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   DANCE  SESSION:  A  period  of  time  in which only ice dancing may be
   practiced.  This  includes  isolated  moves or entire patterns. When a
   particular dance is playing, those skaters doing that pattern have the
   right  of  way -- because these are primarily compulsory dances, there
   may  be  any  number  of skaters, either singly or in pairs, doing the
   pattern at the same time.

   OPEN  SESSION:  A  period  of time in which any type of FIGURE skating
   (this  usually  means  Freestyle  or  dance) may be practiced (but not
   hockey or speed skating). Again, the person whose music is playing has
   right of way.

   PUBLIC  SESSION or RECREATIONAL SESSION: A session in which freestyle,
   dance,  hockey,  or speed skating may be practiced -- provided you can
   find  the  space  to do it -- in which the number of people allowed on
   the  ice  at  any  one  time may be quite high. Only in very uncrowded
   public  sessions can skaters expect to be able to skate their programs
   or  their  dances,  and  owing  to the very different skill levels and
   skating types represented, they must expect to have to abort a pattern
   or program at any moment to avoid collision.

   PATCH SESSION is the same as FIGURE SESSION. It is a period of time on
   the ice when the only skating allowed is practice on "school figures".
   Each  skater  is  assigned  a  "patch" of space on the ice and may not
   stray  outside  its boundaries. Because figures are no longer required
   in  competition,  most  rinks  and  clubs  do not offer them any more.
   Skaters  wishing  to  practice figures must look for uncrowded regular
   sessions.

   In all sessions but patch sessions, skaters share the ice equally, and
   all  must  watch  out for the others. Some general rules of conduct in
   the  non-public sessions (in addition to "the skater whose music it is
   has  right  of  way")  include:  Better  skaters need to watch out for
   slower skaters; skaters taking a lesson have right of way over skaters
   practicing  on their own; skaters engaged in a pattern (dance pattern,
   or  Moves  in  the  Field)  have  right of way over skaters practicing
   isolated moves.

   All  rinks  have their own "cultures", so what escapes without comment
   in one place may be regarded as bizarre in another. Ask.

  1.20 How do you make an outdoor rink?

   1)  Select  a flat area which is as sheltered as much as possible from
   both  sun and wind. Building ice over a nice lawn will make not such a
   nice  lawn,  so  it's best to pick an area that you don't mind turning
   yellow (more than usual) for the first part of the spring.

   2)  Construct  a  border of wood, such as 2x4 lumber, or use mounds of
   earth  or  snow  to  form a barrier and contain the water. Flatten and
   compact  the  snow in the rink area. Make sure you leave room for snow
   to be shoveled off the rink later on.

   3)  Sprinkle  water around the barrier first so that it becomes frozen
   solid.  Do  *not*  flood.  The main idea is to create an "ice bathtub"
   where you can pour water without it running away from you.

   4)  Then  sprinkle  water on the snow on the rink. An oscillating lawn
   sprinkler  works  great and will save your hands from freezing! Put on
   just enough to make a slush -- this is an important step. If you don't
   use  enough water then you just get ice on top of snow. If you use too
   much water the snow will melt and run off.

   5)  Once  your base has been created, water it well on cold nights and
   allow  it  to  freeze  between waterings. Continue until you've got an
   inch  or  two  of  flat,  solid  ice. Air pockets should be broken and
   filled with "slush" to patch them (avoids broken ankles).

   6)  After the rink has been skated on and the skaters have caused snow
   to form, scrape off the snow before adding any more water.

  1.21 Why does my music sound terrible in the ice rink?

   (Based on contributions by William Letendre and Lyle Walsh)
   Whether  you  are  cutting  your  own  music for a competition or test
   program  or  just  want  to  have some of your favourite music to play
   while skating, you may be surprised and disappointed by the difference
   in sound quality when you hear the music on the rink system.

