The Great Skate Project

Great Skate #42 took place on February 20, 2017 at Regent Park . It was a holiday Monday, and I had spent the previous days north of the city, where there was two feet of snow on the ground. But in Toronto, the streets were snow-free and the sky was a brilliant blue. The Regent Park rink was renovated a few years ago as part of the neighbourhood's redevelopment, which converted sub-standard social housing into a mixed-income community that includes recreation and cultural amenities. The rink itself is a basic hamster-cage hockey pad, next to a spacious and well-equipped rink house. Despite the sun and mild temperatures, the ice was in good shape. I was one of a handful of skaters, who also included a father and son doing hockey drills at one end of the rink, and a few fellows doing steady laps like me. Alongside the rink is a soccer field, and a game was underway while we skated. Beyond that, kids were shooting hoops on the basketball court. There was a definite sense that th...

After the thrill (and cost) of skating in New York City, it was interesting to skate in Toronto again and notice the differences. On January 29, I went to the rink in Trinity-Bellwoods Park in the west end with my oldest niece, who is now Ten. It was a long streetcar ride to get there, and then a fair hike from the park entrance to the rink. The rink itself is the basic standard for rinks in this city: a single ice pad, surrounded by "hamster cage" fencing, with some benches near the rink. A short walk away is the changeroom/staff office, which has washrooms. No special amenities, no music, no frills. But also, no admission fee. Child's mandatory skating helmet, Roots trackpants, Maple Leafs ad and (out of frame) Tim Horton's ads too... yep, the Great Skate Project is back home. While it's basic, the Trinity-Bellwood had everything we needed for a good afternoon of skating. There were a dozen or so skaters with us on the ice. Some were proficient skaters...

The rink at Bryant Park doesn't have the same "I saw it in the movies" cachet as the rinks at Central Park and Rockefeller Center , but it is pretty spectacular. The rink is the centrepiece of Bryant Park's Bank of America Winter Village . Chalk up a point in favour of corporate sponsorships: admission to this rink is free. (I did pay for a lock to secure my locker though.) The amenities include a spacious changeroom, a snack bar and skate rentals. Also, a platoon of penguins and snowmen that unsteady skaters can use to keep their balance. There were lots of good things about this Great Skate, but here's what I got excited about: the skating direction was clockwise. Skating clockwise is a very rare thing on public ice rinks. I asked one of the staff members if they always skated clockwise. He said that the skating direction was counter-clockwise in the mornings, and clockwise in the afternoons. So sensible. On a Friday afternoon, the rink was busy but...

Along with Central Park, the rink at Rockefeller Center is what everyone thinks about when you say "I went skating in New York City." But I did not skate at Rockefeller Center. Why? Because the Rockefeller skating rink admission fee is $25 U.S. (And that's the cheaper, off-season rate. It goes up to $32 during most of December.) I discovered that there is a limit on what I am willing to pay for a Great Skate experience. Photos were free, however.

When I had the opportunity to come to New York for a conference this week, I was very excited to be able to take my Great Skate Project international. I researched the rink options, circled them on my map, and made room in my luggage for my skates. Skating in Central Park was high on my list. I didn't realize at first that there are actually two rinks in Central Park: the Wollman Rink and the Lasker Rink . Wollman was closer to my hotel, so I headed there in the evening of January 11. (And I only got a little bit lost on the way.) Unsurprisingly, skating in New York City is a more commercial enterprise than in Toronto. The Wollman Rink admission fee (in U.S. dollars) is $12 from Monday to Thursday, and $19 from Friday to Sunday. (It's cheaper for children). A locker rental is $5 with a $6 refundable deposit, and you can rent skates for $9. A snack bar sells everything from sandwiches to cotton candy. I think it's worth it. How often do you get to feel like you'...

Another January, another year for the Great Skate Project. Since 2012, I have set myself a goal each January: to skate at a different outdoor rink each week, inviting friends and family to join me. I'm heading into Year 6 now, and still have a long way to go to cross all the Toronto rinks off my list. Yesterday I launched Great Skate 2017 at the Wallace Emerson Park rink , on Dufferin just north of Bloor. It's a double rink, separating the shinny players from the more leisurely skaters. The non-shinny rink is shaped like a comma and unfenced, a nice change from the typical hamster cage rink design. There's an indoor change room and lots of benches around the rink. I often feel like the Zambonis wait until I show up to start cleaning the ice. Yesterday, I wished that was the case. The mild weather meant the ice was very soft and it hadn't been cleaned in a while. Since my skates badly need sharpening, the combined effect was rough and slow. Probably just as well b...