Skating Etiquette    An Open Letter by PJ Kwong

Dear Skaters:

We will start with the premise that figure skating is your passion, and that you have the support of your family and friends.  That said, figure skating can be very frustrating at times.  As if it isn’t hard enough to master all of the skills required, there are all of those little nuances of protocol to be learned as well.  Have no fear; the following simple rules will clarify the skating world for you and your family, making that aspect much easier.

The most important thing to remember is that virtually every face that you see at a competition or test day is volunteering their time for your benefit.  Remember that when you register and hand in your music to the person behind the desk, that along with you, this might be their first time at a competition, and they are just as eager to do their best as you are.  The ice captain, who comes into the dressing room and marshals the skaters to prepare to take the ice for warm-up, may have already been standing for hours in the freezing cold organizing group after group.  The announcers and music people sit for hours in the cold, often without a break, playing the music and announcing names that they may not have seen before, understanding that a mistake takes away from your experience.  The people in hospitality, also skating fans, are responsible for looking after everyone “working” the event, and often don’t even make it out of the kitchen to see any skating. The judges are scheduled to judge event after event, and then are sometimes required to sit out events for a couple of hours or more, until it is their turn to go again.  The trickiest job from my perspective though has to be that of the accountants, often stuck in a (stinky) hockey dressing room, with no windows or view of the skating doing the MATH required to calculate your results…EEEK!

The point is.  You did not get here alone.  Your parents, your coaches and all of the people that have been named are here to try and make skating the best experience it can be for you.  Be pleasant to everyone you meet’ a warm hello and a sincere thank you goes a long way. Regardless of the result, congratulate anyone that may have gotten past you today, and receive graciously their congratulations if the reverse is true.  A kiss for your Mom and/or Dad for getting you there, and continuing to pay the bucks.  A hug for your coach who stood by you and gave you words of encouragement when you got off the ice, even though it looked like (today) you had skated with your guards on.

Most importantly, if the better part of this experience is fraught with tension, upset and unhappiness, then perhaps reassessing your involvement or re-setting your goals is in order, this is, after all, only skating.J

PJ Kwong, creator and author of “Edgework”, International skating announcer, skating coach and Mom, is writing a series of articles for our newsletter and website.  Be sure to check our last month’s issue from our Archives and watch for next month’s article.

Share a wonderfully festive day with us this

December 6th.

Rejoice in gifts galore

at  20% off

and oodles of seasonal cheer for the entire day.

Then, with your shopping all wrapped up,

 revel in the sheer joy of the holiday.

The 20% discount does not apply to skates and blades, or special order items. Discount valid December 6^th only, on in store and online purchases.

Store Hours

For the holidays, we will close at 2:00pm on Christmas Eve, close Christmas day and Boxing Day, open for Saturday Dec. 27 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.  Close at 2:00 pm New Year’s Eve and close New Years Day.

Have a happy and safe holidays, from all of us at

Dress Wright On Ice.

We’d appreciate your input.  Many of you don’t have access to the newsletter online – would you be interested in having the newsletter mailed to you on a monthly basis?  We are proposing an annual subscription of $10.00 (plus GST).

Thanks for calling us toll free 1-877-396-6423 or emailing us at info@dresswright.com, with your feedback

Good Luck, Skate Hard – ‘tll next time!

5484 Tomken Road, Unit 18, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2Z6

905-282-1555

Toll free 1-877-396-6423 info@dresswright.com