Is Your Rink Open (Coronavirus)?

[GarrAargHrumph]

The rink in Hackensack, NJ closed for a couple of days for cleaning, then reopened today, just as other rinks (like Chelea Piers) are closing. Are the rinks you normally skate at still open? Have they cancelled things like public sessions or Learn to Skate?

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Wissahickon Skating Club, Skatium, and UPenn rinks are all closed. PSCHS is open with limited hours, but I wish they would follow suit and shut down.

 

[livetoskate]

The rink I usually skate at is still open. They have a message on their website reassuring everyone of the rink being professionally cleaned and that they have hand sanitizers, etc. My skating club canceled the St. Patrick's day competition. I haven't skated in the past couple of weeks and stopped taking lessons for the time being. Time to clean the house for exercise instead.

 

[Debbie S]

IceWorks, UD, and The Pond/Patriot are closed. Wilmington is open but they have a restrictive pro policy so if a coach isn't already on staff, they won't be allowed. Ice World in MD, about 45 min south of UD, is open, and I got an email earlier that they've added some sessions tmrw morning, which I think is canceled hockey time. Mt. Pleasant in Baltimore City is open to contract customers (as it's been since Sept b/c the rink is still in disarray with no lobby thanks to incompetent construction co) so our club ice is on (at the moment). Reisterstown rink in the suburbs is closed and they of course canceled their Basic Skills comp tmrw. Ice World's Basic Skills comp next Saturday has also been canceled.

 

[concorde]

Most of the clubs that are closed owned by the municipality (either completely or partially). Cabin John is closed; it is owned by the Montgomery County, MD. Kettler (where the Washington Caps practice) is closed; it is at least partially owned Arlington County, VA. Ashburn is closed - while I think it is a privately owned, for profit rink, it is managed by the same company as Kettler. UD is owned by the University of Delaware it is closed (UD has 5 confirmed cases on campus).

Last I checked, SkateQuest is open - that is privately owned for profit. Ice Works is closed for 3 days (there was to be a hockey tournament there so no freesyle ice anyway) but not sure after that. I believe Ice Works is privately owned for profit.

PSCHS is unique since it is a members only rink and is recognized as a charity. It is open only if you are a member. All Learn to Skate classes and public session have been cancelled.

 

[movesApp]

The rink I skate at in Indiana is closed for the next two weeks. The rink is owned by the city.

 

[Debbie S]

Well, since my earlier post, Mt. Pleasant (owned/managed by Baltimore City Rec and Parks) is now closing starting Monday, until the 28th. So far, Ice World is still open (I believe it's owned by the same group that owns SkateQuest rinks but I could be wrong about that) but I expect a closing announcement soon. Or maybe not. The Gardens Ice House announced last night that they are closing for 2 weeks.

 

[vesperholly]

Most of the rinks in Buffalo are open. Hockey tournaments are all canceled. One rink has canceled the learn to skate classes but most are still going on. Another rink canceled open skates. Our club ice has continued, as we're well below the 50-person threshold that was suggested somewhere. The learn to skate competition next week was canceled (58 people ) and I'm waiting for the club competition on the 28th to be canceled. Not sure if the one university rink I skate at is open.

Spring learn to skate signup is soon and I fear it may be very, very low.

 

[ZilphaK]

We're desperately trying to stay open.

Pretty sure Learn To Skate and Public will close. Hockey tournament pulled out and games stopped.

To try to keep freestyle open, I suggested pulling all tables out of lobby, putting all payments online, signing up only 10 at most per session, no music, no getting changed inside - walk in with hard guards, get on ice, skate, get off ice, walk out, go home. No parents in stands.

Unfortunately, that's most likely not going to work. And it's not going to pay to keep the rink open. I think in two weeks, there's going to be a complete, mandatory shut down of everything, anyway.

 

[Spun Silver]

My rink has closed.

 

[Debbie S]

It appears that Ice World in Abingdon, MD (north of Baltimore) will be staying open, at least for the time being. There is a sign on the door that only 100 people are allowed in the building at any given time (state limit is 250). They have also closed off "non-essential areas" like meeting/party rooms, so the club board met today at a table in the snack bar area. Our Junior Board had a meeting scheduled for this morning but did not meet. The club FS sessions this morning were at capacity (25) although most were club members and other regulars. There were a few members who normally have synchro practice (another rink/club) on Sat mornings but their practice is canceled for the duration.

