Warm weather, skating outside, and squeejees

[Query]

I've said before that enjoying skating outdoors requires a certain attitude, akin to the attitudes present in other outdoor sports.

Playing rink guard today, at a rink in Laurel, Maryland, it was warm. I spent a goodly amount of time pushing water off the low point of the surface with a squeejee. (Who needs a Zamboni? When the surface is wet, it is almost self-healing.)

There were 25-30 people on the ice, a mix of kids and adults. Some took great joy in the weather. Several fell down (water makes for very slippery ice), and were soaked, but it was warm enough that this didn't trouble most of them. One little girl, 6 or 7, practicing jumps, was so ecstatic she practically glowed.

A few hockey kids discovered that spraying water from a hockey stop was more fun than spraying snow.

It started to rain a bit. A few left.

The wind kicked up, gusting to about 30-40 mph, and rain began in earnest. Everyone left.

Hah. Nothing like the attitudes you often see in outdoor sports like kayaking. Wimps!

P.S. I'm still drying out my (suede) boots. Coated smooth leather dries better than suede.

[AgnesNitt]

I went skating today at an outside rink. The water was so deep I just turned around and went home (Had a family emergency call too) not worth it.

[Query]

Maybe your rink doesn't use squeegees. [Sorry for my initial misspelling.] When it's warm, we have to use them a lot. When I looked at the rink an hour or so before the session, there were about 2 or 3 inches of water - by the time I played rink guard, other staff had already used squeegees.

(In fairness to my skaters, most experienced kayakers expect to get quite wet, whereas skaters might not, even if they are outside.)

Now imagine how much power is being used to try to keep outside rinks frozen in warm weather. And how much more power would be needed to keep them fully frozen. Oh, my. A lot more than adding a bit of plywood, which a staff member at another outdoor rink told me he could do for under $20,000.

But then it would lose the charm of being an outdoor rink. Besides, most facility administrators rarely try to do things cheaply. The way they get paid works out, it isn't in their best interest.

[jbruced]

(In fairness to my skaters, most experienced kayakers expect to get quite wet, whereas skaters might not, even if they are outside.)

When I kayak I prefer not to get wet other than some paddle drips and maybe from sweat. I prefer kayaking on waters like the Ohio, Tennessee and parts of the Mississippi rivers; or similar rivers.

[dlbritton]

I've said before that enjoying skating outdoors requires a certain attitude, akin to the attitudes present in other outdoor sports.

It started to rain a bit. A few left.

The wind kicked up, gusting to about 30-40 mph, and rain began in earnest. Everyone left.

Hah. Nothing like the attitudes you often see in outdoor sports like kayaking. Wimps!

Skiers can be "fair weather friends" even in clothing that is generally wind/water resistant.
In a light rain a few go in, heavy rain and the slopes pretty much empty out. It is partially a safety issue, as visibility can decrease quite a bit in the rain and the snow conditions can change dramatically.

Playing rink guard today, at a rink in Laurel, Maryland, it was warm. I spent a goodly amount of time pushing water off the low point of the surface with a squeejee. (Who needs a Zamboni? When the surface is wet, it is almost self-healing.)

The surface can get funky on an outdoor rink when it is 36 degrees and 100% humidity / fog / mist. (Hard to tell if it is lightly raining or not in those conditions, everything is just wet). The surface sort of just changed from smooth to "textured" over time.