Etiquette for Gifts/ Flowers | Golden Skate

Etiquette for Gifts/ Flowers

rain037

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Hi all! The World's will be the first ice show I'll be attending, and I would like to know about rules if I were to throw out gifts onto the ice. Other than flowers, has anyone ever thrown out anything out of the ordinary?

Thanks in advanced! :)
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
So obviously the first thing to know is that you never throw anything until the skater is finished, but I bet you worked that one out already ;)

The number one thing is to make sure it's safe to throw. Wrap it well if necessary. Don't throw anything that might explode (oh dear, a Smarties packet one time...) or stick to the ice (unwrapped flowers) or that will generally break and make life difficult. I would also suggest it not being anything valuable (never seen anything valuable thrown but you never know). Generally, most people stick with flowers or soft toys, though Tim Dolensky was asking for carefully-wrapped Lego sets for a charity he supports at Nationals.

I would also say, keep it fairly appropriate, bearing in mind there'll be kids in the stadium and also your gift might end up on TV. I've heard of ladies throwing Daisuke Takahashi their underwear :eeking:. That's just personal preference, I mean, if you want to throw such items for a certain skater, that's up to you.

I will be bringing three soft items, one for Max, one for Brendan, and one for whichever of our beautiful Australian Queens goes to Worlds. (I had hoped to be bringing more stuff but...don't ask. Long season. Not okay with it.)

Make sure you have a good throwing arm! :laugh:


Last, I'm not quite sure if there are going to be any special rules for this event, or the TD Garden itself, or if security are going to object to people bringing bags of gifts (I hope not!). Most people throw their gifts after the free skate, but if you are throwing for skaters from smaller countries who are less likely to make the free skate, then you might consider throwing it after their short program.

PS: WELCOME TO GOLDENSKATE! Don't be shy, there will be lots of us at the TD Garden! Say hi!
 
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shyne

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 13, 2015
I like to throw stuffed toys. They are easy to carry, less likely to make a mess (I have seen wrapped flowers exploded on ice, and the poor sweepers spend a good 5 min picking up all the flower petals). And I believe many skaters said that they donate the ones they can't take with them to local charities afterwards.

I try to take time and pick ones the skaters may like, or reminded me of them. For the Worlds this year, I got Winnie the Pooh for Yuzu, a pirate in jumpsuits for Javier, a stuffed hamburger for Patrick, a monster doll with purple hair for Adam....so on. My Frida doll, Kumamon and flying pig has to sit on my shelf for another time.
 

cheerknithanson

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Country
United-States
For the only two competitions I've been to, I simply threw hand-knitted gifts onto the ice. If it was a pair of socks or mittens or hats for an ice dance or pairs teams, I would use a hair tie to keep them together. If you want to throw hand-knitted gifts onto the ice, it's better to throw hats, socks, mittens, and gloves onto the ice. Sweaters, blankets, and scarves are a bit too big and will have a harder time getting onto the ice....well maybe if you roll the scarf up like a cinnamon rolls and same with a blanket and use a tie to keep it together (Though with a blanket you'll probably need a lot of ties) that could work, but smaller is better....

And also what I did this year since the hats I made for 7 skaters for Skate America were made of non-machine-washable wool, I had to make tags with a warning and told them how to wash them. So like if you gave them something with special washing instructions, make sure you put it on there so that they'll know.

PS: The more there are together of knitted objects or the smaller and more compact it's balled or folded up, the further it'll go onto the ice. It was a good thing I was in the 1st row because my throw sucks LOL.
 
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cheerknithanson

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Country
United-States
So obviously the first thing to know is that you never throw anything until the skater is finished, but I bet you worked that one out already ;)

The number one thing is to make sure it's safe to throw. Wrap it well if necessary. Don't throw anything that might explode (oh dear, a Smarties packet one time...) or stick to the ice (unwrapped flowers) or that will generally break and make life difficult. I would also suggest it not being anything valuable (never seen anything valuable thrown but you never know). Generally, most people stick with flowers or soft toys, though Tim Dolensky was asking for carefully-wrapped Lego sets for a charity he supports at Nationals.

I would also say, keep it fairly appropriate, bearing in mind there'll be kids in the stadium and also your gift might end up on TV. I've heard of ladies throwing Daisuke Takahashi their underwear :eeking:. That's just personal preference, I mean, if you want to throw such items for a certain skater, that's up to you.

I will be bringing three soft items, one for Max, one for Brendan, and one for whichever of our beautiful Australian Queens goes to Worlds. (I had hoped to be bringing more stuff but...don't ask. Long season. Not okay with it.)

