It. Is. Not. A. Matter. Of. Choice. Skating. Rinks. Are. Not. Allowed. To. Be. Open. Right. Now. In Pennsylvania. Because. We. Are. In. The. Midst. Of. A. Global. And. Regional. Pandoomic. You might not like it, but saying it's a choice to allow your kid to skate in PA right now is like saying it's your choice to allow them to drive a car on the Schuylkill Expressway at 12 years old or have a few drinks at the bar with you to celebrate 8th grade graduation. These laws are in place precisely because, while some parents are, of course, responsible, time and time again parents have also shown themselves to be very irresponsible to the point of jeopardizing the health and welfare of minors -- always a vulnerable population -- even those minors who are their kids and who they also love very much.
At times, even reasonable parents make shady, dumb, and unethical decisions on behalf of their children -- decisions that are physically, emotionally and psychologically damaging to kids -- and nowhere do we see examples of that more clearly than in youth sports. Google it. There are thousands and thousands of articles out there about parents who have made their kids' lives hell because of youth sports, causing kids to hate the sport, and overbearing parents irreparably damaging their relationship with their child, and driving up costs all around because every 8 year old is Olympics or pro bound, and there's a coach, program, travel team, tournament, scout ready to swoop in and drive up costs for everyone.
You know how I know this is true? Because I know people are sneaking their kids in to rinks right now, and it's shameful. Coaches are sneaking onto ice, and I can't see how this is anything but a violation of PSA ethics. Businesses are putting themselves in jeopardy. This is exactly the kind of thing that gets warned about -- kids and parents getting so wrapped up in youth sports that child and parent identity gets unhealthily enmeshed and they can no longer "think outside the box" to make reasonable -- and in this case -- correct decisions.
This craziness is exactly why kids' sports are not to be trusted to manage themselves and why the PA Departments of Health are taking time to be thorough with more specific guidelines and holding back until they're pretty sure they are going to get it really right considering all the factors, and bravo to them.
No matter anyone's personal experience or thoughts or feelings or Google doctorate, the fact is that this is going to be an ongoing situation for months to come and we're all crossing fingers for the fall and hoping the second wave doesn't bring us to our knees. We get a short reprieve right now. This is what has always been predicted, and very smart people with lots of degrees all pretty much agree we take it slow, stay away from each other, and that businesses that make money on indoor recreating -- places filled with all kinds of bodily fluids (see previous conversation: snot and blood flying out of the nose while spinning) -- take it especially slow, and that includes skating rinks. Good grief.
The entirety of PA is a spit away from Philly, NJ and NYC, location of one of the world's biggest hot spots. That makes PA vastly different than Georgia, Florida and wherever else.
And yes, going to Walmart is stupid, but that's always been the case.
) are now allowed on the ice as well, along with the remaining competitive-track levels (pre-juvenile/juvenile/pre-novice)! Limit of 10 people per session now, including coaches, with physical distancing required, etc. 
