Re-opening rinks with social distancing

[Sylvia]

Whitley Bay ice rink furious after Boris Johnson's 11th hour U-turn

The Government has announced the widest crackdown on Covid-19 in months following a resurgence of cases in the wake of lockdown easing

www.chroniclelive.co.uk

From another GBR article I just saw:

The prime minister postponed plans to allow high-risk venues such as casinos, bowling alleys and ice rinks to re-open on Saturday. They will have to wait at least another two weeks, he said.

 

[Bunny Hop]

When I used to skate during the workday or before work, I brought wipes with me, dry shampoo, etc. so I could freshen up before I went to work. No rinks here have showers; it's not a thing. But luckily now, even when I have to go to my workplace, my times are far more flexible, so I can fit skating in. And now that I'm working from home at least through the fall, it's even better.

There is a shower at our rink, but I'm not sure how it is used as the door to it is normally locked, and now there is a sign on the door saying it is not in use. But I don't skate fast enough to raise a sweat so I just change and go straight to work (or straight home in the current circumstance).

 

[myhoneyhoney]

The bathrooms are now open! Do you know what a big deal that is to this mom of 4? Hahaha

 

[overedge]

I read a news item saying that a rink in the UK (privately owned) was able to open during the lockdown so that it could host tryouts for the next season of the Dancing on Ice TV show. The rink's owners got around the lockdown restrictions by claiming the rink was functioning as a "film studio"

 

[Miezekatze]

I read a news item saying that a rink in the UK (privately owned) was able to open during the lockdown so that it could host tryouts for the next season of the Dancing on Ice TV show. The rink's owners got around the lockdown restrictions by claiming the rink was functioning as a "film studio"

Is that really so rolleyes worthy?

Here in Germany a few tv productions weren't completely stopped either during our "mini lockdown", "Let's Dance" being one of them.

I'm sure they were able to use training venues that were otherwise closed too, after all the dancers needed to continue rehearsing somewhere.

I don't really see the difference to your example, except if the rink owner was letting regular people skate there too without it being allowed or something.

 

[overedge]

@Miezekatze the difference is that the ice rink was exploiting a loophole in the UK ockdown guidelines that allowed film/TV productions to go ahead but didn't allow ice rinks to be open.

Also, they weren't actually filming a show. They were holding auditions with a reality TV star to possibly be one of the amateur skaters on the show (the article only mentions one person auditioning but since the rental was for five days there could have been more).

The article also notes that at the same time the elite skaters training in the UK were only permitted a few hours a week of ice time at a different rink. So if ice rinks were allowed to open, it wasn't the skaters who needed them most who were benefiting from that.

And people in the UK are sensitive (justifiably so) to the lockdown rules being bent or ignored, because of the Prime Minister's adviser ignoring the rules his own government put in place and driving cross-country with a sick child to visit his parents and celebrate his wife's birthday.

 

[antmanb]

Also unless they have news that we don't about vaccines i'm not sure how Dancing On Ice can possibly go ahead with the social distancing guidelines in place.

The point being - if the elite athletes that compete in this sport are wondering when their next competition will be and how they resume their athletic careers, why are a bunch of Z listers being allowed to flout the laws for a money making venture, when the actual athletes in this sport have their careers up in the air?

If we're going to allow ice rinks to open for a reason I think elite sports should be given priority over a reality TV show.

 

[overedge]

Last week Skate Canada had an online "town hall" about its return-to-skating plans. It's now been posted on YouTube with captions, which I would recommend using because some of the voices are a bit quiet.

Return to Skating Town Hall (July 29, 2020)

www.youtube.com

If you scroll through you will see that there is a PowerPoint for each province with an outline of its plans. The audience Q and A starts about 40 minutes in, and there are some more details there, in response to questions, about what the plans entail. E.g. the count of skaters on the ice in some provinces includes both coaches and skaters.

 

[clairecloutier]

I saw this article on Facebook--apparently ice rinks in Michigan aren't allowed to be open yet? and are in serious trouble financially :

Ice rinks say they are at risk of closing due to COVID-19

The ice hockey and ice rink industry is on the brink of failure. That’s what ice arena owners are telling 7 Action News, members of the state legislature, and anyone else who will listen.

bit.ly

 

[sk8pics]

I got my refund yesterday for my unused freestyle tickets at my rink. The guy told me they are hoping to reopen in “early fall” but we’ll see. In the meantime, it’s nice to get my money back.

 

[Sylvia]

Shpilband’s group has been training in Novi, Michigan for a while now, but I’m not that surprised to hear many municipal ice rinks in the state are still closed.

