Figure Skating while the Family’s on Vacation

Usually my son doesn't skate when we're on vacation (2 weeks out of the year). The only exception to that was one year when he was competing the week after we got back from vacation, so he skated a couple times that week because he wanted to. Otherwise our vacations are our family time.

Does your figure skater skate during vacations? Sometimes. My daughter usually prefers not to skate – she enjoys some true relaxation time!

Is skating on vacation something your coach requires or something your skater wants (or both)? Usually only skates on our trips back to our home state, she wants to show off for relatives who come to watch her. (Most of our reltives are out of state.)

How many hours does your skater spend on the ice during a vacation? Maybe an hour tops.

What’s your favorite away-from-home rink? What makes it great? We go to the closest rink to our relatives house, it's nice enough, still 30 – 40 minutes away though!

Have you flown with skates? Any tips? No

Any funny stories, cautionary tales, or other information we all should know? We've also taken two family vacation / skating competition trips also, both times to Colorado Springs (for State Games of America) So those were a mix of skating each morning & doing fun things the rest of the day. We loved the Sertich Ice Arena (might be mangling the name) – We loved Colorado Springs in general!

Does your figure skater skate during vacations?

If it's a week-long vacation or more (rare that this happens!), or if we have a competition or test session looming, then yes, we search out a rink nearby. However, we don't go nuts with this…at this point in my daughter's skating career, I'm not cutting too deeply into my down time.

Mostly, it's fun to check out other rinks, see how other clubs run things – just for the experience and for curiosity's sake.

Also, we have a really cold rink and the ice is always super hard and really fast. I think it's good experience to practice once in a while on “softer” ice. The skates feel different, etc.

Is skating on vacation something your coach requires or something your skater wants (or both)?

I think both my skater and her coach like a little bit of ice time over vacation, again, especially if there is a competition, etc. looming. However, we've also found that time away from the ice is a good thing in that it allows everyone to come back fresh and deeply rested.

How many hours does your skater spend on the ice during a vacation?

Nowhere near our regular skating schedule. We were away for five days recently, and my skater was only on the ice once.

What’s your favorite away-from-home rink? What makes it great?

Don't have one yet, only because we haven't traveled all that much. We recently skated at Twin Rinks outside of Syracuse – it a beautiful facility with Olympic ice. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating. My skater felt a little intimidated going out at first – a lot of really good skaters there – but quickly felt at home and had a great skate!

We also brought skates on our weekend trip to NYC and skated at Wollman Rink in Central Park. It was crowded – but magical! They are very strict about keeping it public skate and no fancy stuff (with good reason, of course) but what a picture-post card experience! We also wanted to skate at Rockefeller Plaza but we went on a weekend (1st bad move) and then in the afternoon (2nd mistake). I'd say a weekday early morning session would be better.

btw, Wollman does have freestyle ice, but yeah, we were on vacation…not getting up THAT early. Plus it was outside and even colder than our home rink (if that's possible.)

Have you flown with skates? Any tips?

We haven't. Although a skater at our rink recently did. The dad marveled that airport security fussed over the small pocket knife he forgot on his key ring, but allowed two sets of nine-inch blades as carry on.

Any funny stories, cautionary tales, or other information we all should know?

We have out-of-town skaters come to our rink all the time during the summer. We are one of the few in the area with lots of ice time all summer long. I'd only caution skaters who normally skate at warm rinks to bring extra layers…maybe a lot of extra layers. Parents, too. We have a super-duper cold rink. Even our lobby is crisp.

Other funny note – when we were in NYC, I told my daughters to be a bit more cautious with their purses, keep them inside their coats, don't set them down anywhere, mostly because they would forget them, etc. Not that I had any great fear of being mugged in NYC – mostly to just get them in practice for traveling mindset. When we went to Wollman rink, both my daughters and I brought our skates in backpacks to walk through Central Park to the rink. At one point, I had the sudden realization that we were walking through NYC at night with about $1,000+ worth of skates on our backs. If someone had snatched those backpacks, I'd probably have run after while begging the snatcher to take my purse, instead.

