When do working adults skate?

[leafygreens]

we have sessions at our club from 8:30-10 pm everynight - it's late, buit it gets the job done.

Wow! I WISH we had something that late!

Our rink has 2 freestyle sessions a week. I skate them both.

That's all?

Sadly, there are no public sessions or freestyles in my area after work hours. It's all hockey.

Sadly, typical. We had our latest freestyle session (6-6:40pm) cut for hockey. I wonder who and when decided that hockey gets all the comfortable, easy hours.

That may vary by person. It's not true of me. I get a lot more out of doing several 45 minute sessions than I do out of a few longer sessions. With only 45 minutes, I have to be highly focused. I also don't get overtired, which means I'm working well. I find that I advance more quickly if I skate more often per week, for shorter sessions each time.

I agree! I think it's better to get on the ice more frequently for shorter periods. So much of your time is spent adjusting to the "feeling" of being on the ice, that the more you get out there, the less time is spent adjusting and more time spent practicing.

I typically do one 40-min session, three days a week, which only allows me for about 10-mins warm up, one run-through of my MIF patterns, about 10 mins of freestyle and one program run-through. Then on the weekend (when I have more time) I will do a 2-hour public and really work on the details.

I hear of a lot of adults skating 2 hours, 5 times a week. I don't think my body (or mind) could take that.

[jjane45]

I hear of a lot of adults skating 2 hours, 5 times a week. I don't think my body (or mind) could take that.

A lot of adults doing it? Wow they must be serious competitors? Definitely not a norm here.

I would love to do it if my boss and wallet don't object...

[GarrAarghHrumph]

We had our latest freestyle session (6-6:40pm) cut for hockey. I wonder who and when decided that hockey gets all the comfortable, easy hours.

The money decides it. The rinks here support themselves via hockey, not via figure skating. And while hockey does get the 6pm and after hours, at the same time, there are adults skating hockey games here that start at midnight, so even for hockey, desirable time is tight.

[ioana]

The money decides it. The rinks here support themselves via hockey, not via figure skating. And while hockey does get the 6pm and after hours, at the same time, there are adults skating hockey games here that start at midnight, so even for hockey, desirable time is tight.

But isn't that a direct result of having so many hockey leagues? Their competitive programs come first and get better practice times, so some adult stick & puck leagues are left with bad practice/game times. It's really no different than big FS programs where High freestyle sessions are given precedence over no test/low sessions. There are just a lot more hockey leagues around, so you run into that situation at more rinks.

I tried to explain this to one of my coworkers whose son does hockey and he was completely that Senior-level skaters and pre-preliminaries would share ice time at any rink. There are so many hockey programs, their leagues are a lot more structured (not just by level, but also by age).

[sk8er1964]

In our area (a high hockey league area), the ice times go as follows:

Figure skating froim 3:00 until around 5:00 or 5:30. Then travel hockey gets the ice according to age - the mites first for an hour, then the squirts with mixed ice - sometimes an hour, sometimes an hour and a half, then the pee wees for an hour and a half, then the bantams for an hour and a half, followed by midget/high schools. Their ice times are often at 9:00 at night or so. They are followed by the beer (adult) leagues, which will go up to and sometimes past midnight.

Weekends are all house hockey in the morning, and then travel hockey starting after noon.

In our area, each hockey team has ice three times a week on a set schedule.

[leafygreens]

The money decides it. The rinks here support themselves via hockey, not via figure skating. And while hockey does get the 6pm and after hours, at the same time, there are adults skating hockey games here that start at midnight, so even for hockey, desirable time is tight.

I think night ice (even late-late night) is preferable to 5-6am ice. Probably for most people, it's easier to stay up late, than get up early. Not only are you half asleep, but your body is creakier. So yes, I think hockey players do end up getting the best, one way or the other.

I would like to see a breakdown of where the money comes from on all sessions (at any rink). It would be interesting to find that out.

At my rink, for example we have 15-20 freestylers crammed onto afternoon ice. Then the pee-wee hockey kids come out at 6, and I don't know how many of them there are (doesn't look like many). It doesn't seem like they would be making much more than freestyle off of these hockey kids.

I don't know what they pay for ice. There's 18+ pickup hockey for $10 and it lasts like 2 hours. For 1 hr 20 mins of freestyle, I pay $18. So who really pays more?

This is complete opinion, but I think more than anything, the "tradition" of figure skating in the early morning is what carries on, and the idea (from male rink managers?) that hockey trumps all means they get the prime early evening ice.

Something else I have noticed, that may weigh heavily on the scheduling, is how many figure skaters are home schooled. I don't know what comes first, the chicken or the egg. Is the schedule set that way because figure skaters, for some odd reason, are home schooled more than hockey kids? Or are the figure skaters home schooled in order to make these middle-of-the-day sessions?