   The  main  problem  with  sound  quality  is  caused  by reverberation
   (multiple echo). In a typical Olympic sized rink, it takes sound about
   0.2  seconds  to travel the length of the rink. If the rink has plenty
   of sound damping insulation on the walls, the sound can be reflected a
   couple  of  times  before it gets absorbed into inaudibility. In rinks
   with  bare  concrete or steel walls, the sound can be reflected around
   10  times.  This  results  in  a  reverberation time between 0.4 and 4
   seconds.  It  is  easy  to  see why a long reverberation time leads to
   problems  in reproducing music. Most music at any tempo fast enough to
   skate  to has beats and sub-beats at much closer spacing than a second
   or  two;  "allegro"  tempo  is  generally played at a rate of anywhere
   between  4  and  10  beats  per second! Music at that fast a beat will
   become  "mush" when played in a "live" rink, with the notes so blurred
   together as to be indistinguishable.

   As  it  happens,  the  typical materials used in building construction
   absorb  treble  notes  much  more effectively than they do bass notes.
   This  means  that  the  effective reverberation time for, say, a flute
   piece  will  be  much shorter than that for a bassoon piece. This is a
   lot  of  the  reason  that  you  want to avoid "bass heavy" music when
   playing  in  a  large,  echoic  space  such as an ice rink. The higher
   pitched notes will damp more quickly and sound more distinct.

   Finally,  if  you  are  lucky  enough  to  skate  in  a rink with good
   acoustics,  then  you  get  hit from the other direction; short reverb
   times  imply  high  acoustic  loss, which means you need more acoustic
   power  to  produce  loud  sound.  In  fact,  the  high levels of power
   required  can  easily  defeat  the  output  power  capacity of battery
   powered  "boom  boxes", forcing you to turn the volume up to the onset
   of audible distortion and beyond!

   While  you cannot do much about the ice rink acoustics, it is possible
   to  edit  your  music to work around the limitations of the rink music
   system. This can be done easily with music editing software like Sound
   Forge, Goldwave or Audacity. Here are some tips:

   1)  Turn  off the Bass Boost on the playback system, most are terrible
   and will muddy up even the best recordings.

   2)  Use  some form of dynamic compression, eg wave hammer, so that the
   softest  parts  are no less than -15 to -20 dB and normalize all music
   to peak value of 0 dB.

   3) Add "air" i.e. boost the top frequencies above 15 kHz by 3 dB.

   4) If there is a lot of difference between the right and left channels
   then  mix  it  in  MONO as stereo is often lost and you can completely
   lose the vocal or melody line.

   6)  Avoid  cheap  "pop" recordings, as their engineering is absolutely
   terrible.

   7)  If  you  record on tape for your program keep a virgin competition
   tape and watch your recording levels so that you don't go over +3dB.

  1.22 How do I find a suitable private instructor?

   1. If you have never had any skating lessons before, consider starting
   off  with  some  group  lessons  (inquire  in nearby rinks). The group
   lessons will introduce you to potential instructors and the structured
   setting  may  help  you  define  your goals more clearly. This will be
   useful when setting off for private instruction.

   2.  To  select  a  coach  for  private  lessons,  start  by  making  a
   comprehensive  list of choices. You can ask about available coaches at
   your club/ice-rinks or skating acquaintances.

   3. If possible, observe the prospective coach teaching students. Watch
   how  they  interact during the lesson. Would you want them to interact
   with you in that style?

   3. Talk to students or their parents and find out what they like/don't
   like  about the coach. Do not ask vague, subjective questions like "is
   Coach X nice?". Instead, try to find out:
     * Is the coach punctual
     * Is she/he organized and professional?
     * Is  the  coach  experienced  and  enjoys  teaching  students  of a
       comparable  age/ability  level to you or your child? (some coaches
       may  be  excellent  with  beginners but not have the experience to
       teach  top  level students, other prefer teaching fast progressing
       kids and may pay less attention to less advanced students, etc.)

   4. Arrange an interview with the coach. Here are some of the questions
   to ask when you interview a coach:
     * What are the highest tests she/he has passed?
     * Are  they  affiliated  with  a  recognized skating association? If
       relevant, what is their PSA rating in the various disciplines?
     * Ask  them to provide you with names of other skaters they are/have
       been coaching.
     * Discuss fees. Ask about their billing mode and lesson cancellation
       policy.