Does your figure skater skate during vacations? If we went on a vacation, I think that my only stipulation would be for my mom to pick a place that has a skating rink nearby with plenty of ice time.
Is skating on vacation something your coach requires or something your skater wants (or both)? I (being the skater) require it. I haven't talked to my coach concerning skating on vacations, but I don't think she'd make it mandatory.
How many hours does your skater spend on the ice during a vacation? As much time as possible without making my family mad.
What’s your favorite away-from-home rink? What makes it great? There's a rink in hackensack, NJ, where my old coach's sister used to run the figure skating program. In fact, they still have a competition there every year in her honor. I really like it because that's where Miki Ando trains, I think, and they have four sheets of ice— so much more than my own skating rink.
Have you flown with skates? Any tips? I haven't, but I know you can, at least on Southwest Airlines.
Any funny stories, cautionary tales, or other information we all should know? Not really. When skating, just be extra mindful of the rules and such. Different places have different standards.

Does your figure skater skate during vacations? I've only skated once during a vacation. It was at Sobe Ice Arena in the Fiesta Casino/hotel in Las Vegas It was pretty surreal to be skating and then afterwards, go hit the slots, LOL (Btw im an adult skater so this is ok!)

Is skating on vacation something your coach requires or something your skater wants (or both)? My coach doesn't require it, but I want to, for the same reason Jozet mentioned. See how other rinks are run, experience different kinds of surfaces, and also the atmosphere. I went to NYC last year but that was in the summer…someday I hope to experience skating in the Rockefeller ice rink (Serendipity is one of my all time fave films)

How many hours does your skater spend on the ice during a vacation? I just skated 1 2 hour public session at Sobe, and then another day did a freestyle for 1 hour

What’s your favorite away-from-home rink? What makes it great? I've only been to Sobe and it's pretty great. Apparently that is where Surya Bonaly skates at (she's been in Vegas for awhile now). The facility is well maintained and clean, people are friendly, and I can't get over the thought that it's part of a casino

Have you flown with skates? Any tips? Yes, I checked them in a separate bag with a luggage tag with all my contact info.

Any funny stories, cautionary tales, or other information we all should know? Bring quarters for lockers. At my home rink, everyone pretty much knows one another at the freestyle sessions and it is in a well to do suburb so people/kids just literally leave their bags and purses on the rinkside and never had anything stolen etc. I used to do this but now I insert my purse in my zuca bag which is left on the rinkside and never had any problems. However for public skate since there are “outsiders” coming, I just bring my license, cash to pay for public skate and cellphone and tuck them in my skating jacket (I use Lululemon Define jacket, has two pockets). I dont bring ATM or credit cards, not that I need to charge $7 or withdraw cash coz our rink doesn't have an ATM machine. So if you are going to a new rink, having quarters ready for a locker rental are a good idea to store your stuff while you are on the ice. I also do this when I skate at Millennium Park (in Chicago) which is an outdoor rink in the winter. I would never EVER bring my zuca bag there because there is nowhere to store it except the rinkside where all the people hang out….just because Zucas are so different looking and cuter than normal luggages, people see that it is just “attractive” and you just dont know if it will still be there when you get off the ice.

Also bring your own bottled water so you don't have to spend money, some rinks charge more than others on concessions.

Yes, definitely be aware that different rinks have different rules, both going from a very rule-oriented rink to a Wild West rink and vice versa. We skate at a bit of a Wild West rink (and I say that with love, lol) with only the most basic right-of-way rules. For better and worse, people really need to keep head's up quickly.

However, when going to a new rink, I always make sure my daughter approaches the rink monitor, introduces herself, and asks specifically what the rink rules and protocol are. She then thanks the monitors on her way out. If I see any moms or coaches in the lobby, I also try to quickly introduce myself, compliment the rink and club, thank them before and after, and let them know that if we need any etiquette pointers specific to this rink, to not hesitate to let us know. I think being upfront and gracious sets a good tone and keeps any possible sideways “who are THEY?” glances to a minimum.

