Great Day at Valley!!!!!!

Well, the ice was in great shape today at Valley!! And I mean that in the best possible way - it was really great ice - probably the best it has been in months and months!!

I got to the session a little late this morning - probably should have gotten on at the very beginning so I'd have really clean ice to do figures - there were several skaters on the ice when I got there - oh well, since there are no patch sessions anymore, I guess I just have to take what I can get - and it was all pretty good!!

One of the skaters today noticed how thick the ice was - you barely have to step down when you get on - it is a little disconcerting. You also cannot see the lines at all - I keep wondering how they play hockey there - like, can the refs actually see the plays and violations and all that if they can't see the lines? Will there be more fights than usual because of bad calls? I don't know as I don't know that much about hockey, but I can imagine that that would be a problem at times. As a figure skater I don't care so much, although when doing actual figures you use the lines for orientation of your circles, and well, that can't be done at Valley!!

Speaking of hockey, I heard a rumor that the early-morning hockey practices (the ones on Mondays and Wednesdays that took the place of the early-morning freestyles) will be coming to an end soon, as it is the end of hockey season. What that means for the figure skaters remains to be seen, since most of the people that used to come to those freestyle sessions are skating at other rinks these days. Hopefully for those of us that skate the later freestyle and morning public sessions, the ice will be better than it is after that "big-boy" hockey practice in the morning. Yikes, those guys sure chew up the ice!!

I wish there was a clean and warm place to stretch before and after skating at Valley. I always end up just using the wall or the bench to stretch out on but it would be great to be able to get down on the floor. I have used a yoga mat in the past (the one that I keep in my car, NOT the one that I bring to the yoga studio - I wouldn't want to mess up the floor of the studio with whatever I might track in from the floor in the open-room/snack-bar/changing area at Valley!) but it is drafty and cold on the floor so it is less than optimal for warming up and cooling down -- too cold! I've tried stretching in the pro's room but that option is not open to everyone I guess (it helps to have friends who are also your coaches!).

All in all a good skate... but it is so inconsistent (no, not my skating, - the ice!). I want to go there later this week but I always wonder... will it be worth it?? I made it a point to tell both the zamboni guy and the rink manager how pleased I was with the ice today. I don't know if that will help, but it certainly can't hurt!!