The rink's public session later today was on, obviously holding to the 100-people limit.

The Gardens Ice House's Basic Skills comp in 2 weeks is officially "postponed", as is the Ice World BS comp next week.

I heard that The Pond/Patriot in DE is closed but then saw a post on FB this morning that it was open.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

The Ice Vault in Wayne, NJ has cancelled Monday's Learn to Skate, but is still planning to have it the following Friday and Saturday (????) Floyd Hall in Montclair, NJ is still having LTS. I told the rink I teach LTS at that I don't feel comfortable teaching right now, as one of the confirmed cases of Coronavirus in NY State is in my town. I don't think it's right to be teaching the little ones.

 

[mocha-ice]

Nope. I’m in Montreal and pretty much all the local arenas, community centres and pools have shut down.

 

[gkelly]

My rink closes tomorrow for the rest of the month.

This evening there were lots of skaters wanting to get on freestyle sessions. Whatever was scheduled for the other ice surface had been cancelled, so they ran freestyle on both surfaces.

And now we shall see whether they will really reopen on April 1 as planned.

 

[Clarice]

My rink has been closed for a week already, but it was planned, for ice maintenance. We are scheduled to be out for another week. Will we reopen on the 30th as planned? Who knows?

Meanwhile, I have ice available at a mall about an hour away. However, I'm not sure whether it's socially responsible to take advantage of it.

 

[Yazmeen]

My main one (Hatfield Ice) is remaining open for freestyle and some hockey as of right now. Basically, they are taking the tactic of limiting things to 25 people or less on the ice at any one time. I love the place, but as a physician, I strongly disagree with this decision. Our Governor (PA) has ordered all gyms and recreational facilities to close for 2 weeks, and I believe they should follow his order. Since I'm 62 and have asthma and am at higher risk, I will be off-ice for as long as it takes for things to calm down.

Mercer County Skating Center in Mercer County Park has closed for the season, the planned exhibition and competition have been canceled.

A small suggestion? Support your ice pros/shops as you can online. I go through Northern Ice and Dance (Cassie Laurence) in Potsdam, NY, and I opted to treat myself to some new skating pants and tights with my accumulated AMEX points. Anything that can keep people in business while social distancing can help. https://www.northerniceanddance.com/

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

I think the rink in Wayne, NJ may close for a bit. As far as I can tell, their business is way down. They've cut back their hours, and at least for now, no freestyle sessions are on the schedule. They've introduced daily stick and puck and public skating sessions to fill in the blanks, but I'm thinking... hmm...

Floyd Hall still has a full compliment of freestyle sessions, for those who feel the need.

 

[bladesofgorey]

I think the rink in Wayne, NJ may close for a bit. As far as I can tell, their business is way down. They've cut back their hours, and at least for now, no freestyle sessions are on the schedule. They've introduced daily stick and puck and public skating sessions to fill in the blanks, but I'm thinking... hmm...

Floyd Hall still has a full compliment of freestyle sessions, for those who feel the need.

That's an odd choice by Wayne, I don't understand the rationale. Unless canceling was up to the directors of each program (I would cancel it all). And I'm a little aghast that Montclair's Floyd Hall is staying open given MSU has had a staff member test positive and they are telling staff on campus to work remotely, All those skaters elbow to elbow leaning on the barriers that hockey players have also rested dirty gloves on, arranging their kleenex boxes in lines and blowing their noses above a hockey box that's usually filled with spit- I'd hoped the rink would be smarter than that.

 

[ioana]

University rink where I skate most of the time closed first. One of the bigger clubs here SCOB just said they would be closed until at least March 29th to comply with gatherings restricted to 25 people or less. One of the private rinks in the suburbs was still open for freestyle, but it's possible that might change tomorrow. New Hampshire rinks were still open since their state had not declared any of these restrictions (yet), but will see how long and if that last. Am selfishly hoping it does since I get to work from home and it would be nice to use that to get some skating in.

