At club ice last night, I found out that a hockey rink 20 minutes north of my house has open freestyle ice at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, starting in October.“And nobody goes,” this other mom told me.
She said that for $10, Ice Girl can skate from 6 a.m. until 8 a.m. There might be four other girls on the ice. That’s it.
I was excited, of course.
When I left the rink I called Ice Dad.
“Guess what? Sauk City has $10 6 a.m. ice starting in October and nobody goes. Isn’t that great?”
“You need an intervention,” he said.
If loving early, empty ice at $10/2 hours is wrong, I don't want to be right!
Ice Girl is on my side with this one. She’s pumped because her favorite ice is empty ice, no matter what the time. My favorite ice is cheap ice. We both win here.
“Are you sure you want to add another 6 a.m. to your week?” I asked her.
“Mom. Mo-ooom. Mom. It’s fine. I’d rather get up early so I can do my homework after school,” she said. (She hates doing math in the van.)
I don’t need an intervention. What I need is a map to that rink. And cheaper gas. And a fog horn alarm clock. And to begin a coffee addiction. Tea’s just not cutting it.
I completely understand were you are coming from. The Plymouth Cultural Center arena that had the controversey with figure skating over hockey earlier this year is offering training ice from 2pm-4:30pm for only $5.00 and it is right behind my daughters school. I went and asked my daughters principal if she could leave school early 2 days a week so she could skate their after school. I also thought everone would like to know that the rink is still offering learn to skate classes. The rink isn't completely lost to hockey yet. Yeah!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, good for you, your daughter, and the community. $5 for 2-and-a-half hours of ice time is really a bargain.
ReplyDeleteKeep us all posted about what happens at the Plymouth Cultural Center and Learn to Skate/figure skating!
Most Starbucks open at 5:00 am...begin coffee addiction there!
ReplyDeleteIce Girl is wise beyond her years - after several years of racing to the rink after school, fighting crowded ice sessions and not returning home until around 7 p.m., I decided it was time to try early AM sessions. My parents, to my surprise, loved the idea! I woke up every weekday morning at 4:20 (no inappropriate jokes, please) and was out the door by 4:45. My parents would drop me off at the rink at 5:20 a.m., head off to their jobs (they were able to flex hours and/or work overtime, a must for every skating family without a trust fund), and I would skate until 8:20. I was extended PE credit at my high school for skating and was able to come to school at the end of first period. By the time I got there, my body and mind were in full gear. Most of my classmates were still wiping the sleep from their eyes and wondering how I could have so much energy at such an hour. With the exception of having to be in bed by 8:30 every evening (ear plugs were heaven-sent, as my non-skating sister didn't operate on my hours), it was perhaps one of the best choices I ever made. I still went in for the occasional afternoon session if I needed additional help, but otherwise, my afternoons were open for homework, ballet class, and occasionally, a bit of a social life! I ended up getting so much more out of those sessions in the AM, without the mind clutter of "Oh, after practice I have to study for my bio exam" of "I can't believe he said THAT!" Plus, my organization and efficiency skills became so finely tuned as a result of having to have my school clothes, books, lunch, etc., by the door and ready to go the night before. I think you'll find early morning ice to be a great thing, once you get used to the schedule!
ReplyDeleteGetting flex credit for P.E. from figure skating is a whole other post, Renee! When I come to visit (maybe at the end of the month), we'll have to sit and chat about how you and your parents managed that!
ReplyDeleteMorning ice is great for older skaters.Younger skaters need more sleep and cant just be dropped off.
ReplyDeleteIts hard sell to have parents of 7 year olds... oh we think you should do private lessons, and by the way its at 6am!!
That is why you need pm ice for clubs to grow.
That said, both my skaters skate early.6 to 8 am!
Just drink lots of coffee!!