Shortage of ice rinks in the DMV -- is there anything that we can do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two nice ice rinks on the west side of lower Montgomery county. There’s an ice rink on Southlawn that has a number of rinks so that different events can occur at the same time, as well as Cabin John Has an ice rink

This is an uninformed comment. It is obvious that there are rinks in Rockville and at Cabin John. The issue is that these rinks are packed at all times, and teams and individuals are all vying for ice time at these precious few rinks. (And these rinks are dark and old anyway.)

What's wrong with Rockville? The problem with rinks is what you do with them from March to September. They have trouble bringing in revenue for 1/2 the year. Places like Prince William, STJ, Piedmont, Tucker Road, and even Ft Dupont are not filled all the time. I've even seen the rinks dark at Rockville in the afternoon if the main tenants (Bullis, Landon, SJC) aren't using them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two nice ice rinks on the west side of lower Montgomery county. There’s an ice rink on Southlawn that has a number of rinks so that different events can occur at the same time, as well as Cabin John Has an ice rink

This is an uninformed comment. It is obvious that there are rinks in Rockville and at Cabin John. The issue is that these rinks are packed at all times, and teams and individuals are all vying for ice time at these precious few rinks. (And these rinks are dark and old anyway.)

What's wrong with Rockville? The problem with rinks is what you do with them from March to September. They have trouble bringing in revenue for 1/2 the year. Places like Prince William, STJ, Piedmont, Tucker Road, and even Ft Dupont are not filled all the time. I've even seen the rinks dark at Rockville in the afternoon if the main tenants (Bullis, Landon, SJC) aren't using them.

Np

They are dark because the users are in school. My figure skater can’t get ice time there. It’s feels like you’ve completely missed the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two nice ice rinks on the west side of lower Montgomery county. There’s an ice rink on Southlawn that has a number of rinks so that different events can occur at the same time, as well as Cabin John Has an ice rink

This is an uninformed comment. It is obvious that there are rinks in Rockville and at Cabin John. The issue is that these rinks are packed at all times, and teams and individuals are all vying for ice time at these precious few rinks. (And these rinks are dark and old anyway.)

What's wrong with Rockville? The problem with rinks is what you do with them from March to September. They have trouble bringing in revenue for 1/2 the year. Places like Prince William, STJ, Piedmont, Tucker Road, and even Ft Dupont are not filled all the time. I've even seen the rinks dark at Rockville in the afternoon if the main tenants (Bullis, Landon, SJC) aren't using them.

Np

They are dark because the users are in school. My figure skater can’t get ice time there. It’s feels like you’ve completely missed the point.

No, I haven't missed the point and it's been dark after 3PM. Plus, there is a lot of time ice isn't used, still costs money to keep ice. No business justification to build rinks so that 5-6 figure skaters can use a sheet that could be rented to a hockey team for $425/hour. There is a reason that figure skaters get the worst slots.

[Anonymous]

No, I haven't missed the point and it's been dark after 3PM. Plus, there is a lot of time ice isn't used, still costs money to keep ice. No business justification to build rinks so that 5-6 figure skaters can use a sheet that could be rented to a hockey team for $425/hour. There is a reason that figure skaters get the worst slots.

At MedStar in Arlington, ice slots (70 minutes) are $650 an hour and up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymou[b wrote:s]I don't live in the DMV[/b] but I do have a hockey player in a state with limited availability. A few of the kids who really love hockey and are making a go of it do online school and get privates on sticks and pucks sessions in the middle of the day. We do power skating lessons at 6 am with the figure skaters, and lessons on sticks and pucks at rinks that are 30+ minutes away at 6 am before school. It's a really hard sport in a nontraditional market.

How is your information helpful in any way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I haven't missed the point and it's been dark after 3PM. Plus, there is a lot of time ice isn't used, still costs money to keep ice. No business justification to build rinks so that 5-6 figure skaters can use a sheet that could be rented to a hockey team for $425/hour. There is a reason that figure skaters get the worst slots.

At MedStar in Arlington, ice slots (70 minutes) are $650 an hour and up.

No they are not. It’s 1:20 and still under $700. You technically get 1:30 but 10 minutes are ice cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I haven't missed the point and it's been dark after 3PM. Plus, there is a lot of time ice isn't used, still costs money to keep ice. No business justification to build rinks so that 5-6 figure skaters can use a sheet that could be rented to a hockey team for $425/hour. There is a reason that figure skaters get the worst slots.

At MedStar in Arlington, ice slots (70 minutes) are $650 an hour and up.

No they are not. It’s 1:20 and still under $700. You technically get 1:30 but 10 minutes are ice cut.

I guess that has changed since the last time I looked at it. Still very expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I haven't missed the point and it's been dark after 3PM. Plus, there is a lot of time ice isn't used, still costs money to keep ice. No business justification to build rinks so that 5-6 figure skaters can use a sheet that could be rented to a hockey team for $425/hour. There is a reason that figure skaters get the worst slots.

At MedStar in Arlington, ice slots (70 minutes) are $650 an hour and up.

No they are not. It’s 1:20 and still under $700. You technically get 1:30 but 10 minutes are ice cut.

I guess that has changed since the last time I looked at it. Still very expensive.

Medstar is like 687.50 for a game slot, so like $455/hour. But you need a lot of skaters to pay for that.

[Anonymous]

I am hoping to revive this old thread. Compared to other cities in the northern half of the U.S., the DMV has a shortage of ice rinks. For those who live in this area, we may think that we have an adequate number, but have you ever traveled to Massachusetts or Minnesota? They have an amazing number of rinks, and also their rinks are much more spacious and available.

