Author Topic: What did you achieve this week  (Read 630269 times)

WednesdayMarch

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5599 on: January 01, 2020, 08:20:01 pm »
an organ! can hardly believe that! /is it the instrument that is usually in churches? that what I imagined/ When I had my dancing lessons /ballroom&latin/ in the mid 1990's we still had live piano music but doubt any of the dance schools still do that.

The organ I remember from Slough and Guildford dance clubs was more of a little Bontempi keyboard, rather than the church type.  No pipes or pedals.

Keep your icedancing. It still hasn't arrived into Adult skating here in the Czech Republic  but we now a sports pair! (And two private adult sessions during the week in between two rinks. Not bad compared to ten years ago when I started skating and there was literally nothing)

No ice dancing at all in Plymouth, save for the monthly "dance week" during the Coach & Skate session, where a freestyle coach attempts to teach a bunch of (mainly) old ladies one of the "recreational" dances.  It's not overly successful, but the rink isn't conducive to dancing as it's kidney shaped so  none of the patterns fit.  There are no dance coaches there for obvious reasons.  I don't count. 

Oh, and I came to say that after two years of barely skating due to illness and not being well and fit I hope to get back on the ice. Need to sort out some coaching and mould the coach to my high british standards :D

Well, this is good news!  Bring on the skating!
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

Leif

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5600 on: January 01, 2020, 10:54:38 pm »
It's nice when there hs been extra care taken over the ice, though it does frustrate me that it doesn't happen all the time.  It doesn't take much extra effort to make a big difference to the surface.  I complain when it is done poorly (doesn't do much good) but also praise when done well, which seems to have more effect.

For good ice you need to lay down warm water. At Basingstoke the water has to be heated first, then loaded onto the Olympia, all of which takes more effort  which is why they only use warm water for Bison games. I believe Guildford machines have integral heaters in the water tanks. Guildford ice can be beautiful.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5601 on: January 02, 2020, 08:19:30 am »
For good ice you need to lay down warm water. At Basingstoke the water has to be heated first, then loaded onto the Olympia, all of which takes more effort  which is why they only use warm water for Bison games. I believe Guildford machines have integral heaters in the water tanks. Guildford ice can be beautiful.

At Plymouth they rarely use water. Just literally scrape the surface...
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

Carrie

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5602 on: January 02, 2020, 10:10:05 am »
Hello katepillar, sorry to hear you have been ill.  Pleased to hear you are fit to skate again and  Good luck with finding a coach.


It is a shame the Czech Republic doesn’t  have many classes for adults.  As you know recreational skating is very popular in the UK.  There are three hours a week for adult group lessons at Guildford.  I think the children’s classes are held almost every day!

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5603 on: January 02, 2020, 05:17:54 pm »
Sobell ice varies from acceptable to superb depending on who does it - to be fair there is almost ALWAYS a resurface before sessions.
Streatham for a new rink has mediocre ice - simply not enough resurfaces scheduled.  Best I have seen it was after they had run a competition - they made sure it was perfect for that so the equipment is there, just not the will.
Alexandra Palace ice is pretty good whenever I've been on recently.  They have an electric zamboni, as do Lee Valley, whose ice has also improved notably since the refurbishment.
MK is generally not bad whenever I've been on.
None of them come close to Oberstdorf.  Culture there seems different - hardly any staff turnover, things done properly rather than on the cheap.

Leif

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5604 on: January 02, 2020, 06:44:56 pm »
At Plymouth they rarely use water. Just literally scrape the surface...

Basingstoke was like that for a long while, and maybe our complaining got them to improve, as it has got better. Maybe a bit of polite moaning to the rink manager could help?

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5605 on: January 02, 2020, 07:15:14 pm »
There's a young man at the Sobell who does the ice WAY better than all his colleagues.  I've no idea why, but he just takes a pride in it that the others don't have.  He goes out of his way to apologise if equipment problems have led to the ice being less than perfect.  I always make a point of saying how much we appreciate his efforts.  I had hopes his enthusiasm would rub off on colleagues but not much sign of it.  Shame there are not more like him in this world.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5606 on: January 02, 2020, 10:00:25 pm »
Basingstoke was like that for a long while, and maybe our complaining got them to improve, as it has got better. Maybe a bit of polite moaning to the rink manager could help?

That's been tried.  By everybody.  Even the coaches got nowhere.  It's verging on dangerous a lot of the time.  Possibly not for the staggerers/gen pub but for anybody wanting to do anything involving edges, you get caught in the ruts made by the chaps practising their jumps on patch (it's usually the chaps) and - boom!  But the rink's response is always, "The pad is too thick so we can't flood it."  They seem to forget that ice pads need regular maintenance.  I gather this one hasn't been taken up and relaid in about 5 years, but the building is in its death throes so they're not going to bother.  And whether we actually get the rink we've been promised before the current one closes is anybody's guess... 
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

Leif

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5607 on: January 03, 2020, 12:14:01 am »
Oh well. We complain a lot about Basingstoke. For over a year there were deep ruts around the corners, get a skate stuck there and you break an ankle or a leg, or worse. However a rink is a rink, and ours is on borrowed time. The planned site redevelopment looks to be a swimming bath plus shops, which they laughingly call a leisure centre. Thanks Tory councillors, glad you care about the health of the people and not the wealth of developers.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5608 on: January 03, 2020, 07:36:09 am »
Same situation, then.  Frustrating.  But at least you have Gosport, Guildford, Bracknell, Slough...

Our next nearest rink is Cardiff, which is nearly 175 miles away...
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

Leif

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5609 on: January 04, 2020, 03:51:59 pm »
Same situation, then.  Frustrating.  But at least you have Gosport, Guildford, Bracknell, Slough...

Our next nearest rink is Cardiff, which is nearly 175 miles away...

I do sympathise not that that means didly squat.  :(



 

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