Ice Etiquette

There are spoken rules about one's conduct on the ice - i.e. no horseplay, don't stab someone with your skate blade on purpose, etc. - that adorn highly visible signage at any ice rink. But there are also unspoken rules - which are fancily referred to as Ice Etiquette. Go on over to Skating Inspirations for a great summary of those rules.

I've seen everyone from beginners to Olympians in my day who have had really crappy ice etiquette. I've also had the privilege of skating with some real class acts. I can't say that I've been an angel on the ice myself, in fact I've been both the giver and recipient of some serious 'tude, but coming back to skating as an adult has really altered my perspective of my behavior on the ice - for the better, I think.

It is really frustrating when someone gets in your way, especially when you're attempting something difficult. Sure, there are jerks out there who do it on purpose, but they are an extreme minority. We all pay the same fee to get on the ice, and we all have to share it. 99.9999 percent of the time, if you get in someone's way, it's an accident. It's hard though to keep having to tell yourself that when you need to be "in the zone" so to speak--performing difficult elements in figure skating requires a lot of concentration and energy--and it's easy to be distracted by fellow skaters even if they're not really in your way.

Being older and wiser goes a long way to helping me focus despite instances where other skaters may inadvertently thwart my attempts at freeskating maneuvers. It is no longer the end of the world if I don't get to a jumping pass. There are other things in life. For a younger person (such as I was), that concept may be harder to grasp.