I also ask my daughter to make a quick scan of the ice to notice before stepping on which coaches are giving lessons and who their skaters are. Also to step off every so often to eyeball who is coming onto the ice and who might be steaming into the corner for a triple lutz. She's done well so far, but a little extra caution and mindfulness is always a good thing at a new rink.

Unless we were vacationing in an area with a well-known arena (Squaw Valley, Lake Placid or Colorado Springs for example) and we chose to skate there just for the experience of skating in that arena, I wouldn't even consider looking for ice time while on vacation. A vacation is for resting the mind and body. In most sports, periodic tapering is advised to improve performance. Even if the kids LOVE to skate, they need a break from the pressure occasionally. Parents who schedule ice time during vacations are not giving kids a chance for a break. They really aren't on a vacation, instead they're on an out of town training trip. If they're concerned about an upcoming competition, don't schedule your vacation at that time. (Most competitions occur every year at the same time and the schedule is set months in advance.) Wouldn't it be better to vacation after the competition when the skaters have the opportunity to relax–both mentally and physically. Parents, let's be reasonable. Unless your kid is training for Jr. Nationals or Nationals, is it really necessary to train while on vacation?

Does your figure skater skate during vacations? Only when I go to visit family in Lake Placid or if there is a test or competition coming up;

Is skating on vacation something your coach requires or something your skater wants (or both)? I adore skating and miss it when I'm off the ice for any length of time.

How many hours does your skater spend on the ice during a vacation? 1-5 hours depending upon availability and spouse's tolerance level

What’s your favorite away-from-home rink? What makes it great? Lake Placid I love the atmosphere and the history. The coaches are fantastic and very friendly.

Have you flown with skates? Any tips? I haven't but several people I know have. ALWAYS put the hard guards on the skate blades. It is required by TSA. Hockey blades HAVE to go in checked luggage but figures can be carried on. However, even though this is the regulation acording to the TSA website enforcement varies by airport and shift supervisor. My 20 something friend tried to fly out of Boston (TSA there is a nevous lot since the 9/11 terrorists left from there) with her skates in her carry on. She even had the printout from the TSA website saying it was okay to carry them on but TSA forced her to check them. Then about a year later my 80+ year old Mom had her brand new skates in her carry on and left from Boston with no problem. Other people have told me that flying out of other airports was never a problem. Boston is the only hassle story I've heard of.

Any funny stories, cautionary tales, or other information we all should know?
Skating rules differ from club to club. I always find myself standing at the boards for a while trying to figure out where the jump corner is and the spinning area.

I was in LP to watch Skate America and took my skates with me so I could do a freestyle session with my Mom and LP coach. Turns out the session was crowded with high level skaters. This meant all three of us were plasted along the boards trying to figure out who Brian Orser was coaching and watching a Russian coach screaming at a dance pair. At the time I was learning change edge spirals from my LP coach (my regular coach doesn't know how to do these) which take up a huge amount of space on the ice. I thought I was safe since the dancers were heading off in the opposite direction and Brian's kid was at the other end of the rink. So I built up lots of speed and headed into center ice in a spiral position. The next thing I know the dance pair does one of those violent direction changes and is headed right for me backwards! They can't see me and I'm not able to manuver very well in a spiral position. Next thing I know the Russian coach screams at them, they glance over their shoulders, split apart and very smoothly go around me like I was a tree. I was so embarrassed that I almost took out a high level dance pair.

BTW, about a month later I figured out that I had been sharing the ice with Christina Gao. How cool is that!?!

It depends where we are vacationing. My grandson is the skater, and when we were on a Royal Caribbean cruise for 14 days, he took his skates. They have an ice rink on board, and he just loved the idea. this was how he “discovered” ice skating three years ago. Now, he is a competitive skater. Aboard ship, they even opened the rink several times just for those skaters with their own skates, so they had some private ice time. It was great and he absolutely loved it. We flew and just had his skates in the luggage. No problems.

How cool is that? Skating on a cruise ship!

Thanks for the great flying tips, Silver Blades!

How cool is it to share the ice with Brian Orser and the high-level dance pair? Was Orser coaching Gao at the time? V. neat. Pretty intimidating, too, I bet!

