SKATING EDGE ICE ARENA

Technical Score: Level 2 -1 GOE for bowl-effect in some areas of the ice
Presentation Score: Level 3 +3 GOE for retro fun and cool music

Unless you live in the South Bay, the Skating Edge Ice Arena is a bit off the beaten path. Not that I'm complaining! My session at Skating Edge was a Saturday evening well spent.

Skating Edge was built in 1960 and retains a lot of its period charm (in a very, very good way!). Midcentury Modern aficionados will especially be enchanted by its main entrance and the one-time fire pit that is just inside (and personally, I think it should be used as a fire pit once again instead of hosting some display promoting the Kings).

The inside of the rink is old but well-maintained and rather cozy. There is a LOT of spectator seating on both sides of the ice, making it a nice place for competitions (or hockey games, 'natch). Old heaters run the length of the stands, but they were not on. A posted sign said the heaters will remain off, because they produce too much carbon monoxide. Yikes! The rink wasn't terribly cold, so lack of usable heaters wasn't too much of a problem.

The pro shop was closed when I was there but appeared to be quite large (it has its own website...keep reading), and there is a nice snack bar with a sizable menu, including Polish dogs, whatever those are, soup and ravioli, and my personal favourite, Vitamin Water.

After lacing up, I stroked around to warm up and was a bit disappointed. The ice right around the ice entrance seemed a bit "soapy" (for lack of a better term -- I've never quite experienced a texture like this). As I made my way around the ice, the texture improved, although I noticed a bit of bowl-like sloping at either end. The middle was fine though, so I spent most of my time there. Fortunately, the rink wasn't terribly crowded at this point, although it picked up as I was leaving.

The music was great! I think the PA was set to some radio station, but whoever selected it has good taste. Smashing Pumpkins, U2, and Leonard Cohen were on the playlist -- ROCK!!

Here's something new and different -- Skating Edge has a restaurant at one end of the rink. It's called Pokey's Grill and looked very inviting. A couple of skating moms were relaxing in there while their daughters practiced. Looks like a neat place to eat and socialize!

Skating Edge has a gym and a ballet room, neither of which I actually saw, but signage said they were there.

The guy working the box office on this particularly evening was multitasking, manning the snack bar as well, but he was really, really nice. I needed a bag of ice at one point, and the guy bagged it so it wouldn't leak, which I thought was very conscientious.

About 45 minutes before the session's scheduled end, a birthday party emptied out of the party room and onto the ice. The revelers were doing a skating conga line type of thing. Normally, this kind of activity has me racing for safety, because the people in the line are more concerned with plowing over the ice at breakneck speed with no regard for others' safety or their own, but this group was very nice and kept their conga line to the perimeter of the ice. I'm sure I wasn't the only skater out there who appreciated that.

I really liked Skating Edge and plan to go back. For a Saturday night, the place wasn't crowded at all, and the atmosphere has a lot of good energy. Gotta love it!

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