Skating lessons

Beginning Dec 3, by Mayssan Shuja. SIGN UP NOW.

There are classes on Friday afternoons from 3.15 to 6 p.m. and all Saturday mornings from 9.15 a.m.to 1 p.m. The skating sessions will last 45 minutes and will consist of three 15 minute segments: warm up, instructional, and practice and games. Classes are small - 6 children and two instructors for pre-beginners, and 8 children and 3 instructors for beginners/intermediate. There is one class specifically for adult learners on Friday, and Mayssan is willing to add other times.

To register: call Mayssan at 416-535-0214 - then press 2. Or email mayssan@ducttapedesigns.com.

Read a detailed summary below, or read details on the skating lessons page.

Public Skating

Click here for the detailed rink schedule.

Season

The 2004-2005 winter rink season is from November 27, 2004 to March 20, 2005. There are two skating pads: one is always for pleasure skating, (until 9:00pm, then shared with shinny), the other is always for hockey (except Sunday 10am-6pm for pleasure skating only).

 

Hours of clubhouse operation

Rink clubhouse (food, washrooms, and change area):
Monday to Saturday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sundays: 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.

 

Permits

Seasonal permits

On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays there are seasonal permits booked, but only after the rink house closes at 9 p.m..

One-off permits

There are also one-off permits available (for $67, or free for youth) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 to 11, on Fridays from 9 to 10, and 10 to 11, and on Saturdays after 9. Call the park at 416 392-0913 to get your name in.

Shinny hockey

Same hours as the rink clubhouse except Sundays. There is a (strictly enforced) age schedule. (If you ever see the wrong age group on the shinny ice, do us a favour and notify the rink staff right away.)

On Tuesdays from 9 to 10 there is open women's shinny (free). Sundays from 6-7pm there is the family shinny seasonal permit, and on Sundays from 7 to 8.30, Lawrence Barichello will once again offer his "learn to play shinny hockey" program for adults (see below). Registration for this is the Sunday before the rink opens, Nov.21, from 7 to 8.30 p.m.. For more information about this see below or call the rink at 416 392-0913.

Pleasure-skating

Always freely available. After 9 p.m., skating is unsupervised. Then it's like skating on a pond: shinny hockey and pleasure-skating are sometimes happening at the same time and people use the rink on their own responsibility.

The large rink lights turn off after 11 p.m., and then the rink is locked. The rink is unlocked at 8 a.m., and the rink house opens again at 9 p.m., seven days a week.

Parking: the best place to park is east of the rink on Dufferin Park Avenue (at the north boundary of the park). You have to walk west a short distance along the pedestrian walkway at the north side of the rink. Or you can park at the Dufferin Mall across the street.

Rink Rules

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." That's how the saying goes, but at our rink there is a by-law against swearing, and another one against making threats. Here are some of the other rules: lounging around in the rink house corners trying to look like a gangster, isn't allowed, and neither is lengthy public kissing or hugging with one's sweetheart. People are not allowed to get into a fight, and they can't urge other people to fight each other either, no matter how "Canadian" that kind of approach is in hockey. People can't use the front entryway as a place to cluster with their friends and make loud jokes or say rude things to each other. On the ice, people can't smoke (anything), or play bumper cars with the learn-to-skate chairs, or skate under the lift gate when it's being raised for the zamboni (it can fall down if it's unsecured, and squash a person). Groups can't play chasing games on the pleasure-skating rink unless the rink has no other skaters at all, and older shinny hockey players are not allowed to play hockey during the younger kids' shinny time. Above all, nobody can tell a staff person to get lost if they ask them to follow the rules.

The penalties are: for breaking one of the rules, one or two warnings, then out for the day. For refusing a staff request: out for the day right away, no warnings. For refusing a request to leave for the day: out for many days, until the person books an interview with Tino DeCastro, our area parks supervisor. If they miss the interview: out for the season. In some cases of rule-breaking, the bad guy/gal may be asked to work some community hours (picking litter or washing dishes or shovelling snow) to get back into the staff's good graces.

And if a rink user has been banned and then comes back after the ban is over, the rule is: no hard feelings. The returning rink user starts again with a clean slate. Over the years, there have been many people who got in trouble at the rink, sometimes in a lot of trouble. Then they grew up a bit. Many came back to play hockey to their heart's content. Some have become great friends of the rink and are a pleasure to be with. They are the deep-down reason for this rink - showing that people can surprise each other, and that ill will can turn into respect and even friendship, more often than one would think.

Lost Articles

It's clear that fresh air must make people forgetful. That's why so many skates, gloves, scarves, keys, eyeglasses, jackets, snow pants, rag dolls, and other objects, get left behind at the park. It's pretty seldom that people return for them - but if you lost something, there's a good chance that we have it. Don't be a pessimist. For example, we have three pairs of found skates (boys' and mens') in the rink house office. Owners: come and get them!

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Skating Lessons

Learning to skate with Mayssan

see Skating Lessons, 2004-2005

From our new skating teacher, Mayssan Shuja:

"I've been skating for almost 15 years and have been teaching skating for about seven. I came to Canada eight years ago from Oman, a beautiful place with the most fantastic sunny, warm weather all year round...and one ice rink! As it turned out, the rink was across from where I lived. So, my parents quickly decided I was to become a figure skater." Mayssan recently moved to this neighbourhood and offered to teach skating. She describes what she does: "The focus of the sessions is primarily to make your kids comfortable on the ice. We will teach at the pre-beginner, beginner and intermediate skill levels which include walking - stopping - gliding - backwards skating - crossovers, and, of course, how to fall gracefully!!"

Mayssan will be joined by two assistants, Jonathan and Erinne. There are classes on Friday afternoons from 3.15 to 6 p.m. and all Saturday mornings from 9.15 a.m.to 1 p.m. The skating sessions will last 45 minutes and will consist of three 15 minute segments: warm up, instructional, and practice and games. Classes are small - 6 children and two instructors for pre-beginners, and 8 children and 3 instructors for beginners/intermediate. There is one class specifically for adult learners on Friday, and Mayssan is willing to add other times. The classes begin on Dec. 3 and 4, and run for 12 weeks, to the end of February. Cost is $85. On Fridays, there will be Friday night supper available, and on Saturday and Sunday mornings year we'll have organic pancakes and fresh-milled hot cereal. There will be no reason to huddle at home and stare out the window - the rink will be much more fun. To find out more, and to register, call Mayssan at 416-535-0214 - then press 2. Or email mayssan@ducttapedesigns.com

Read more >>

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The Sunday Beginner's Shinny Hockey League, Sundays at 7 - 8:30pm

For the fourth year now, Lawrence Barichello is operating the very popular Sunday Beginner's Shinny Hockey League. He sent us this note about this year's League:

Registration day is Sunday 21st of November at 7 pm at the Dufferin grove rink. First day is November 28.

In the past we have had some small interest from the media about our programme, but it has come out in the paper far too late--after the programme is full and we are weeks into it. We then get dozens of calls from people who are wanting to join, but have to be put off for a whole year! So we are trying to get an earlier start this year.

There is a registration fee for our programme, but this is just to cover the cost of the city's ice permit--all our organizers, coaches, etc, are volunteers and do not get paid.

We have a website at:

http://www.pathcom.com/%7Emgwm/Beginner%27s%20Shinny/shinny.htm

Which explains the who what were and why of our programme.

Contact: Lawrence: 416-530-4810, or email lawrence@pathcom.com

If you email me or leave a message on my voicemail, please let me know how you found out about our group. Thanks!