A new season begins! Group lessons and hockey began Tuesday night at the Ice Chalet, though freestyles have been in full swing for a couple of weeks. As is typical, the rink was brimming with excited children sporting figure skating dresses or impossibly big shoulder pads and hockey pants. Every year the staff manages to herocially impose order on this chaos. Despite the economy, it seemed as if there were more kids than usual and the parents and assorted on-lookers were in good spirits. 

Our rink isn't fancy and its floor is not painted white. This means that at the start of each season the ice is transparent, almost dark with the concrete showing through, which creates the impression of skating on glass. Its great for figure skaters because you can really see your tracings. Gradually, the tracings begin to merge together and as the ice is cut and made the surface grows oblique. Its a cool process and totally unique to older rinks.