isn't doing well, or so I hear.  There are rumors, that I haven't confirmed, that they want to shut down the Pro Shop.   I can see areas where the recreational center is not run like a business.  This is just one of them.   The liability of allowing a person to break the rink rules, and the child (who was under the age of consent) having a claim against the rink independently, is huge.  Florida is a comparative negligence state.  It doesn't matter if a jury says that the dad was 30% or even 90% negligent, the rink would likely be responsible for the remainder.   A paralyzed child gets millions upon millions of damages.  Insurance companies usually can't drop you during a claim, but have an option to not renew the following year.   Upon which, a business has to go to another insurance company, admit the claim, and then pay through the nose to procure new insurance.

Should I speak up?

[pegasus99]

YES.

Find out who manages the Public Skating and totally speak up!! Bad Rink Monitors allowing unsafe public skating makes for uncomfortable patrons! And if the rink can't run a public skate, how well are they running a skating program? (Think like a potential customer.)

I don't know about insurance, but it's just common sense. Don't carry people, no matter how small they are.

[twinskaters]

Yes! Tell the skating director or rink manager or whoever is responsible for the rink guards. They need to enforce that!


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[Query]

There are a lot of different insurance companies that sometimes insure ice rinks, that may have their own rules.

Almost everything you do athletic is somewhat dangerous, at any age, especially partnered and team sports. I'm not sure a good adult carrying a child is any worse than what some of the little hockey kids do all the time.

If you go as far as contacting the insurance company, or threatening to, management would likely blacklist you for good. So tread lightly.

[Neverdull44]

No, I would never tell the insurance company.   I was just wondering because i deal with Directors & Officer's & another type of insurance for my clients.   Seen claims, then the insurance company cancel the next year.   Rink operations are fascinating.  I've never had a rink for a client, and it would be really neat to analyze them and turn something like that around to being profitable.  I know that electricity can be one of their biggest costs, and property taxes too if it's not structured or negotiated within state laws.

I did report it to the recreation rink manager.

[Neverdull44]

Problem is going to be solved!  Yeah!!!