The Detroit Skating Club (privately owned) has been asking for donations, as I posted here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ly-or-at-risk-of-closure.107357/#post-5832058

Mark Hanretty has been voicing his displeasure about the U.K. rink situation and getting nationwide publicity:

Coronavirus: Dancing on Ice coach warns of ice skating concern

Mark Hanretty calls for ice rinks to be opened to elite athletes amid coronavirus restrictions.

www.bbc.com

 

[syzygy]

I'm finally going to the rink soon! I have Theater On Ice tryouts on the 16th and 23rd but I'm not sure when I'll be able to skate before that. I've lost so much strength in quarantine because I wasn't the best about off-ice so IDK how they're going to go...

 

[misskarne]

I'm finally going to the rink soon! I have Theater On Ice tryouts on the 16th and 23rd but I'm not sure when I'll be able to skate before that. I've lost so much strength in quarantine because I wasn't the best about off-ice so IDK how they're going to go...

How on earth can TOI possibly operate appropriately socially-distanced? It's as bad as synchro!

 

[syzygy]

How on earth can TOI possibly operate appropriately socially-distanced? It's as bad as synchro!

Just skating training. Not actually doing programs or any team exercises. Just working on jumps, spins, skating skills, and presentation. Still worth it to have a team in my opinion so that skaters don't go a year without the proper training specific to the discipline.

Edit: synchro teams are doing the same thing.

 

[overedge]

Our local municipal ice rink is re-opening for what it calls "drop-in" skating. It's really cheap - $2 a session for adults - but the sessions are only 1/2 hour long, and you have to book 24 hours in advance. I'm assuming the booking is so that they can limit the number of skaters on the ice.

I'm kind of undecided as to whether I'll go, but since I'll be wheezing and out of skating shape anyway, wearing a mask probably wouldn't make that much difference And 1/2 hour is probably as much as I can handle right now, after being off the ice for so long.

 

[Sylvia]

Ann Arbor ice arena, skating teams fight for reclassification

The Ann Arbor Ice Cube and other ice rinks need to be reclassified, say Ann Arbor athletes and Diane Wilson, general manager of the Ice Cube General.

www.clickondetroit.com

Ice arenas and rinks need to be reclassified, say Ann Arbor athletes and Diane Wilson, the general manager of Ann Arbor Ice Cube.
Since March, Wilson has been working to get the 130,000 square foot Ann Arbor ice rink and fitness facility to be reclassified so that it can reopen to the public and to the numerous hockey and skating teams that train on the rink.
“If you know hockey, and you know figure skating, you would know there are certainly ways to do this safely,” said Wilson.
While ice arenas and rinks in most of the country and in parts of northern Michigan have reopened, facilities in southern Michigan have remained closed, per an executive order that lumped them in with other fitness facilities.

 

[overedge]

My club announced today that the fall schedule will be going ahead, but with only two learn-to-skate sessions per week. That's a big money-earner for the club, so that's going to be a financial hit.

Also every skater has to sign a waiver that basically says nothing that happens to you is the fault of the club, the rink, or Skate Canada. I'm not sure that would hold up in court, but at least things are going ahead (for now).

 

[sk8pics]

I was talking to my coach yesterday and he said the rink he is teaching at has practically no rules about social distancing or anything. The rink we used to skate at is still not open. I think in a couple of months I might venture out on an early morning session that he thinks won’t be crowded. It’s not uncommon right now to have 25 skaters plus coaches out on the NHL sized rink.

 

[syzygy]

The amount of people who are bothering to come for ice time is decreasing to the point where I feel comfortable not wearing a mask while jumping and spinning, so that's good. It was making high level spins and jumps very uncomfortable.

They have open bathrooms at my rink but only one person allowed in at a time which I'm fine with, just not super fun when you have to pee. The weirdest thing is they took the ice off one of the three sheets to do maintenance and they're now using the doors in that rink as an exit instead of going out of the main door. Kind of smart but doesn't really seem necessary with the limited traffic going through those doors at all.

 

[concorde]

The amount of people who are bothering to come for ice time is decreasing to the point where I feel comfortable not wearing a mask while jumping and spinning, so that's good. It was making high level spins and jumps very uncomfortable.

I wish our rink would listen to that!

Masks have to be worn except during "high intensity" and that that is viewed as ONLY during programs. As soon as a program is done, mask has to go on even when doing the "lap" warm down.

Practicing double axels and above, doesn't matter. Not doing a program so put on the mask.

 

[syzygy]

I wish our rink would listen to that!

Masks have to be worn except during "high intensity" and that that is viewed as ONLY during programs. As soon as a program is done, mask has to go on even when doing the "lap" warm down.

Practicing double axels and above, doesn't matter. Not doing a program so put on the mask.

Yep! It gets in my eyes while doing on doubles and above. Most spins where the body is upright (scratches, sit spins without variations, biellmanns without a layback entry for example) are generally fine, but the second there is some sort of movement (camels, laybacks, illusions, etc.) it's just impossible. The only mask that doesn't do it is a properly fitted N95. Any cloth masks will end up in my eyes if they're actually high up enough to properly cover the nose.

