Each year in Newcastle they set up an small outdoor ice-rink in town, and I had a go this evening. There's something quite surreal about skating around to music in the open air (and two years ago there was snow coming down as well - great stuff). I learned to skate in my teenage years, and was associated with the figure skating crowd. There was always rivalry (conflict.. war...) between these and the hockey skaters due to the usual gross generalisations 1) hockey skaters are unruly thugs, 2) figure skaters (male) are raving poofters. This all came back to me this evening when I saw 3-4 young skaters cutting backwards and forwards between the shakey and unsteady. All my old skills of avoidance and resistance are still in place (it is 2 years since I last skated [one session] and the best part of 15 years since I skated before that). This meant that small fast-moving charactes were no worry to me, and when one tried the 'direct' approach I saw his intentions and 'set' myself so he found himself bouncing off into the barrier So the question for the rest of the world (via MAP), is this rivalry worldwide? Or is it particular to the UK? Is there anywhere that both groups share the ice in peace - accepting each others styles as equally technical and skillful?
Up here in the Great White North, skating is a way of life. Everyone, except very strange Canadians, skate. I have NEVER found a huge issue between the figure skaters and the hockey players. When it is general ice time, everyone is just out to have a good time, socialize and enjoy the skate.
As a hockey player, I found that I and most of my teammates simply kept away from the figure skaters, it wasn't like any all-out war or anything. Our rink used to leave the middle of the ice for figure skaters and then the outside would be the hockey guys who just wanted to get a few laps in and then the people who couldn't skate would usually stay near the boards (so they had something to balance on). Then again, I don't usually skate outdoors so I don't know what it's like at the local pond, etc.
Yup, the rivalry is there. More in the sense of mocking and what not, but I used to work at a rink and play hockey at night, I can tell you that the general idea from hockey --> figure was they were gay, and the other way around seemed to be the ungraceful brute theory. Personally I don't care for figure skates, toe picks are evil-evil to the core! Each group has their own advantages/disadvantages. Cheers.
My skates have finally given up the ghost (and are going in the bin) - I had to change from my figure skates to 'hire' boots (hockey style) half way through the session, and boy do you miss those toe-rakes when you are used to them and they suddenly are not there. This is why I spent the last half-hour on Sunday impersonating a windmill It certainly sounds a lot more civilized in Chicago. Over here the 'brute' part does not come from the way they behave between themselves, but their delight in causing as many beginners or cautious skaters (regardless of age) to fall over. Techniques include (1) skating up from behind on the blind side, then passing and cutting straight across someone's path, (2) skating head on towards someone and then cutting left/right at the last moment, (3) chasing each other with total disregard for the abilities of anyone else on the ice. This leaves it to the figures skaters to help people back up and try to encourage them (leading to more mocking...) I'm sure they didn't know what to make of me on the ice (there was 2 groups of 2-3 kids using these trick), but I've found a couple of new uses for my MA blocking techniques