It seems like there is a lot of interest in hockey and figure skating in the DMV. Could those groups join forces and attempt to persuade one of the counties to build a rink with 3-4 sheets of ice? (I am aware of the rinks being built at Mount Vernon, which is wonderful.)

(If you are not interested in the sports of hockey or figure skating, please do not respond. This is a great way to keep kids active and off of their phones. So many of us do not consider it to be a waste of money. Also, the skaters pay for each minute of ice time.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am hoping to revive this old thread. Compared to other cities in the northern half of the U.S., the DMV has a shortage of ice rinks. For those who live in this area, we may think that we have an adequate number, but have you ever traveled to Massachusetts or Minnesota? They have an amazing number of rinks, and also their rinks are much more spacious and available.

It seems like there is a lot of interest in hockey and figure skating in the DMV. Could those groups join forces and attempt to persuade one of the counties to build a rink with 3-4 sheets of ice? (I am aware of the rinks being built at Mount Vernon, which is wonderful.)

(If you are not interested in the sports of hockey or figure skating, please do not respond. This is a great way to keep kids active and off of their phones. So many of us do not consider it to be a waste of money. Also, the skaters pay for each minute of ice time.)

You are comparing apples to oranges. The DMV is a mid Atlantic region, HIGLY dense population (Ffx Co has 1.3 million people and I presume the other VA and MD counties are similarly high) and land is at a premium around here.

There are "enough" rinks here b/c other sports facilities are more multi-use and cast a larger net for the population needs.
Ice rinks serve a niche population and winteresque sports are quickly supercedes by warmer weather sports.

You can make the argument for soccer/lax/football/field hockey...any outdoor sports fields.

Same with pickleball, volleyball, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hoping to revive this old thread. Compared to other cities in the northern half of the U.S., the DMV has a shortage of ice rinks. For those who live in this area, we may think that we have an adequate number, but have you ever traveled to Massachusetts or Minnesota? They have an amazing number of rinks, and also their rinks are much more spacious and available.

It seems like there is a lot of interest in hockey and figure skating in the DMV. Could those groups join forces and attempt to persuade one of the counties to build a rink with 3-4 sheets of ice? (I am aware of the rinks being built at Mount Vernon, which is wonderful.)

(If you are not interested in the sports of hockey or figure skating, please do not respond. This is a great way to keep kids active and off of their phones. So many of us do not consider it to be a waste of money. Also, the skaters pay for each minute of ice time.)

You are comparing apples to oranges. The DMV is a mid Atlantic region, HIGLY dense population (Ffx Co has 1.3 million people and I presume the other VA and MD counties are similarly high) and land is at a premium around here.

There are "enough" rinks here b/c other sports facilities are more multi-use and cast a larger net for the population needs.
Ice rinks serve a niche population and winteresque sports are quickly supercedes by warmer weather sports.

You can make the argument for soccer/lax/football/field hockey...any outdoor sports fields.

Same with pickleball, volleyball, etc.

Fair enough. But there is a shortage of sports facilities generally, in the DMV, in my humble opinion. I grew up in a mid-sized city, and we had a ton of sports facilities.

Land may be expensive in a densely-populated area, but the people who live in these densely-populated areas would like to have sports facilities for their kids/teens. (Maybe Arlington can be an example, as I believe that they managed to build a new indoor pool and soccer field near the Pentagon. That seems impressive.) In addition to the shortage of ice rinks, there is a shortage of indoor pools. (And BTW, unlike baseball fields, ice rinks are used 355-360 days per year for 14+ hours per day. And skaters pay for the ice.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't there a rink in downtown Silver Spring too, or did they not open that one this year?

DP here. If you're talking about a tiny outdoor rink, that's a non-starter for anyone other than recreational fun.

it’s not tiny. And they do offer lessons. There is also a huge ice rink ( it’s called the Ice House) in Laurel which is not moco but it’s very close to the line.

Someone is really here trying to defend the status quo, for some reason. DMV people -- we have a shortage of facilities, compared to other cities/regions.

Totally agree. It's ridiculous how hard it is to get ice time.

OP should start a petition and post here and ask hockey parents to sign it. I have long thought CJ could be renovated and expanded. Ice time there is crazy scarce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am hoping to revive this old thread. Compared to other cities in the northern half of the U.S., the DMV has a shortage of ice rinks. For those who live in this area, we may think that we have an adequate number, but have you ever traveled to Massachusetts or Minnesota? They have an amazing number of rinks, and also their rinks are much more spacious and available.

It seems like there is a lot of interest in hockey and figure skating in the DMV. Could those groups join forces and attempt to persuade one of the counties to build a rink with 3-4 sheets of ice? (I am aware of the rinks being built at Mount Vernon, which is wonderful.)

(If you are not interested in the sports of hockey or figure skating, please do not respond. This is a great way to keep kids active and off of their phones. So many of us do not consider it to be a waste of money. Also, the skaters pay for each minute of ice time.)

Never gonna happen

[Anonymous]

There has been a shortage of ice time for decades, which is why so many elite figure skaters choose to homeschool. Don't worry on their behalf. Even if they don’t succeed in skating, many figure skaters from my generation who were homeschooled and this generation who attend online schools still end up at Ivy League and other prestigious universities. Anecdotally, there seems to be a correlation between success in figure skating and success in school, but of course there's still a risk of pulling a Debbie Thomas and having midlife breakdown even after you get an MD.

[Anonymous]

In an area where land is at such a premium, any new spots facilities should be multipurpose. That will provide opportunity to the broadest range of users. If there was land for a new specialty center, it should be a pool. Swimming is a life skill. Ice rinks are a waste of valuable land. Any benefit from a new ice rink pales in comparison to the benefits of a new daycare, new sports fields, new parks, or a new pool. You may feel differently, and I can empathize with that.