Interestingly enough, there are some studies that suggest a cloth mask doesn't make a difference when one is breathing really hard but I'm unsure if they were socially distanced. They were done with a choir.

 

[overedge]

Yep! It gets in my eyes while doing on doubles and above. Most spins where the body is upright (scratches, sit spins without variations, biellmanns without a layback entry for example) are generally fine, but the second there is some sort of movement (camels, laybacks, illusions, etc.) it's just impossible. The only mask that doesn't do it is a properly fitted N95. Any cloth masks will end up in my eyes if they're actually high up enough to properly cover the nose.

Not that I am anywhere close to being able to do a double jump or an illusion, but this is really useful to know. When I go back, I'll keep it in mind that the mask might shift and to watch out for that.

Interestingly enough, there are some studies that suggest a cloth mask doesn't make a difference when one is breathing really hard but I'm unsure if they were socially distanced. They were done with a choir.

Is this the study? https://tinyurl.com/y53qanwd
As I read it, the transmission might be coming from the singers breathing out forcefully and deliberately, so as to sing and be heard. Not from breathing heavily.

 

[gkelly]

Masks are required at all times at my rink now.

There are skaters doing doubles in masks -- I've seen one landing double axels.

But I haven't talked to them about whether the masks cause problems for them.

At a much lower level myself, the main issue I've found is that the mask gets damp from sweat and exhaled breath.

At least I have found that I can do upright spins in an earloop mask style without it flying off.

 

[bladesofgorey]

I have been using the disposable surgical-style masks and I keep it on the whole time. I have some neuro issues (polyneuropathy) that mean I get off balance if I can't orient myself by sight so masks do cause some balance issues with plain old skating forward for me since they affect my peripheral vision a bit, but I don't find the mask bothers me for any jumping or spinning and don't find it impedes my vision for either no matter the position - with the exception being laybacks which I get extra dizzy in when wearing a mask for whatever reason. Camels, cannonballs etc. have been fine and the mask doesn't move. A number of higher level skaters where I've been going also wear the same disposable style mask and don't seem to be having issues with double axels/triples/flying combo spins either. Maybe it depends on the mask and how well it fits. I do an extra cross on my ear loops which seems to help keep it below my eyes and tighter on my face.

 

[antmanb]

My coach texted me this morning to tell me that she is temporarily coaching out of another rink in the area. Our normal rink is just over the border into Wales and hasn't reopened, and I believe that the rink in my city is still closed as part of the tighter measures that are in place for Greater Manchester. She asked if I was interested in giving it a go. Apparently there's a really quiet Wednesday evening session and i'm considering going. I haven't skated since July 2019 so i imagine it will be a very slow start.

Masks aren't required in gym here so i can't imagine they are required for ice rinks, but i would take one with me to see what the actual rules in place might be.

 

[MacMadame]

Do you want to start right up with a lesson? For me, I would want to skate a few hours on my own before I paid someone money to watch me stumble around the rink getting my legs under me.

 

[syzygy]

Do you want to start right up with a lesson? For me, I would want to skate a few hours on my own before I paid someone money to watch me stumble around the rink getting my legs under me.

I waited 3 weeks (15 hours on ice) to have a lesson. Same reason. It was totally worth it.

 

[syzygy]

I do an extra cross on my ear loops which seems to help keep it below my eyes and tighter on my face.

I should try this and see if it helps.

 

[antmanb]

Do you want to start right up with a lesson? For me, I would want to skate a few hours on my own before I paid someone money to watch me stumble around the rink getting my legs under me.

Yes that's what I plan to do - my coach wasn't asking me if I wanted to have a lesson but just to go and see if the Wednesday evening session was one that suited me

I think I need to get my blades sharpened first. Before I stopped with ankle problems I remember thinking they needed it. Though it might be a double whammy - skating for the first time in over a year and on freshly sharpened blades...i'll have to think about it.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

I haven't skated since March but I've been doing off-ice and inline, but I'm preparing for the day when I can set foot in a rink again. (Seeing people advocating for easing on-ice mask requirements—one of the more effective preventative measures we have at the moment—doesn't particularly engender me to returning for now!)

In the meantime I've been working on the basics of extension and turnout in stroking, edge lean, and rehabbing a knee injury that's limited some of my knee flexion. Mostly retaining the mind-body connection and comfort level needed for skating.

Even though I feel like I'm in reasonable shape to resume on-ice skating, I can't imagine going straight back into lessons. Especially when ice time is most likely limited due to decreased on-ice capacity, etc.

On the bright side, I had a sharpening right before Adult Sectionals (literally the last time I was on the ice was my event), so I should be pretty good to go when I get back to it.