That's a good point, Anony, but I think for Ice Girl, skating on vacation would be a comfort. She does this panic thing after more than three days off the ice and she's convinced that she'll never do crossovers again, let alone an Axel.

Hi, niuiceprincess!

Thanks for the comment. I think your advice about the pocketful of quarters is a good one. You know, skating at our home rinks kind of leads one to forget things like: people might swipe your stuff – on purpose or on accident.

Very smart.

Vegas sounds like a ball, too.

If she's that nervous after 3 days, she's putting too much pressure on herself. The need to skate, because she's afraid of what might happen if she doesn't, just feeds that anxiety. If she really has her Axel, she's not going to lose it after 3 days.

As parents, we need to talk to our skaters about what is best for them and why, and not let the skater (or overzealous coaches) dictate to us what they want or think they need. She might be empowered by how well she skates after a short break. It might give her confidence that would carry over to other areas, in and out of skating.

Fear should not be her motivation to keep on skating…the joy of skating should be. Joy is not determined by whether you have an Axel or not.

I tend to agree…I was worried last year and this when we took off two weeks, there wasn't a rink in a reasonable distance, so her coach gave her an off ice fitness routine to do. As it turns out, her doubles were just as good when we came back as when we left.

My IceBoy does this too. His feeling is more or a realization that at certain levels, when you are in the middle of a learning a new skill and have to take a break, it usually is that you have to start over again or at least that skill isn't maintained. He'd rather keep it than start over if possible LOL.

We have a trip coming up, and he has chosen to skate because regionals is coming up (he has missed lots of training due to multiple injuries this year). He'll have three days w/o a rink, so a total of 5 days break before we are in an area with a rink. The choice to skate or not is totally up to him. Coach and I both feel that either way, he can skate or not, but sometimes it's better if he just skates rather than have him worry about the long break. Mentally it's better for all of us LOL.

We have an Intermediate level skater
Does your figure skater skate during vacations? We have a sort of “mandatory” vacation time in August LOL–not the best time with training for Regionals, but we have no flexibility in this. My IceBoy usually skates during this time. Not that we go on many vacations, but if it's during season, then he usually chooses to skate.

Is skating on vacation something your coach requires or something your skater wants (or both)? Coach has never required this unless it's a very long trip close to Regional or JN. He is big on letting the kids take breaks from skating. We leave it up to IB to decide if he wants to skate (trips are usually 10 days to 2 weeks). For short trips Coach usually encourages no skating.

How many hours does your skater spend on the ice during a vacation? usually only one hour per weekday, but we'll see this year. It might be two a day per weekday. It's usually really early in the morning, so it gives us the added benefit of getting up early in the morning and having the whole day free. He also usually meets some great people since he's there for a week or more sometimes. Oh, and he can show off for family that never get to see him skate otherwise.

Have you flown with skates? Any tips? yes. Our airport TSA allows skates in carry-on luggage. Just to be sure, I ask before we get in line, and I usually have IB go through security first, then once he's in, I'll check my bag. I have heard some Eastern state airports don't allow the skates in, so we take the skates in carry-on luggage going to qualifying competitions, then put it in the suitcase coming back.

Any funny stories, cautionary tales, or other information we all should know? I know that this blog is mainly about vacations, but a tip for going to competitions on the airplane…ALWAYS pack your costumes in your carry-on bag! Or you could be writing a cautionary tale or funny (in hindsight) story on a blog one day LOL.

How fun!

I agree!!! You could go get some sun on the deck/pool and then cool off at the ice rink that same day.

Great advice about the costumes, p! I also think it's nice to share your son's skating with distant family. I know Ice Girl's grandma love that.

I was just talking to my fiance about this. We are trying to plan a quick trip to my home to visit my parents and for me to get some stuff I left at my Mom's house. I mentioned that I wanted to take my skates and how fun it would be to do a lesson with my old coach. His face drops with dismay “Skate! But what am I going to do while you skate? It's only a 3 day weekend. Can't you take a weekend off?!” My response: “You'll be sleeping cause I'll go in the morning.” Duh!! But we'll see who wins when the trip actually rolls around.

