Do you think?

Do you think those guys read my bog? The managers, the staff, the "powers-that-be" at Valley?

The reason I'm wondering is that I skated both Memorial Day and Tuesday morning and the lights were on! Not full-out hockey lights (who needs THAT much light???) but the 1/2- 3/4 lights that make seeing the ice, the room, and your fellow skaters that much easier...

Memorial Day I could understand. There were lots of figure skaters there (hmm, a preview of what the summer ice is going to be like?), a couple of hockey lessons (why do they need lessons - I never remember this from the past - don't they usually have one big group lesson called "drills"? -- anyway, another digression...) and the usual adults (getting ready for an upcoming test session?) and, well, me.

Tuesday we were back to the usual "adult bliss" - good ice, lights on, pleasant company. Is it because there is early morning hockey ("old-man hockey") and they just inadvertently left the lights on after that session? Time will tell when I trespass towards the Valley again tomorrow, for the much-anticipated "Thursday morning with clean ice" session.

Meanwhile I will probably begin lobbying a little harder for an 8:15 ice-cut on Mondays and Wednesday (IF I start going to those sessions... hmmm) because it gets pretty chewed up especially with all of those freestylers in the mornings... whatever happened to that 8:15 ice-cut anyway???

It just disappeared...

But since the hockey lines have ALMOST re-appeared, maybe that ice-cut will do the same...

Why, Why Oh Why (ine)

Why Why Why can't they turn on the lights? I know we are all trying to save energy.

But is there something about figure skaters (and public recreational skaters) that don't need light to skate? Do hockey players need more light than figure skaters?

Yesterday morning I went to Valley to do a critique for one of the adult skaters who is working on a Moves test. The lighting was the dark and dingy stuff and I wasn't feeling so well in that my head was stuffed and I felt dizzy. The lighting didn't help. So I asked this adult student's coach if she could have the guys turn up the lights so that I could do a proper critique - with lights!!

So the coach went in and asked and came back to say that they were told not to turn the lights up for the public session. Okay. BUT the coach (and her family) own the rink!! Doesn't that count for anything???

So I had a dull and dismal skate, didn't stay long, that's for sure... although I did notice that 2/3 of the way through the session the lights were up - they have to start warming the lights up early for the big hockey session that follows...

Nothing makes sense anymore (am I have a life-crisis? Am I going to go all philosophical on you guys?).

And other thing (here comes the whine of the why's) - I took a look at the schedule that is on the internet. It says that Thursday morning there is a freestyle before the public session at 9:30. Well, this comes as news to me because I thought they used Thursday morning for "ice maintenance" - which is why I like to go for the public -- the ice is clean and good on Thursday morning and I can sort of count on it.

So I called this afternoon to get some clarification. Of course the guy I spoke to didn't really know much, but he didn't think they were doing ice-maintenance on Thursday mornings since the schedule says there is freestyle...

Why don't they advertise the change in schedule? Don't they kow by this time that figure skaters are creatures of habit and like to schedule skating around the rest of their busy lives? Do they think we wake up one morning and think, "Oh, I think I'll go ice-skating?"

Our recreation, our exercise, our passion, is kind of like a job... for better or worse, for most of us we need some kind of structure for the practice.

Anyway, I digress once again.

I guess it's time to program the rink's number into my cell phone so that any time I might get up and think, "Oh, I think I'll go ice-skating" I will call first to make sure that there is ice. Especially when gas is $4/gallon (and rising...).

Hell Has Frozen Over at the Valley Ice Arena!!!

And why has hell frozen over, you may ask???

Well, to start with, they are playing CLASSICAL MUSIC during the public sessions!! Not CDs, but the radio - the classical station!! They've been doing this for several weeks now thanks to one of our lovely skaters who made the suggestion to the staff there. Thank you! This is Great.

For another thing, the ice is almost even!! I noticed today that those yellow boards are almost the same height all the way around. The area directly across the rink from the CD player still looks a little high, but really the general surface has levelled out considerably, making it (presumably) easier to navigate.

