If rinks possibly open this summer, I've started blogging again

[AgnesNitt]

Topics welcome.
Please keep it light. People need a smile. 

http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2020/05/first-time-on-ice-once-your-rink-opens.html

[Bill_S]

The Chiller rinks in Columbus are re-opening in a week - June 1. Not all rink programming will be available right away, but private lessons and freestyle start on Monday!

For the curious, here's the schedule of how they plan to phase-in all their activities... https://thechiller.com/news.cfm?PostID=57

There's a PDF link on that page that specifies all the steps they expect patrons to adhere to - i.e. wear masks off-ice, no cash or credit card, come already dressed, etc. I'm glad that they are publishing these guidelines.

One curious edit to the PDF within the past couple of days -  they removed earlier wording of someone 60+ years old as being in a high-risk category. Now it just says "If you or a family member have a medical history that places you in a high-risk category for COVID-19, we recommend that you do not enter."  Someone threatened to sue for age discrimination? Hey, it wasn't me!

I'm probably going to sit out things anyway. I want to live to skate another day.

[Bill_S]

BTW, I should refresh all my safety padding. Skating skill will have taken a serious hit.

At least I won't be the only one feeling like a beginner again.

[AgnesNitt]

One curious edit to the PDF within the past couple of days -  they removed earlier wording of someone 60+ years old as being in a high-risk category. Now it just says "If you or a family member have a medical history that places you in a high-risk category for COVID-19, we recommend that you do not enter."  Someone threatened to sue for age discrimination? Hey, it wasn't me!

Since I'm well over 60 (69 in august), for my safety it's a mask on ice, and keep moving. Your time of exposure to an infected person directly affects the risk of infection I read. So I figure, if I keep moving I'm less likely to be infected by any person who may be a carrier.

Honestly, it's summer already so the publics around here will be empty.

[tstop4me]

For the curious, here's the schedule of how they plan to phase-in all their activities... https://thechiller.com/news.cfm?PostID=57

I'm surprised to see they plan on re-opening public sessions the second week.  Other re-opening schedules I've seen don't include public at all.

[Bill_S]

I'm surprised too.

You won't find me at one for a while. I'm deeply into the high-risk population for a number of reasons - including my wife. If I merely carry the delivered groceries from our driveway into the garage, my wife insists that I take a shower and change clothes.

Imagine her wrath if I go skating. Going against her wishes is considered high-risk.

[AgnesNitt]

My thought would be if the rink wants to have a public, make it like a 'semi-freestyle'. That is, regulars only, who have to make a reservation (this is how my church ran one mass. They had reservations and social spaces, and got approval from the state. Then the state changed its policy  and it was video only)

And how do they know who a regular is? There's like 12 people that fit in on that. We know each other. The hockey manager recognized me when I came back from a leg injury after two months. I mean they KNOW who the regulars are.

Any way with a 'regulars only' public, they could work out their policies and rules, and figure out how to go to 'open'

[tstop4me]

My thought would be if the rink wants to have a public, make it like a 'semi-freestyle'. That is, regulars only, who have to make a reservation (this is how my church ran one mass. They had reservations and social spaces, and got approval from the state. Then the state changed its policy  and it was video only)

And how do they know who a regular is? There's like 12 people that fit in on that. We know each other. The hockey manager recognized me when I came back from a leg injury after two months. I mean they KNOW who the regulars are.

Any way with a 'regulars only' public, they could work out their policies and rules, and figure out how to go to 'open'

Whether it's regulars only, or all welcome (perhaps by lottery if there's heavy demand relative to a limited number of slots), I think it's viable only via an advanced-reservation, pre-paid system.  And, of course, skaters would need to have their own skates; no rentals.  Then there's the issue of backlogged demand for freestyle and hockey, in conjunction with reduced capacity per session.  I'm expecting more ice time set aside for those activities, especially since they bring in more money than publics, with some exceptions.  So I won't be surprised if it's no publics for a long while at my rinks.

At the rinks in my area, in normal times, weekday public sessions during summer are often packed because (1) there are fewer publics, since ice time is set aside for summer skating camps run by the rinks, and (2) outdoor camps (not run by the rinks) often drop off busloads of kids for them to cool off.  Weekend publics during the summer here are less crowded (no camp kids of any sort, and families head off to the beaches to cool off).  But this summer, it's a big ?! concerning camps of any sort.

[Loops]

The figures groups on FB have exploded with the "natural social distancing" factor.  Not sure if any rinks would actually get on board, but Oh! how I'd love for an opportunity to patch again.

My head coach told me once she did figures for a very short time, so "knows all about them."  But she's also not at all interested so, it's hopeless for me.  I still have my scribe and patch blades though.  Hope lives!

[Bill_S]

Figures would be perfect! I'd certainly try them given the opportunity.

Heck, I'd try them even if social distancing didn't exist.

