Author Topic: Basingstoke rinks days are numbered  (Read 2385 times)

WednesdayMarch

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Re: Basingstoke rinks days are numbered
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2018, 05:31:13 pm »
Oh no!  Why are councils so short-sighted about facilities that don't involve football or big money?  I really hope they step up to the plate and insist that a new rink be built. 

Southampton rink had a covenant on the land, which stated that if the rink was taken down and the land used for anything other than a replacement rink, then another one had to be provided somewhere in the city.  The land could not be used for housing if another rink wasn't provided.

Yeah.  That worked.  The rink was bulldozed in 1988 and the land was used for flats.  Expensive flats, if I recall correctly.  There's still no ice rink in Southampton, although the skating club is still very much in existence!

I've signed the petition and will badger others to do so, too.  I was hoping to skate there occasionally when I visit the relics - and possibly more than occasionally if I have to move back up there.  Darn!
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.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: Basingstoke rinks days are numbered
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2018, 07:20:09 pm »
And more to the point, isn't that the rink where you do your hockey training, Leif?!  Where will you do that?   :(
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.

AndyinSwindon

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Re: Basingstoke rinks days are numbered
« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2018, 09:06:16 pm »
I was really disappointed this week to see that the UK do not have an entry into the Ice Hockey in the upcoming Winter Olympics, and it looks as if the predicted medal cache is very small.

What can we expect when we treat a sport like this?  As someone said further up the thread, if it doesn't involve football, they're not interested.  Makes me sick to be honest, but at the same time proud to be part of an alternative and niche sport.

And then we have Dancing on Ice - a bunch of non-celebs grabbing the limelight in the name of 'reality TV'.....but then, although I hate those sorts of programmes, the more it does to promote the sport, the better.
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The Sacred Voice

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Re: Basingstoke rinks days are numbered
« Reply #14 on: January 20, 2018, 01:03:45 am »
I was really disappointed this week to see that the UK do not have an entry into the Ice Hockey in the upcoming Winter Olympics, and it looks as if the predicted medal cache is very small.

What can we expect when we treat a sport like this?  As someone said further up the thread, if it doesn't involve football, they're not interested.  Makes me sick to be honest, but at the same time proud to be part of an alternative and niche sport.

And then we have Dancing on Ice - a bunch of non-celebs grabbing the limelight in the name of 'reality TV'.....but then, although I hate those sorts of programmes, the more it does to promote the sport, the better.

The sad thing is, the UK has had well established sports for a long time now (football, rugby, cricket, snooker to some extent), so the ice sports have always languished as everyone already has their plates full with those and don't feel like splitting their attention further. When that's the case then there's basically no reason for the mainstream media to really cover it compared to the other sports.

I'm not afraid to admit that ice hockey is what keeps rinks open (along with public sessions). Whole teams paying for practise time and, more importantly, people paying to come and watch games is definitely a bigger money earner than the handful of us figure skaters that could barely make up a full hockey team on patch. But that's the problem, the public have their hands full with our more established sports so people don't really watch ice hockey and rinks don't get the kind of cash they could be and end up closing.

While Dancing on Ice does raise the profile of the sport, the slightly sad thing is that it doesn't even utilise any particular ice skating discipline so it's a complete sham from the perspective of the ice skating community - of course, the general public doesn't know that so it's still beneficial regardless.
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Leif

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Re: Basingstoke rinks days are numbered
« Reply #15 on: January 23, 2018, 02:44:54 pm »
And more to the point, isn't that the rink where you do your hockey training, Leif?!  Where will you do that?   :(

Yes it is. Fortunately I have plenty of options open to me. I am surrounded by rinks at Bracknell, Guildford and Gosport, though Basingstoke is easily the nearest. But it will be sad, the rink staff will lose their jobs, some people will stop skating ...

My guess is that the professional ice hockey matches bring in a lot of money, and with the Bison going to Slough according to rumour, that will cut off income. They might take the temporary Slough ice rink, but whether that can be made to work for many years, and through all seasons remains to be seen. Sadly the Basingstoke council don't seem to care. After all, it's a boring commuter town with no character and lots of shops. It is all about the money. Flats and shops equals loads a dosh. Sporting facilities equals modest dosh, even though a new rink would bring in visitors to the hockey games, who would spend money in the shops and eateries.



 

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