Hey, Jozet!

Great advice about skating on different surfaces and bringing warm clothes. Funny about the $1,000 skates! I'm about to drop $700 on new boots – it's killing me! I'd give up my purse any day – way less money in there!

I agree with you sk8rmomp. No one's pushing Ice Girl, either. If getting on the ice gives her peace of mind, I'm cool with that.

Brian was coaching Gao at the time although we couldn't figure out who it was. When my mom and I were getting ready to go on the ice Brian said hello to us. I found out I'm still not too old to swoon

Speaking as a skater, when I've gone on a one or two week vacation with no skating when I get back home it feels like I've been off the ice for months. It takes a couple of sessions to get back in the grove and feel comfortable again. My other two adult skating friends have found the same thing. You could put it down to age but both my friends are only in their 20s while i'm in my late 40s and it happens to all of us. So it might just be loosing the feel for the ice. Also when I skate during vacation it typically isn't a hardcore practice more just keeping my feet wet kind of thing. Much more relaxed.

Does your figure skater skate during vacations?

Usually vacations are for skating purposes (competitions, training camps, judges seminars), so the skates almost always come along. If it is a short trip then no, and the one true vacation from the past 5 years (DisneyWorld) had no skates, but the vacation was after the major cometitive season.

Is skating on vacation something your coach requires or something your skater wants (or both)?

No, the coach doesn't really seem to care as long as skates and costumes make it to the competitions.

How many hours does your skater spend on the ice during a vacation?

Typically 1-4 hours/day because usually it is a competition setting with nearby practice rinks for competitors.

What’s your favorite away-from-home rink? What makes it great?

Actually my favorite away from home rink is the Oaks Roller Rink near Portland Oregon. The location is quite beautiful as it is next to a river and the area is so pretty and green. And this rink is huge! It has a solid oak floor that is on floaters so it will not get damaged if the river floods, and it has a full Wurlitzer pipe organ attached to the ceiling. It is so old and charming. It is like skating on history.

Have you flown with skates? Any tips?

Take them as carry-on items if you can. If you have/need tools you should stow those in checked luggage (yes, skates are ok but tools are sharp and small and scary to the TSA). Also have luggage tags on the outside and inside of your bags in case the outside ones rip or get separated.

Does your figure skater skate during vacations? Nope

Is skating on vacation something your coach requires or something your skater wants (or both)? I guess I would like to but I know my parents wouldn't like it and my coach has never asked me to.

How many hours does your skater spend on the ice during a vacation? n/a

What’s your favourite away-from-home rink? What makes it great? There's one in Edinburgh that I went to a while back (not on holiday) that was nice, it was very welcoming and friendly

Have you flown with skates? Any tips? No, when I go on holiday I shop (a lot) and skates being heavy and bulky would really restrict this lol.

Any funny stories, cautionary tales, or other information we all should know? For me and my family, holiday is family time. My parents work really hard and they get a few weeks off in summer for holidays so we spend that going somewhere and getting away from everything. Skating is something that only I'm interested in and I would see it as selfish to drag my family to an unfamiliar rink to watch me skate when its a time we're all supposed to have together and enjoy together. Also, we also tend to go far flung places to really get away from the hectic work my parents have here and so I don't even want to consider taking my skates because I would be worrying the whole time about whether my suitcase got left behind or got lost etc. In addition we tend to move around a lot on holiday (for example this year we're visiting 4 US states in 2 and a half weeks) and having to take my skates on 5 plane journeys (especially the 2 8 hours transatlantic flights) would make me so stressed and I (as I said earlier) wouldn't have very much room for all my purchases.
Also, as much as I love skating sometimes I like having a break to step back and have a rest and just re-evaluate what I want from the sport.

[...] Mom recently did a post about figure skaters traveling on vacations working in some skating practice on the way. Sometime skaters need a break from the ice and [...]

I’m so glad you liked Twin Rinks Jozet. That is our home rink and the people are very nice here. I love living in this area!

I'm so glad you liked Twin Rinks Jozet. That is our home rink and the people are very nice here. I love living in this area!