Make sure you have a good throwing arm! :laugh:


Last, I'm not quite sure if there are going to be any special rules for this event, or the TD Garden itself, or if security are going to object to people bringing bags of gifts (I hope not!). Most people throw their gifts after the free skate, but if you are throwing for skaters from smaller countries who are less likely to make the free skate, then you might consider throwing it after their short program.

PS: WELCOME TO GOLDENSKATE! Don't be shy, there will be lots of us at the TD Garden! Say hi!

Speaking of showing gifts on TV, I went and saw the SPs/SDs of the skaters I made hats for that were at Skate America this season to see if I could see any of the hats I made, an I did with Gracie's SP video! Well, it was one of the gift retrievers holding it and it was slightly blurry, but I saw yellow, purple, and magenta blended together and I knew it was the hat I made! :D
 

winky97

Medalist
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
So obviously the first thing to know is that you never throw anything until the skater is finished, but I bet you worked that one out already ;)

The number one thing is to make sure it's safe to throw. Wrap it well if necessary. Don't throw anything that might explode (oh dear, a Smarties packet one time...) or stick to the ice (unwrapped flowers) or that will generally break and make life difficult. I would also suggest it not being anything valuable (never seen anything valuable thrown but you never know). Generally, most people stick with flowers or soft toys, though Tim Dolensky was asking for carefully-wrapped Lego sets for a charity he supports at Nationals.

I would also say, keep it fairly appropriate, bearing in mind there'll be kids in the stadium and also your gift might end up on TV. I've heard of ladies throwing Daisuke Takahashi their underwear :eeking:. That's just personal preference, I mean, if you want to throw such items for a certain skater, that's up to you.

I will be bringing three soft items, one for Max, one for Brendan, and one for whichever of our beautiful Australian Queens goes to Worlds. (I had hoped to be bringing more stuff but...don't ask. Long season. Not okay with it.)

Make sure you have a good throwing arm! :laugh:


Last, I'm not quite sure if there are going to be any special rules for this event, or the TD Garden itself, or if security are going to object to people bringing bags of gifts (I hope not!). Most people throw their gifts after the free skate, but if you are throwing for skaters from smaller countries who are less likely to make the free skate, then you might consider throwing it after their short program.

PS: WELCOME TO GOLDENSKATE! Don't be shy, there will be lots of us at the TD Garden! Say hi!

Underwear!!!! Wow, that's pretty bad. I have never thrown anything on the ice, but I am thinking about getting something to fir a couple of skaters. Most likely Radionova since she is my favorite and some random skater who maybe does not get a lot of stuff thrown to them. Karne maybe I will throw something for whichever of your Australian Queens is sent.

Not to freak you out Karne, but I asked on Worlds Facebook page about the mailing of tickets and got a really vague non answer so I hope yours have shown up. They said that the will email when tickets are mail.
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
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karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
Not to freak you out Karne, but I asked on Worlds Facebook page about the mailing of tickets and got a really vague non answer so I hope yours have shown up. They said that the will email when tickets are mail.

Tammi mentioned on FSU that the printer was affected by the giant snowstorm and that they're looking at a ship date of 1/2. I haven't had any email yet.

An old article related to the topic that may give you some laugh
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703494404575082250954936946

The more you know! I had no idea Nam was a sweeper at Vancouver.

I have not been to any competitions myself, so I don't have any experience. :cry:

But I'd like to throw in that time when at 4CC someone got Gracie a giant teddy bear with a pink backpack and a big pack of Reese's inside. Just an idea. :laugh:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B95IlSqIQAMRGlJ.jpg

This was one of the highlights of 4CCs :laugh:
 

Tammi

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Tammi mentioned on FSU that the printer was affected by the giant snowstorm and that they're looking at a ship date of 1/2. I haven't had any email yet.
Unfortunately yes, the blizzard this past weekend hit the ticket production offices pretty hard and they were shut down for 4 days. They're back on track now and shipping is scheduled to begin next week. I don't have exact days of the week, they're processing more than 80,000 individual tickets, so please give us until the end of the week (2/5/16) before we can give an accurate update on which day particular orders shipped. Thank you :)
 
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jaq

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
I think stuffed animals are always better than flowers. Flowers could explode on impact and get everywhere.

Plus, what is one gonna do with 15 dozen flowers? Skaters donate most stuffed animals to children's hospitals and charities. So, adorable and you can contribute to a good cause! Make not only the skater happy to see your support but also make a child happy.
 

tulosai

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
I think stuffed animals are always better than flowers. Flowers could explode on impact and get everywhere.

Plus, what is one gonna do with 15 dozen flowers? Skaters donate most stuffed animals to children's hospitals and charities. So, adorable and you can contribute to a good cause! Make not only the skater happy to see your support but also make a child happy.