[tstop4me]

The figures groups on FB have exploded with the "natural social distancing" factor.  Not sure if any rinks would actually get on board, but Oh! how I'd love for an opportunity to patch again.

My head coach told me once she did figures for a very short time, so "knows all about them."  But she's also not at all interested so, it's hopeless for me.  I still have my scribe and patch blades though.  Hope lives!

My coach is old enough to have trained in the compulsory figures era, and she reminisces about it fondly.  Just before the shutdown, she was commenting that my forward 8's were good enough that she could start me on back 8's soon.  Oh, well.

Even if not used strictly for figures, assigned patches for publics would make a lot of sense logistically.  I could do many of my drills, and my spin practices, within the confines of an end-zone hockey circle; so I would be game.  Even if they had to hike up the rate to make it economically feasible.

[tstop4me]

Topics welcome.
Please keep it light. People need a smile. 

http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2020/05/first-time-on-ice-once-your-rink-opens.html

One topic would be, What minimum services and facilities could you live with if you were to return to skating?  For a high level of protection from the virus, many facilities (not just rinks, but in general) would need major remodelling.  In lieu of that, many facilities are doing the best they can for the time being; e.g., closing restrooms, installing plastic shields around cashiers, making supermarket aisles one-way, .... 

I've skimmed some proposed restrictions for rink re-openings.  E.g.:

(a) Lockers and restrooms are to be closed.  These are of course areas of high contamination, difficult to clean and disinfect, especially in  a quasi-continuous mode.  No lockers?  OK.  But what about no restrooms?  Would yellow lines and circles suddenly appear on the ice among the red and blue lines and circles?  Would some enterprising entrepreneur develop a potty-seat attachment for a Zuca bag?

(b) No benches.  Come to the rink dressed up and laced up.  Dressed up?  OK.  But what about laced up?  OK, if you're a child, and your parents drop you off by the entrance.  But what if you're the skater and the driver?  If your parking spot is far from the entrance, would you be comfortable lacing up in your car, and walking to the entrance on your blade guards?  In rain?  Through mud or slush? <Sorry, no humorous punch line here.  I'll leave that for others. But I can imagine a cartoon with a driver wearing skates while she's driving, so she can save time lacing up at home.>

(c) No items by or near the ice.  Bags, water bottles, and tissues to be parked in designated spots in lobby.  No bags?  OK.  No tissue box?  Wear clothes with pockets, and stow them there (one pocket for clean, one pocket for used).  Or skip the tissues, since you're wearing a mask.  No water bottle?  Hum, perhaps wise if the restrooms are closed.   

[FigureSpins]

Figures will not make a comeback from this, other than those that are Moves patterns.  Just mho - skaters have too little time on the ice to spend it doing Figures when they really want to practice their dances, spins and jumps.  Even the Moves patterns that use figures, like the Brackets in the Field, need more ice space to really practice the pattern.

No open snack bars or vending machines.  (The latter one surprised me, but money is dirty and someone would have to wipe them down.)

No guards on the wall outside the rink.They've touched the spittle-ridden floor when you walk, then you put them on the wall and someone else knocks them down/picks themup and tada! Con-taminnnn-nation! (Sung to the tune of Disney's "Imagination." TM)

I am NOT seeing any rinks require skaters to wear masks, just the coaches.  However, Sean Rabbitt made a good point: he trains with a mask for competitions.  A lot of people are fearful of masks, especially under heavy-breathing situations, so that requirement would be fought, tooth and claw.  (That whole sentence is a little risque, no?)

[ChristyRN]

I'm going back June 6 for the first time since March 7. I don't think this hit me as hard as most of you because I've been mostly off the ice since September (and completely off Sep-Dec). I will be wearing a mask, at least in the beginning. I have a chronic lung disease that I mostly blow off, but since this is a respiratory virus, I'll take precautions. My masks are fabric, but I made a couple with a loop over the top of my head to wear under my helmet. No knots on my head.

I won't put my skates on in my car. I will either go to the building entrance or inside the building (but not the rink portion of the facility).

[tstop4me]

I'm going back June 6 for the first time since March 7. I don't think this hit me as hard as most of you because I've been mostly off the ice since September (and completely off Sep-Dec). I will be wearing a mask, at least in the beginning. I have a chronic lung disease that I mostly blow off, but since this is a respiratory virus, I'll take precautions. My masks are fabric, but I made a couple with a loop over the top of my head to wear under my helmet. No knots on my head.

I won't put my skates on in my car. I will either go to the building entrance or inside the building (but not the rink portion of the facility).

Good luck to you.  Is this a pubic session or freestyle or other?  What are the requirements and restrictions?

[FigureSpins]

Our rink reopened this week in a very-limited fashion: kids and teens only, for a few pre-arranged freestyle sessions and private lessons.  All payments online, except private lessons fees, which are going to the coaches directly.  (Cash, checks or PayPal was my solution.)