ETA: All rinks in Mass are now closed at least for two weeks and same goes for the one in NH where I skate on weekends.

 

[Sarah]

I don’t anticipate the UD rinks reopening anytime soon. Campus is now completely closed and access restricted after a 7th campus case. They are saying March 30th for reopening building as of this evening (as well as beginning online classes), but this may change. UD took a long time to react campus-wide so I expect things will be slow to bounce back, especially as more cases are announced with university affiliation.

 

[overedge]

My rink (run by the city) is still open, but most of the municipal governments in the region have closed their recreational facilities. I can't see my city holding out for much longer.

My club has sent out several mass emails saying it's following the government guidelines on virus control, and that skaters shouldn't be touching things in the rink or touching their faces. I don't think that's too realistic.

 

[spinZZ]

I think the rink in Wayne, NJ may close for a bit. As far as I can tell, their business is way down. They've cut back their hours, and at least for now, no freestyle sessions are on the schedule. They've introduced daily stick and puck and public skating sessions to fill in the blanks, but I'm thinking... hmm...

Floyd Hall still has a full compliment of freestyle sessions, for those who feel the need.

<<Emphasis added.>> That's bizarre. Many restrictions at public places are being based on CDC guidelines for minimum social distance, which then translates into a maximum number of people within a particular venue. My rink just cancelled public sessions and open hockey, because it's unknown how many people will show up at a particular time, especially with most schools closed. Also, the rink staff does not come into close contact with skaters while handling money or rental skates. The rink is staying open for some limited pre-registered sessions (including some hockey and some LTS), in which the group size is known, and in which there is minimal contact with the rink staff. The sessions are staggered so two groups don't fill the lobby at the same time, and to allow for extra cleaning between sessions. Limited freestyle, but logistics haven't been fully worked out for advance sign-up for crowd management. Not sure how this will work out in practice, or whether it's sustainable to limp along like this.

 

[Debbie S]

So with our governor's new mandate banning gatherings of 50 or more, Ice World sent an email that all activities are canceled except Stick and Puck and FS sessions. Limit on ice is 15 and 4 coaches on FS sessions (and they will determine who gets on how?). Parents/spectators not allowed in the building (except for parents of "small children") except to sign a waiver that basically says they won't sue the rink if they get Corona.

Email ends saying that tomorrow's schedule and rules will be sent later.

I respect them for trying to continue normal activities, but it's time to close. The gov made clear that only "essential services" (grocery stores, gas stations, of course hospitals, etc) should stay open.

 

[bladesofgorey]

Yes, it's completely irresponsible for rinks to stay open right now. I say that as someone who pretty much lives for my once a week freestyle sessions with a husband who plays adult hockey - rinks in my area that are still open are a clear public health danger and should close.

 

[Debbie S]

And....given Trump's advisory of no more than 10 people at gatherings, Ice World is closing starting tomorrow. I assume all other rinks will now close. And I hope for all skaters - elite and grassroots - that the rinks can reopen in a few weeks.

 

[Yazmeen]

Hatfield is trying to do the same thing, in the county with the most cases of COVID-19. Beyond irresponsible.

 

[overedge]

My city just shut down all its recreational facilities, including the ice rinks.

One of the privately run rinks is closing too. The other, which is mostly drop-in public skating and hockey, is still open with "limited spectators", and you can't go on the ice if you aren't there 20 minutes before the session starts.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

Floyd Hall closed today. Ice Vault also closed.

 

[concorde]

PSC&HS shut down COB Sunday night for a minimum of 11 days.

As soon as I got the shutdown email, I took my daughter to the rink so she could get in some last minute skating. She said she was glad she really enjoyed it.

When we got there, there were 4 skaters on the ice. By the time we left, it was down to 2 skaters.

 

[Yazmeen]

Hatfield Ice finally shut down today through the 29th. And if you would like a physician's opinion of how things are going, don't count on any of these opening up in 2 weeks. The COVID-19 situation is likely to get worse, even much worse, before it gets better. NYC's mayor has just announced that a "shelter-in-place" decision will be coming in the next 48 hours.