Free ice time??
- Thread starter Quelita
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- Jan 9, 2017
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No. Figure skating is expensive sport and the only way someone *might* be able to get some discounted or free ice time is to work at rink, but that's not a guarantee.
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- Aug 19, 2015
When I worked at my rink prior to moving, I got free public skate, and because I would house sit for my boss, he also threw in free freestyle sessions. I probably saved $100 a week on ice because of that, but not all rinks are like that. I think the one I'm at now, if you work/coach there you get free public and free freestyle, the one I coach at I get free ice time, too, but it's such a drive to get there that I rarely use it for more than coaching. For the record, this is in Florida. I can't speak to other rinks. But generally to get potential free ice you have to be an employee at the rink.
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Do you mean free in terms of cost, or free in that it's freestyle ice?
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Was just giving my experience with it. 
My old rink also held club ice, which was "free" to skate on if you were a member of the club, but the cost of it came from your rink dues, so technically not free, it would just sound like it was. But it was always at very very weird times so they stopped doing it because they couldn't get enough members to commit to showing up.
My old rink also held club ice, which was "free" to skate on if you were a member of the club, but the cost of it came from your rink dues, so technically not free, it would just sound like it was. But it was always at very very weird times so they stopped doing it because they couldn't get enough members to commit to showing up.
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- Dec 24, 2014
I don't know about those areas. But in Boston the public sessions at the state funded rinks (only open in winter)are free. If you went during school hours there would odten be no one there. I'm not sure if that's common in other areas. Tons of rinks in that area and even the year round rinks were only $5 for public sessions which were often empty. As for freestyle ice, I've never heard of anything free. At my current rink, I believe if you work there you can skate public sessions for free but not freestyles.
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- Feb 16, 2010
The only way to get free ice time where am, is to be employed at the rink. The volunteers do not even get free ice time. I get free of any kind of session, but freestyles and drop-in hockey are limited to the number of days worked each week (but don't have to be on the same days). Publics don't really have a limit (in policy they do, but I have never seen it enforced except for a couple people who were basically abusing the system). The only reason I applied for a job at the rink, was to be able to afford skating.
Yes! It's not just in Boston, Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation operates seasonal rinks around Massachusetts that have public ice for free. But wait... it's may not be truly free, because it comes out of our tax money!
I'm in Canada, not the US, which was the focus of the OP's question...but at community center rinks in my area, there is free ice time during the less desirable hours; prior to 7am and from noon-2pm. It's open to the public, but once I managed to drag myself out of bed to get to the rink for 6am and it was pretty empty.
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No.
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- Aug 19, 2015
I'm 99% sure that as an adult skater, there are no sponsors for adults. If there are, they are VERY rare.
Basically, you're going to have to pay for ice, nothing is free.
Basically, you're going to have to pay for ice, nothing is free.
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- Nov 13, 2012
If the employee lets you skate for free when they are supposed to be charging, then they are stealing from the company (along with you). I have never heard of free ice unless you live where a lake is frozen or it is owned by a city and/or it is a special day/occasion. Someone has to pay employees, insurance, equipment, toilet paper, etc. Club sessions are paid by memberships. I've heard of sponsors/donars buying time for a skate team or athlete going to nationals/olympics. But not for regular skaters.
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- Dec 21, 2014
This doesn’t exist. The only free ice I’ve ever seen is an outdoor pop up rink in a park in my hometown (Michigan) that they put up when it drops below freezing. The ice is not cared for and it’s 1/4 the size of a regular rink.
As for sponsors- no. The only discounted ice you are going to find is public sessions subsidized by a parks and recreation department and those are few and far between.
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- Aug 30, 2017
Just like sometimes when you have a very close friend at a store they'll sometimes treat you to something, there have been times where the staff running at one ice-rink at my city have just let me in for free to the public session after a class. That doesn't mean they store offers products for free or the rink offers ice time for free.
There are two temporary (just for the winter) ice rinks at my city that are free in the winter. But they don't care for the ice and they're maybe slightly bigger than my kitchen. I wouldn't destroy my blades there
There are two temporary (just for the winter) ice rinks at my city that are free in the winter. But they don't care for the ice and they're maybe slightly bigger than my kitchen. I wouldn't destroy my blades there
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- Jan 20, 2017
Nothing is free in this world. You have to have money if you want to skate. Unless your mother owns the ice rink.
Our rink's employees do get free public and freestyle sessions. Our volunteers do not. So we do have a few freestyle skaters that work as rink guards and at the cash register in order to have free ice time. The rest of us adults have outside jobs that pay for skating. I make way more money at my outside job than I would working at the ice rink. The kids who work at the ice rink are all 16-20 years old and haven't started college yet or currently in college, which is why working at the ice rink is better than having an outside job in their situation. Once they graduate college, they go and get real jobs, which pays for ice time.
Our public sessions are extremely cheap: $30/month for unlimited public sessions. The trick is being able to go to a lot of the sessions since many of them are scheduled during my work hours, so I can't go. Freestyle sessions are a lot more expensive, but they're more likely to be scheduled outside of work hours.
Our rink's employees do get free public and freestyle sessions. Our volunteers do not. So we do have a few freestyle skaters that work as rink guards and at the cash register in order to have free ice time. The rest of us adults have outside jobs that pay for skating. I make way more money at my outside job than I would working at the ice rink. The kids who work at the ice rink are all 16-20 years old and haven't started college yet or currently in college, which is why working at the ice rink is better than having an outside job in their situation. Once they graduate college, they go and get real jobs, which pays for ice time.
Our public sessions are extremely cheap: $30/month for unlimited public sessions. The trick is being able to go to a lot of the sessions since many of them are scheduled during my work hours, so I can't go. Freestyle sessions are a lot more expensive, but they're more likely to be scheduled outside of work hours.
I take artistic roller skating lessons and my practice was free my first day of class. I guess after my classes they will always be free. The costs of that sport are very different, a lot less expensive. If I had a class on Fridays or another day it could be free too. I was wondering if the Cains settled free ice time with some sponsors?? Are they also olympic coaches?
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- Sep 11, 2018
Well, that will depend on the program/rink policy. I take class lessons at my local rink, and they give us free public skate right after the class. Any other access to the ice (i.e. other days or times), we have to pay for.
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