[AndyWarhol]

I think night ice (even late-late night) is preferable to 5-6am ice. Probably for most people, it's easier to stay up late, than get up early. Not only are you half asleep, but your body is creakier. So yes, I think hockey players do end up getting the best, one way or the other.

I would like to see a breakdown of where the money comes from on all sessions (at any rink). It would be interesting to find that out.

At my rink, for example we have 15-20 freestylers crammed onto afternoon ice. Then the pee-wee hockey kids come out at 6, and I don't know how many of them there are (doesn't look like many). It doesn't seem like they would be making much more than freestyle off of these hockey kids.

I don't know what they pay for ice. There's 18+ pickup hockey for $10 and it lasts like 2 hours. For 1 hr 20 mins of freestyle, I pay $18. So who really pays more?

This is complete opinion, but I think more than anything, the "tradition" of figure skating in the early morning is what carries on, and the idea (from male rink managers?) that hockey trumps all means they get the prime early evening ice.

Something else I have noticed, that may weigh heavily on the scheduling, is how many figure skaters are home schooled. I don't know what comes first, the chicken or the egg. Is the schedule set that way because figure skaters, for some odd reason, are home schooled more than hockey kids? Or are the figure skaters home schooled in order to make these middle-of-the-day sessions?

Id say figure skaters are more likely to be home schooled due to the schedule. But most elite athletes still in school would have a different school schedule to your regular 9-3 etc etc, whether its full on home school, tutors, or just having to make up classes/work in your own time.

When i was in high school, I would go to school from about 10.30 am - 2pm to make room for skating.

[overedge]

Id say figure skaters are more likely to be home schooled due to the schedule. But most elite athletes still in school would have a different school schedule to your regular 9-3 etc etc, whether its full on home school, tutors, or just having to make up classes/work in your own time.

Depending on the level their team competes at, there are also a lot of high-school-age hockey players who have different school schedules or who are doing some kind of distance high school courses.

[AndyWarhol]

Oh, i meant they are more likely to be home school because they are figure skaters, as apposed to home schooled kids tend to take up figure skating.

Its the same as any elite athlete in school.

[gkelly]

I do know of a few families whose kids took up skating because they were homeschooled, but only one of those families is serious competitors and none of them would qualify as "elite."

I would say that's the exception rather than the rule.

[treesprite]

When I was in high school I got to leave early for skating.

[AndyWarhol]

^^ the perks of being a skate

[Synchkat]

When I was in high school I got to leave early for skating.

I got to leave early to skate AND got credits for skating.

[Rochelle]

I hear of a lot of adults skating 2 hours, 5 times a week. I don't think my body (or mind) could take that.

A lot of adults doing it? Wow they must be serious competitors? Definitely not a norm here.

It's not unheard of for adults to skate 10 hours -- but it is those who have the time, money, energy, access to a lot of ice at the right times, and desire.

Most of us adults just don't have most of those 5 criteria -- always missing/lacking a few of those peices to make skating possible . But we make due anyhow, and fine a way to the rink in whatever manner life allows at the time.

For those adults who do skate 10+ hours a week: Some are very competitive (always attending Nationals, Sectionals, and other competitions whenever they can); some are avid testers working their way through the levels; and some are pretty stagnent in their progress... but just love to skate. Overall, it seems to be money/time/energy/access to ice/desire that decides if someone skates 10+ hours -- not how 'competitive they are'. The same can be said for many skaters who skate only 2-4 hours per week.

[treesprite]

I got to leave early to skate AND got credits for skating.

I don't remember if it showed as credit on my report cards or not, but the skating was taken as a substitute for PE as far as mandatory school requirements go.

[hanca]

Do you have time to shower before work?

Yes, I do, but I am lucky that I work two bus stops from where I live. The disadvantage is that I took that job because of its location; I did not consider much else (money, or whether I would like to do something else...)

[jjane45]

Overall, it seems to be money/time/energy/access to ice/desire that decides if someone skates 10+ hours -- not how 'competitive they are'.

Come to think about it, rinks here have noon public skating every weekday for 90 minutes. There are regulars who skate the whole session every time, and they are not competing or testing.

[aliceanne]

It depends on your work schedule and what ice time is available in your area. If the Saturday afternoon public session is the only time available, you have to make do. The first 15 to 20 minutes of any public session are usually fairly empty. Be warmed up and ready to go and make the most of it.
I have seen synchro and ensemble teams practice their choreography off ice when ice time is not available. In the old days olympic skaters practiced on roller skates if they didn't have summer ice.

[skatak]

My favourite session is Wed 9:45-11:15pm even though it is 1h away (yawning thursday morning at work guaranteed !).
There are other sessions : monday evening (but awful ice quality) and sunday evening.
But it's a bit special as my club is not linked to a rink, we buy ice time here and there.

and there are lunch sessions outside the club Tue+Thu at a rink close to work, I've discovered them lately last season, will try to go there more often.