Why do I say that? The sun isn't even out yet and I'm complaining about a long summer?It used to be we adults dreaded summer skating because the rinks were over-run by free-wheeling freestyle skaters. I used to hear some of the kids say things like, "Just run them over!" - words which caused me to skate as close as possible just to see if they would do it. They never did.
Now I totally welcome the freestyle kids. The group we have now is very nice, would never think to "run us over" and their numbers are few.
What we have now is Big-Boy Hockey Players With Sticks Taking Hockey Lessons. HOCKEY LESSONS! Okay, I'm happy for the coaches. They are earning $60/hr or so just like the figure-skating coaches and it's great to see them getting actual instruction in something that is probably useful to their playing that great sport of hockey. Sometimes their drills look just like what we learn in figure skating and sometimes it looks a lot harder. Of course with all that padding, if they fall they can't possibly hurt themselves, but once again I totally digress.
I was at the Valley yesterday. I came late to the morning public session and so of course I didn't expect clean, patch ice. There were several lovely teenage figure-skaters and one adult. There was one figure-skating coach. Several groups of recreational skaters (moms with groups of kids) were doing the wall-hugging thing which is no burden to me. There was also one hockey lesson - a little kid - he and his coach were in the far corner next to where the zamboni comes out - not prime real-estate as far as the state of the ice goes, so no big deal. I got on the ice and did my thing with a few simple figures.
I found a LOVELY patch of ice at the far end and was doing some more complicated figures. I didn't seem to be in anyone's way and the ice was flat and clean. Oh boy! Then these two tall teenage boys came out in full hockey gear and were skating around with their sticks - FAST -- I was like - "They better not hit me!!" but I held my ground. THEN their coach came out and deposited his cones adjacent to where I was skating - "Hey, I was here first!!" - he didn't seem to notice.
He had the boys come down the outside lane really fast with their sticks flying - right at me!! I bailed - one of them almost checked me and I was like, "Watch out!" I moved my "patch" over a bit to get out of the lane. At a certain point I gave up and just continued to skate and work on Moves. They took up the entire end with all of their scraping and stopping and all of that. I wished that I'd had the energy to work on dance patterns - it would have been nice to have a partner - a really strong one, and just go sailing through their crap. Maybe another time...
This whole time the figure skaters and their coach didn't seem to notice or really care, which makes me wonder... why do they and their parents allow this sort of thing to occur? I wonder if other rinks around the country have to deal with this? Yet another thing to be steamed about...
Why do I keep going there???
Today I plan to go up to Mt. View for another serving of Adult Bliss. Hopefully there will be no hockey players, with coach and sticks. Only cold and smooth, smooth ice. I better remember to bring more music this time... 
3 comments:
Hockey ... Don't get me started. What's next? Allowing pucks on public sessions? Sticks don't belong on public sessions, period. They are dangerous, especially if they go flying out of the skater's hand and into ... you.
Little kids slashing wildly with their sticks off the ice, barely missing (and sometimes hitting) innocent bystanders ... little kids in the lobbly wacking objects as if they were pucks and hitting innocent bystanders ... where are the parents? Where are the coaches then?
Well, having been both slashed and hit by flying puck-like objects, I can tell you that the parents I've dealt with have gotten mad at ME, not at their kids, when I took away the golf ball the kids just launched into my arm or when I told them to move away from my head with their slashing sticks. I'm sure not all hockey kids are menaces and not all hockey parents are morons, but my experience has shown an abundance of menaces and morons in hockey, which is too bad because it's not a bad sport really. It just somehow seems to attract people who don't give a @#$! about the safety of those who aren't wearing helmets and pads and therefore aren't protected from their behavior.
Hockey. Don't get me started.
Well, I would love it if you two could come by during a hockey lesson and really let them have it - they are totally sick of me and we end up just skating around them - and they act like it is NORMAL!! I think not.
Thanks for the comment, Terri.
Lisa
You asked a very good question at the end, "Why do I keep going there???" with 3 question marks at the end. It's not gonna change. It never did and it never will. Let just say even if the puck hit you in the head and you have to go to the Emergency Room, do you think they'll feel sorry for you? They'd probably feel bad that you got hurt, but they'd probably feel even worse that you ruined their stick time.
Still wanna carpool up north?
g.
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