They often donate the flowers to hospitals too :)
 

Tammi

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Anything thrown on the ice should be completely wrapped in plastic or contained in a plastic bag. I know most people don't do that with stuffed animals, but if there's even the smallest chance that something could fall off, please do take the extra step and put it in plastic.
 

cheerknithanson

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Country
United-States
I think stuffed animals are always better than flowers. Flowers could explode on impact and get everywhere.

Plus, what is one gonna do with 15 dozen flowers? Skaters donate most stuffed animals to children's hospitals and charities. So, adorable and you can contribute to a good cause! Make not only the skater happy to see your support but also make a child happy.

Exactly! That's why if I ever get a boyfriend, I'm going to tell him no flowers because they die too quickly and that I have no need for them. I prefer hand-written or typed notes (With signature) because to me it's more personal. If empty handed, I don't care.

I know this is skating and not dating, but I'm just saying a point. As I don't understand what's nice about giving someone flowers, I mean I get it's supposed to be a nice gesture, but I don't see in it. And plus there are better ways to show appreciation and politeness than flowers in my opinion.
 

rain037

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Exactly! That's why if I ever get a boyfriend, I'm going to tell him no flowers because they die too quickly and that I have no need for them. I prefer hand-written or typed notes (With signature) because to me it's more personal. If empty handed, I don't care.

I know this is skating and not dating, but I'm just saying a point. As I don't understand what's nice about giving someone flowers, I mean I get it's supposed to be a nice gesture, but I don't see in it. And plus there are better ways to show appreciation and politeness than flowers in my opinion.

Ahaha, I always joke that if someone is ever going to give me a plant, they'd better give me a cactus. I love flowers, but I don't trust myself to tend them.

And I was actually contemplating writing letters for my favourites :) Not sure how well I can throw the envelopes on ice though...

Here's another question then, would you include your own address in the letter, in the slightest hopes they would reply?
 

hamster428

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Ahaha, I always joke that if someone is ever going to give me a plant, they'd better give me a cactus. I love flowers, but I don't trust myself to tend them.

And I was actually contemplating writing letters for my favourites :) Not sure how well I can throw the envelopes on ice though...

Here's another question then, would you include your own address in the letter, in the slightest hopes they would reply?

My brother wrote to Michelle Kwan when we little asking for an autograph for my bday and she replied back with an autographed photo that says "Happy Bday Hamster's real name" to me. So yeah, I'm sure they're too busy to write paragraphs, but a one liner is very possible!
 

Carolla5501

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 31, 2014
Ahaha, I always joke that if someone is ever going to give me a plant, they'd better give me a cactus. I love flowers, but I don't trust myself to tend them.

And I was actually contemplating writing letters for my favourites :) Not sure how well I can throw the envelopes on ice though...

Here's another question then, would you include your own address in the letter, in the slightest hopes they would reply?

Letters should be in BRIGHTLY colored envelopes or attached to something big. White letter/white Ice! :noshake:

Really it helps if everything is bright.

And even is a vendor is giving away freebies you don't have to take them and throw them. (I don't think they even get to the skaters, I think they get recycled...)
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Exactly! That's why if I ever get a boyfriend, I'm going to tell him no flowers because they die too quickly and that I have no need for them. I prefer hand-written or typed notes (With signature) because to me it's more personal. If empty handed, I don't care.

I know this is skating and not dating, but I'm just saying a point. As I don't understand what's nice about giving someone flowers, I mean I get it's supposed to be a nice gesture, but I don't see in it. And plus there are better ways to show appreciation and politeness than flowers in my opinion.

I bet you have hundreds of young men lined up!!!! :)
I can tell you from my spies planted deep within the skating world that unless it is a personal item, like an envelope, most skaters just give the garden variety stuffed animals and flowers to the local charities....kids hospitals, police depts, etc. The very expensive large stuffed animals, well, you would have to pry those from some of the skaters with a crowbar! Man have I got the pics of those.....some of those life sized dogs were bigger than the novice ladies who pick them up.
If I wanted to show appreciation and get my item noticed, I would put it in a nice big colored envelope with a nice ribbon inside of a zip lock bag. At nats this year, they started out requiring zip lock bags (always a good idea) and then when Smuckers shows up with hundreds of "strawberries" to throw onto the ice, things go down the tubes. A local CBS affiliate was filming a segment on the sweepers and they gave us a bunch of toys and coached us when to throw them, sans bags...I put up a bit of a fight cause I didnt want to be the one that through a toy that lost something that could trip a skater, but the news crew got special permission for us to throw the toys and bring out the maximum number of sweepers for the story....
(My wife also doesnt like flowers unless they are live and potted)
Check out this little lady pairs skater...she is NOT going to give up that toy!
http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/C...ro 2015/bear_zps10043149.jpg.html?sort=3&o=35
 
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