And I'm not sure but it looks like the lighting may be better, but as I've noted before when one or two things are better, it is easier to ignore some of those other bothersome problems. Yea!

The ice surface is still rutted (post-hockey zam-job? zoned out zam-staff?) in places, but generally much better or at least more tolerable. Since I came into the public session late - more than 2 hours after they passed the zamboni over the ice, I didn't expect good patch ice or anything... and so, yeah, it was pretty good.

The adult crew at Valley is enjoying those last blissed-out empty public sessions of spring in the few weeks before school lets out (the dreaded "summer-season" of hockey lessons, figure skaters and recreational skaters...) and I enjoy the company there very much.

In the end, it's still the Valley, but on some level... it is home.

My skating? Still weak in the legs and dizzy in the head. This cold/flu really knocked me this time, but at least I was there. At least I was there.

Still Sick? Well, Not Quite... BUT

Since I haven't skated in over two weeks I thought I would try it. I would just take it easy. Just skate around, do some edges, not work too hard.

It wouldn't be that hard.

Or so I thought.

I decided to go to Lloyd Center since it's warm and very close to where I live. I went to the 10am public. No one there. The ice had not been made (which they usually do, but hey, it's off-season, there are energy considerations, etc. and so - what's the big deal?).

I was exhausted by the time I put on my skates. I thought, "Oh man, this is going to be hard."

And it was. At first I could hardly skate AT ALL - it was as though I had never skated before... knees wouldn't bend, ankles were stiff - Aeeeiiiee - what am I doing??????

I stayed on the ice for about a half-hour - eventually doing some edges, some crappola figures and little parts of dances. I even went backwards!! Too dizzy in the head to do many turns...

It got kind of boring - there was only one hockey-guy on the ice. And me. I wished there had been someone to talk to, someone to skate around with while talking. That was about the level that I wanted to skate... maybe I should join the Hooky Club.

Not using your body for two weeks really makes a difference!! I wouldn't have believed it.

So when do I go next? That is the big question! Dare I go over to Valley, only to pay $8 to skate around in the cold?

Maybe tomorrow.

Maybe next week.

We shall see. I do miss it. And miss my friends.

Your Redundant Reporter

Is getting even more redundant it seems... This is another video of empty ice on a public session at Valley in the morning.

It's weird, but it IS mid-season - I mean, who is really thinking about ice-skating that much with spring in the air???

I was thinking about when I was a kid - NOBODY skated mid-morning except for the elite skaters at our rink (and I'm talking National and World Champions here!)... so maybe we are just spoiled...

I Shouldn't Advertise This!!

Thursday morning is probably the best time to skate at Valley these days. They make ice for the public and it is empty, empty, empty!!!

Especially when I am not there - still out with a cold, but will probably try again tomorrow or next week.

Thank you Skatecam, for providing these provocative videos!!

Smooth skating at Valley

Hi!
I was at Valley this am for my weekly lesson - the ice was actually smooth and many of the hockey markings were actually visible - they had disappeared for awhile - nice to see them back, even if very light - who knows how long they will last. Ice seems to be better since the hockey season has ended & with it the early am hockey - free style actually occurs on some mornings early - don't know if anyone goes, but if you want empty ice, it might be worth calling to see when they are having free style sessionsl

CHERYN

When You're Sick...

You don't want to skate.




You don't want to work.

You don't want to blog.



I have the flu and have not been doing much. Bummer. It has been a few years since I've been sick and now I am wondering what it feels like to be normal.



I did get some photos for the blog from the elusive "Skatecam" - ice at Valley this morning was quite beautiful and apparently, pretty empty:





I don't know how they play hockey in there - you really cannot see the lines - makes me wonder what the refs do when they have to make a call... "Um, well, I THINK you were over the line..." (Line, what line?).


I was thinking we need a web feed from all of the rinks so we can see the conditions/crowdedness at any time during the day. The security cameras at Lloyd Center could pick that up easily...


Will have to make friends with someone in the security office over there...

Happy skating everyone! And be well!