   5. Don't be afraid to take a trial lesson (at your expense) with a few
   different coaches. You will quickly know who you click with.

   6. Don't make a hasty decision and plan to give a coach a month or two
   before  making a more permanent commitment. Sometimes it takes a while
   to get the communication flowing well.

    1.22.1 What are the guidelines to deal with coaches?

   1.  Do  not  become  close friends with your or your child's coach and
   don't  hire  a  coach  who  is  your  friend.  If  you  are in a close
   relationship  with your or you child's coach it becomes very difficult
   to  switch  coaches  or  sometimes even talk honestly with them. It is
   advisable  not  to allow your child to spend time with the coach alone
   outside  scheduled  practice.  If  you  find the relationship with the
   coach is becoming too intimate, consider a change in coaching.

   2.  Be  respectful  to  your  coach.  Be punctual for your lessons and
   always  pay  on  time. If you might need to cancel a scheduled lesson,
   let your coach as soon as possible.

   3. If you decide to take lessons from someone else, it is advisable to
   tell  your  coach  upfront, even if the extra lessons will not involve
   changes  in  your  regular schedule with your coach. While having more
   than one coach is rather common and most coaches will be accommodating
   (some   will  even  encourage  you  and  give  advice  on  a  suitable
   alternative  coach  to  work  with), coaches are also human and it may
   upset them to find out from a third party.

      1.22.1.1 Should I tip my instructor?

   There  are  no  well defined rules on tipping your coach. A few people
   tip  their  coaches  on  a regular basis, many do not. You can express
   your  appreciation  in  a  perfectly appropriate manner by giving your
   coach  a  small  present on their birthday or for Christmas. Ideas for
   presents   include   (but  are  not  limited  to)  gift  certificates,
   subscriptions  to  skating magazines, tickets for a coming ice show, a
   bottle of fine wine, etc.

      1.22.1.2 What are the rules for taking a coach to competitions?

   If  you  want  your coach to put you on the ice or instruct you during
   local  competition  practices,  make  sure  to discuss in advance your
   requirements and ask how much you will be charged (some coaches charge
   the  same  rate as for normal lessons, others charge a lump sum or may
   demand reimbursement for the travel.

   If  the  competition  is  far  away enough that it requires flying and
   overnight  stays, the sums involved can be rather considerable and you
   may  have to set some parameters for the coach. For example, commit to
   pay  for  the  lowest  available  30-day advance air fare (so that the
   coach  bears  the  extra  cost  if  they  book  late  or select a more
   expensive  fare),  so many nights of hotel, per diem, competition fee,
   car  rental  (depending  on  how  far  the  hotel is from the rink and
   whether   there  is  alternative  transport  available),  etc.  It  is
   advisable   to   put   all   this   in  writing  to  avoid  accidental
   misunderstandings.

  1.23 Is there a painless way to leave my coach?

   There are many reasons why you may want to leave your coach. Sometimes
   it  boils  down  to a clash of personalities or styles, sometimes your
   skating  "overgrows" your coach or perhaps you feel that your progress
   has  stagnated  and  you  want  to  experience an alternative training
   approach.  Sometimes  it  is  a  change in your personal circumstances
   (loss of a job, shift in commitments). The latter case is probably the
   easier to handle with your coach, because there is nothing personal at
   stake.  In  the  other cases, breaking the news to your coach can be a
   difficult experience.

   Fortunately,  coaches are used to students changing and usually handle
   it  well. In some cases, where the professional relationship has truly
   gone  stale  you coach may actually experience relief that you had the
   guts  to  end it! The most important thing is to be honest but tactful
   with  them.  This  can  feel  particularly difficult if the reason for
   leaving  is  that  you  want  to work with another coach. In any case,
   don't  tell  them  that  their  coaching  is  all  wrong  and they are
   unpleasant  to  work  with,  but  rather  something like, "I feel like
   lately  I have not been progressing at the rate I think I could, and I
   want  to  try  a new approach with Coach X." Of course, both the exact
   form  and  the  content of the message depends on the circumstances of
   your  change.  The  important  thing  is  to not belittle your coach's
   abilities.
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