dr.frog
05-02-2010, 09:40 PM
I've been to many of the shows there. It is not full-sized. Most top tier skaters I've seen have trouble skating full-out there. The jumps take the biggest "hit" and usually are reduced to doubles. It has hockey-style barriers which I've never liked. I wish they could come down for exhibitions.
OK, found the actual data. Per the announcement for last year's Mid-Atlantics
http://www.thescny.org/pdf/midsapp2009.pdf
the rink dimensions are 185'x85', which is a little shorter than "regulation" NHL-size (200x85), but the same size as (say) the Ice Castle rink and many other rinks where elite skaters train. I'm pretty sure that the Skating Club of Boston rink is even shorter than that, 183' or something like that. Any elite skater of Weir's caliber and seniority ought to be well-accustomed by now to adjusting to a rink that size, especially for a show program. And, FWIW, Weir's home rink in Wayne NJ has two NHL-sized surfaces, not a bigger Olympic-sized surface. And this is far from the first time Weir has skated at Chelsea Piers, too.
The hockey glass is up because they *do* play hockey there, pretty much constantly. After the show is over they typically have about 15 minutes to take down the drapes and clear out of the rink before the next hockey rental starts.
OK, found the actual data. Per the announcement for last year's Mid-Atlantics
http://www.thescny.org/pdf/midsapp2009.pdf
the rink dimensions are 185'x85', which is a little shorter than "regulation" NHL-size (200x85), but the same size as (say) the Ice Castle rink and many other rinks where elite skaters train. I'm pretty sure that the Skating Club of Boston rink is even shorter than that, 183' or something like that. Any elite skater of Weir's caliber and seniority ought to be well-accustomed by now to adjusting to a rink that size, especially for a show program. And, FWIW, Weir's home rink in Wayne NJ has two NHL-sized surfaces, not a bigger Olympic-sized surface. And this is far from the first time Weir has skated at Chelsea Piers, too.
The hockey glass is up because they *do* play hockey there, pretty much constantly. After the show is over they typically have about 15 minutes to take down the drapes and clear out of the rink before the next hockey rental starts.