Max 20 people on the ice, 5 coaches who are encouraged to stay in the hockey boxes.  No group lessons, dance/pairs or synchro with connections.  Everyone has to be on the check-in list, presenting a signed liability waiver and have their temp checked with a touchless device.  Everyone must wear a mask in the facility - doesn't have to be medical-grade.  Skaters are allowed to skate without masks, however.  Six-foot distancing everywhere.  We use separate doorways for check-in and exit.  They encouraged skater drop-off and pick-up, but a maximum of one adult / skater would allowed to stay inside the rink area or the lobby but no going back-and-forth.  Non-skating children/teens have to stay outside.

The skating director coordinated the lesson/practice signups for the morning sessions.  She's been cleaning with spray sanitizer and clean cloths after each session while the ice is resurfaced.  There are hand sanitizer stations and skaters were told to bring their own tissues, sanitizer, gloves, water bottles and masks.  All the drinking fountains are turned off but the bathrooms are open.  One or two locker rooms, which we don't use for figure skating normally, are in use for skate changing and bags.  There's a hockey camp of some sort next week, so we're waiting to see what the freestyle schedule looks like before we book any lessons for that period.

So far, so good.  Here's hoping we can streamline this and get skaters ready for tests and future competitions.  *crosses fingers*

Gotta say, I was disappointed to see that the rink area looks exactly the same.  There's a brand-new two-sheet facility opening in July about 30 m. away.  An older rink about 40 m. away cleaned, painted, fixed flooring and laid fresh ice.  Two of the rinks about an hour away did a total melt and are about to lay fresh ice.  Our rink was exactly as it was when I was there in March.  Same dip in the ice where the zam gets on/off, same gaps in the rubber tiles, same puck marks on the walls/glass, same broken door catch.  While I appreciate having ice, I'm worried about what will happen when these other rinks reopen.  Our facility works really hard to keep everything well-maintained, but it seems like this opportunity to correct things without affecting customers passed them by.

[AgnesNitt]

A local rink is  opening Monday for 'freestyle only'. It's the partner rink to my home rink. My home rink is still closed.

I think.

The two rinks share a manager, but the only rink mentioned is the other (not my) rink.

Anyway, the 10' social distance limits sports have to obey in my state, makes it impossible to put enough people on the ice for LTS, so that hasn't started. There will be 45 minutes allowed between each session to allow previous participants to exit the building, staff to disinfect surfaces and the next group to enter 15 minutes before their scheduled ice time.

We can skate without a mask. Really? I plan to skate with it on.  If I skate again this summer

[LunarSkater]

My rink is doing a phased reopen starting this week. 10 skaters per session for the first two weeks, 15 for the third. We're hoping to return to a 'normal' schedule after that. Masks are required in the building and on the ice for those first two weeks and optional after that.

[nicklaszlo]

My usual rink is being renovated (finally!) but the other one is reopening next week and I have reserved a session.  I can't get enough ice to train with the current limit of 20 people at a time.

[dlbritton]

My rink is reopening next week. They spent the shutdown doing a bit of remodeling and maintenance. They completely redid the coolant piping after finding numerous leaks, which delayed reopening by a week.

They are opening for freestyle only, advance reservations required. Priority is for lessons which must be scheduled by Friday's for the following week. Freestyle slots for the week will open on Sundays after the calendar is updated. I'm not sure if they will have any freestyle practice only sessions. The coaches will be able to do advance scheduling for their regulars.

[dlbritton]

My rink announced reopening procedures and prices.

Good news is they have an adult only noon (well 11:30-12:30) session limited to 20 skaters. I have never seen more than 10, usually 5 or 6, skaters on the ice at noon skate. With so many people out of work or working from home that may change.

Bad news is the price went from $4 to $15. You buy stickers in lots of 5 and they can be used for 2 back to back freestyle sessions as well. You are supposed to put on skates in your car and walk in so they emphasize having good guards. If we are still under these restrictions my $10 Zuca from Habitat Restore may be handy. The people at Habitat thought it was a pet carrier but couldn't figure out where the air holes were.

Freestyle Freestyle is $7.50/30 minutes and 2 tickets can be used for Adult Skate. They have sessions from 7:30-9:30 AM and 3:30-6:30 PM

[FigureSpins]

Thanks for the info - I was wondering how they would reopen.  Hopefully, the Governor's Order will allow skating to return to normal.

An Adult session - very nice.  I have a few skaters who will appreciate that session.

[dlbritton]

Thanks for the info - I was wondering how they would reopen.  Hopefully, the Governor's Order will allow skating to return to normal.

An Adult session - very nice.  I have a few skaters who will appreciate that session.

They are reopening on Monday 6/29. 

Reservations for Practice Ice opened today and it appears there are slots for most if not all of the sessions.
You have to get a password from Nicole to access the reservation site.

The Adult Only sessions are great. Like I said they were rarely crowded pre-COVID but with lots of people home I don't know how they will really be.

I saw where Phase 2 has been extended another 3 weeks at least.