LLOYD CENTER ICE

Technical Score: Level 1 -2 GOE for puddles
Presentation Score: Level 2 -1 GOE for poor locker placement and ill-stocked "pro shop"

Whilst in Portland, Oregon, for Convergence, a group of us headed over to Lloyd Center Ice for annual Goths on Ice slippery fun. I wasn't sure what exactly to expect, but I certainly expected better than this!

The ice rink is in the middle of a big shopping mall -- a nouvelle experience for me, to be sure. I knew this going in and thought it might be funny. And it was, to an extent. What wasn't funny was people stopping at the boards to talk to non-skating shopper friends. Bizarre...

Our group arrived and had to hunt for the lockers. These were downstairs near the restrooms. I thought it was odd that the lockers and restrooms were so far from the ice surface.

I was also unimpressed with the "pro shop." I may have been there right before a big shipment came in, but the selection was very limited and completely geared to very young girls. I saw no guards or soakers on sale, none of the gloves in stock would have fit anyone over the age of 13, and to my chagrin, the store did not stock legwarmers. Feeling disappointed and self-conscious about my black tights with white skates, I headed on out to the ice, determined to have a good skate.

The best part of the session was the bustle gown and corset (with hockey skates!) that one of my friends was wearing. Everything else was a bit maddening. The ice was horrifically inconsistent. Half of the ice was fine, but the other half caught sunlight from the skylights high overhead, and the rink's cooling system was not sufficient to keep the ice frozen on that end. As a result, there were large puddles. I fell in one of them, and it was like falling into a very large birdbath. I think there was even a slight splash! It was awful. Even on my very worst days, I have never come off the ice as soaked as I did this day at Lloyd Center Ice.

There was an ice cut about an hour into the session, and I was very grateful for that, but the Zamboni didn't help the puddles any. *sigh*

Soon after the ice cut, we all became agitated over the poor ice quality and decided to pack it in and head for the food court. Our table overlooked the ice, and we got to watch people do the hokey-pokey.

Skating in the middle of a mall was an interesting experience, and I'm glad I did it. I just wouldn't do it again...at least not at Lloyd Center Ice.

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